Wisconsin deer research / Washburn County

Washburn County, Wisconsin Deer Hunting Research

Provisional FDR Deer Herd Index 48.5 Provisional, ranked #48 of 61 ranked Wisconsin counties. Built from Wisconsin DNR county registrations, 1960–2025 plus public-land access.

C - Above Average
48.5 / 100
Provisional FDR Index
#48 of 61
Ranked-county rank
85→
Buck Index
162,493
Public-land acres
1,418
2025 deer harvest

What drives the Washburn County index

Provisional components, each scored 0–100 against the ranked Wisconsin counties. Provisional.

Herd quality75
Population20
Buck Index30
Habitat86
Momentum0
Deer-vehicle crash rate55

Buck Index

85→ 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, 27th 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).

1960–2025 harvest trend

SeasonTotal harvest
20251,418
20243,053
20232,892
20224,743
20213,969
20204,150
20193,297
20184,479
20174,825
20164,763
20153,710
20141,967
20134,827
20125,380
20115,295
20108,565
20096,389
20088,095
20079,353
20069,344
20058,107
20049,150
20038,485
20027,480
20017,055
200014,082
199910,567
19988,882
19975,302
19965,991
19958,311
19944,123
19932,239
19925,426
199110,175
19907,501
19895,839
19884,356
19873,514
19862,874
19852,681
19841,926
19832,416
19823,288
19813,084
19802,674
19792,441
19782,737
19771,986
19761,686
19752,190
19741,755
19731,250
19721,043
1971917
19701,168
19691,926
19682,388
19672,814
19663,059
19652,610
19642,624
19631,243
19621,008
19611,007
19601,844

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 Washburn County harvest charts →

Harvest composition

WDNR reports each deer as antlered or antlerless. In 2025, the Washburn County harvest was 625 antlered and 793 antlerless deer.

SeasonAntleredAntlerlessTotal
20256257931,418
20241,7271,3263,053
20231,5581,3342,892
20222,5052,2384,743
20212,2221,7473,969
20202,1292,0214,150
20191,7081,5893,297
20182,2062,2734,479
20172,3402,4854,825
20162,1112,6524,763
20151,8841,8263,710
20141,5683991,967
20131,8452,9824,827
20122,2853,0955,380
20112,1143,1815,295
20103,2155,3508,565
20092,5873,8026,389
20082,5565,5398,095

WDNR's antlerless category includes does AND button bucks (male fawns); it is not a doe-only count. Table shows the most recent 18 seasons; the full 1960–2025 series (66 years) drives the chart.

See full Washburn County composition charts →

Herd & land detail

MetricValue
Latest season (2025)1,418 deer
Harvest per sq mi1.78
Antlered harvest625
Antlerless harvest793
County land (sq mi)797.10
Public-land acres162,493

Methodology

Provisional index. Provisional index: herd, harvest, the Buck Index, and roadway (exposure-normalized deer-vehicle crash rate) components; habitat/age-structure partial where the state does not publish them.. 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 Washburn County on the map

Parcels with owner & acreage, public hunting land, leaf-off imagery, and this research, together on one hunting map.

All Wisconsin counties

Nearby counties

Barron · 35.1Burnett · 43Polk · 44.5Dunn · 43.7Chippewa · 51.3St. Croix · 49.4Eau Claire · 50.4Pepin · 36.6
← #47 Richland County#49 Vernon County →

Frequently asked questions

Is Washburn County, Wisconsin good for deer hunting?

Washburn County scores 48.5 of 100 on the provisional FDR Deer Herd Index (C - Above Average), ranked #48 of 61 ranked Wisconsin counties. The provisional index is built from WDNR public harvest records, the Buck Index and deer-vehicle crash data; some components are partial, as noted in the methodology.

How many deer were harvested in Washburn County last season?

WDNR records show 1,418 deer harvested in Washburn County, Wisconsin in 2025, the most recent reported season.

Cite this

Fully Drawn Research. "Washburn County, Wisconsin deer hunting research." County page. https://www.fullydrawnresearch.ai/research/wi/washburn. Accessed Nov 1, 2026.

Data and charts from this page are free to use with attribution. See the Content Lab.

Sources: Wisconsin DNR county registrations, 1960–2025; public-land access from public land-cover and public-hunting-area records. Public-record data only: no private contact information, no landowner lists. This is a provisional index, harvest and access components only; Buck Index and roadway components are a later step.

Fully Drawn Research is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wisconsin WDNR. Historical data and modeled indexes describe the past; they are not a promise of hunting outcomes. Always verify current seasons, permits, and site rules with the WDNR before you hunt.

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