Wisconsin deer research / Waukesha County

Waukesha County, Wisconsin Deer Hunting Research

Provisional FDR Deer Herd Index 70.7 Provisional, ranked #1 of 61 ranked Wisconsin counties. Built from Wisconsin DNR county registrations, 1960–2025 plus public-land access.

A - Elite
70.7 / 100
Provisional FDR Index
#1 of 61
Ranked-county rank
97→
Buck Index
28,273
Public-land acres
3,320
2025 deer harvest

What drives the Waukesha County index

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

Herd quality54
Population100
Buck Index91
Habitat59
Momentum94
Deer-vehicle crash rate32

Buck Index

97→ 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 9.9 / 10 (Higher). About 25 deer hunters per square mile of huntable land: 99th percentile of 3,051 rated counties in 48 states, 100th 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
20253,320
20243,021
20232,888
20222,819
20212,728
20202,824
20192,525
20182,302
20172,140
20162,211
20152,281
20142,212
20132,053
20122,221
20112,042
20102,522
20092,563
20083,112
20072,947
20062,417
20052,325
20042,369
20032,025
20021,230
20011,445
20002,274
19991,938
19981,710
19971,608
19962,596
19952,524
19942,228
19931,683
19921,829
19912,052
19901,566
19891,261
1988964
1987862
1986813
1985896
1984737
1983492
1982508
1981480
1980377
1979203
1978323
1977299
1976301
1975373
1974264
1973286
1972253
1971231
1970224
1969202
1968206
1967196
1966180
1965160
1964213
1963129
196295
196195
196064

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 Waukesha County harvest charts →

Harvest composition

WDNR reports each deer as antlered or antlerless. In 2025, the Waukesha County harvest was 1,649 antlered and 1,671 antlerless deer.

SeasonAntleredAntlerlessTotal
20251,6491,6713,320
20241,5041,5173,021
20231,4501,4382,888
20221,3411,4782,819
20211,3061,4222,728
20201,3541,4702,824
20191,2581,2672,525
20181,1461,1562,302
20171,0651,0752,140
20161,0431,1682,211
20151,0711,2102,281
20141,0361,1762,212
20138721,1812,053
20129331,2882,221
20119071,1352,042
20108081,7142,522
20098191,7442,563
20087762,3363,112

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 Waukesha County composition charts →

Herd & land detail

MetricValue
Latest season (2025)3,320 deer
Harvest per sq mi6.04
Antlered harvest1,649
Antlerless harvest1,671
County land (sq mi)549.70
Public-land acres28,273

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 Waukesha 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

Washington · 56.9Walworth · 60.3Jefferson · 57.4Dodge · 62.9Racine · 52.4Milwaukee · 35.3Fond du Lac · 59.5Kenosha · 54.2

Frequently asked questions

Is Waukesha County, Wisconsin good for deer hunting?

Waukesha County scores 70.7 of 100 on the provisional FDR Deer Herd Index (A - Elite), ranked #1 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 Waukesha County last season?

WDNR records show 3,320 deer harvested in Waukesha County, Wisconsin in 2025, the most recent reported season.

Cite this

Fully Drawn Research. "Waukesha County, Wisconsin deer hunting research." County page. https://www.fullydrawnresearch.ai/research/wi/waukesha. 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.

© Fully Drawn Research · FDR Scout