Wisconsin deer research / Rusk County
Rusk County, Wisconsin Deer Hunting Research
Rusk County is unranked in the provisional Wisconsin FDR Deer Herd Index Provisional.
Rusk County stays unranked on FDR's provisional deer herd index because Wisconsin reports harvest for this northern region by deer management unit, not by county. Without a stable county-level harvest series, the index cannot assign Rusk a fair score or rank the way it does for other Wisconsin counties. This research page keeps the statewide context and notes that the ranking stays withheld until county-level harvest data exists.
Buck Index
83→ out of 100. How this county ranks on the Buck Index against every county we cover. 100 is the top. Land is measured as what a hunter can actually hunt (10 m estimate).
Hunting pressure
Pressure Index 8.8 / 10 (Higher). About 12 deer hunters per square mile of huntable land: 88th percentile of 3,051 rated counties in 48 states, 23rd percentile within Wisconsin. How often deer run into people, 0 to 10 on one scale across every rated state; 10 is the most crowded county in the country.
Modeled. Wisconsin does not publish hunter numbers by county, so FDR places this county within Wisconsin from deer harvest per huntable acre (2021 to 2025 seasons) and population density. The model was checked against agency hunter counts in Michigan, Indiana and Missouri, and against agency hunter surveys by hunting unit in 10 more states. It estimates crowding; it is not a hunter count. Wisconsin averages 13.5 deer hunters per square mile of huntable land (National Deer Association Deer Report, 2024 season).
2014 to 2021 and 2023 to 2025 harvest trend
| Season | Total harvest |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 4,450 |
| 2024 | 3,651 |
| 2023 | 3,444 |
| 2021 | 4,656 |
| 2020 | 5,031 |
| 2019 | 3,790 |
| 2018 | 4,645 |
| 2017 | 5,620 |
| 2016 | 3,860 |
| 2015 | 3,148 |
| 2014 | 2,484 |
Harvest totals from Wisconsin DNR county registrations, 1960–2025. WDNR reports totals by county and season; archery / firearm splits are not broken out in this dataset.
See full Rusk County harvest charts →
Harvest composition
WDNR reports each deer as antlered or antlerless. In 2025, the Rusk County harvest was 2,484 antlered and 1,966 antlerless deer.
| Season | Antlered | Antlerless | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,484 | 1,966 | 4,450 |
| 2024 | 2,021 | 1,630 | 3,651 |
| 2023 | 1,946 | 1,498 | 3,444 |
| 2021 | 2,455 | 2,201 | 4,656 |
| 2020 | 2,465 | 2,566 | 5,031 |
| 2019 | 2,164 | 1,626 | 3,790 |
| 2018 | 2,716 | 1,929 | 4,645 |
| 2017 | 2,903 | 2,717 | 5,620 |
| 2016 | 2,712 | 1,148 | 3,860 |
| 2015 | 2,077 | 1,071 | 3,148 |
| 2014 | 1,999 | 477 | 2,484 |
WDNR's antlerless category includes does AND button bucks (male fawns); it is not a doe-only count.
In seasons where the groups do not add up to the Total column, the remainder is not assigned to any group in this dataset.
See full Rusk County composition charts →
Herd & land detail
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Latest season (2025) | 4,450 deer |
| Harvest per sq mi | 4.87 |
| Antlerless harvest | 1,966 |
| County land (sq mi) | 913.50 |
Methodology
Provisional index. Provisional: WDNR's county harvest dashboard stopped listing this county after 2013 (Northern Forest units); FDR recovered 2014-2021 and 2024 from WDNR's own season reports. 2023 and 2025 are FDR estimates (2023 scaled from WDNR's Nov 26, 2023 county table; 2025 split from WDNR's multi-county unit totals). 2022 county totals were not found. Latest season: 2025 (estimated).. FULLY DRAWN RESEARCH · Wisconsin DNR (WDNR) PROVISIONAL COUNTY DEER INDEX
Informational only. Built from public-record Wisconsin DNR (WDNR) county harvest data, US Census TIGER county land area, the Buck Index, and exposure-normalized deer-vehicle crash rates where published. Provisional index; some components partial or pending. Not a prediction or guarantee. Verify with the Wisconsin DNR (WDNR).
See Rusk County on the map
Parcels with owner & acreage, public hunting land, leaf-off imagery, and this research, together on one hunting map.
Nearby counties
Frequently asked questions
How many deer were harvested in Rusk County last season?
WDNR records show 4,450 deer harvested in Rusk County, Wisconsin in 2025, the most recent reported season.
Cite this
Fully Drawn Research. "Rusk County, Wisconsin deer hunting research." County page. https://www.fullydrawnresearch.ai/research/wi/rusk. Accessed Nov 1, 2026.
Data and charts from this page are free to use with attribution. See the Content Lab.