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Wisconsin Wildlife Reports

Wildlife reports

Results from these reports will be used by wildlife program managers to inform them on harvest, participation and hunter efforts and opinions to help them make decisions on species management.

Wildlife reports are divided into surveys addressing five species groups: small game, big game, waterfowl, furbearers and nongame. Interpretations of data in these reports are subject to change as a result of data verification and more extensive data analysis.

Historical harvest estimates are indices of harvest trends. Thus, caution should be used in interpreting trends in harvest estimates as indices of population trends. Harvest is influenced by game population levels, hunter effort, hunting regulations, weather conditions and pelt prices.

These reports were made possible by Pittman-Robertson funding.

Semi-annual reports are distributed in April and August.

 

Small game
Report title Previous Current
Pheasant
Rural mail carrier pheasant survey 2022 [PDF] 2023 [PDF]
Spring ring-necked pheasant surveys 2022 [PDF] 2023 [PDF]
Ruffed grouse
Ruffed grouse drumming survey 2022 [PDF] 2023 [PDF]
Sharp-tailed grouse
Sharp-tailed grouse harvest & hunter survey 2021 [PDF] 2022 [PDF]
Wisconsin sharp-tailed grouse survey 2022 [PDF] 2023 [PDF]
Other
Regional bobwhite quail and cottontail rabbit survey 2019 [PDF] 2021 [PDF]
Small game harvest 2021 [PDF] 2022 [PDF]
Summer wildlife inquiry 2021 [PDF] 2022 [PDF]
Ten-week brood observations 2018 [PDF] 2019 [PDF]
Upland gamebird brood survey 2022 [PDF] 2023 [PDF]
Big game
Report title Previous Current
Bear
Black bear harvest report 2021 [PDF] 2022 [PDF]
Black bear hunter questionnaire 2021 [PDF] 2022 [PDF]
Black bear population analyses 2022 [PDF] 2023 [PDF]
Damaging and nuisance wildlife
Agricultural deer damage shooting permits 2021 [PDF] 2022 [PDF]
Black bear damage and nuisance complaints 2021 [PDF] 2022 [PDF]
Wildlife damage abatement and claims program 2021 [PDF] 2022 [PDF]
Deer
Archery deer hunting questionnaire 2013 [PDF] 2017 [PDF]
Chronic wasting disease in Wisconsin deer 2021 [PDF] 2022 [PDF]
Deer ages and condition 2021 [PDF] 2022 [PDF]
Deer harvest report 2021 [PDF] 2022 [PDF]
Deer hunter wildlife survey 2021 [PDF] 2022 [PDF]
Deer hunting questionnaire 2021 [PDF] 2022 [PDF]
Deer recruitment surveys 2021 [PDF] 2022 [PDF]
White-tailed deer population status 2021 [PDF] 2022 [PDF]
Winter severity indices 2022 [PDF] 2023 [PDF]
Wisconsin deer hunting summary 2020 [PDF] 2021 [PDF]
Elk
Wisconsin elk hunting summary 2021 [PDF] 2022 [PDF]
Gray Wolf
Gray wolf hunter/trapper questionnaire 2014 [PDF] 2021 [PDF]
Gray wolf monitoring report 2022 [PDF] 2023 [PDF]
Wisconsin wolf season report 2014 [PDF] 2021 [PDF]
Turkey
Fall turkey harvest report 2021 [PDF] 2022 [PDF]
Fall turkey hunting questionnaire 2021 [PDF] 2022 [PDF]
Spring turkey harvest report 2021 [PDF] 2022 [PDF]
Spring turkey hunting questionnaire 2022 [PDF] 2023 [PDF]
Wild turkey landowner brood survey 2010 [PDF] 2011 [PDF]
Waterfowl
Report title Previous Current
Bird banding accomplishments 2021 [PDF] 2022 [PDF]
Waterfowl breeding population survey for Wisconsin 2022 [PDF] 2023 [PDF]
Wisconsin Canada goose harvest report 2021 [PDF] 2022 [PDF]
Wisconsin youth waterfowl hunt 2018 [PDF] 2019 [PDF]
Furbearers
Report title Previous Current
Beaver population analyses 2011 [PDF] 2014 [PDF]
Beaver trapping questionnaire 2022 [PDF] 2023 [PDF]
Bobcat harvest 2021 [PDF] 2022 [PDF]
Bobcat hunter/trapper survey 2021 [PDF] 2022 [PDF]
Bobcat population analyses 2022 [PDF] 2023 [PDF]
Fisher harvest 2021 [PDF] 2022 [PDF]
Fisher population analyses 2022 [PDF] 2023 [PDF]
Fur trapper survey 2022 [PDF] 2023 [PDF]
Otter harvest 2022 [PDF] 2023 [PDF]
Otter population analyses 2022 [PDF] 2023 [PDF]
Winter track counts 2017 [PDF] 2018 [PDF]
Wisconsin fur buyers report 2022 [PDF] 2023 [PDF]
Nongame
Report title Previous Current
American marten winter track surveys in Northern Wisconsin 2022 [PDF] 2023 [PDF]
Annual mammal survey 2018 [PDF] 2019 [PDF]
Central Wisconsin Greater prairie-chicken survey 2022 [PDF] 2023 [PDF]
Frog and toad survey 2021 [PDF] 2022 [PDF]
Moose observations 2018 [PDF] 2019 [PDF]
Rare carnivore observations 2018 [PDF] 2019 [PDF]
Wisconsin bald eagle and osprey nest surveys 2020 [PDF] 2021 [PDF]
Historical harvest estimates
Big game
Deer harvest, 1934-2019 [PDF]
Percent of total deer harvest and permits, 1965-2019 [PDF]
Turkey permits issued and harvest, 1983-2019 [PDF]
Turkey harvest success rates, 1983-2019 [PDF]
Black bear harvest and permits issued, 1934-2019 [PDF]
Small game
Small game hunter numbers, 1983-2019 [PDF]
Small game harvest trends, 1931-2019 [PDF]
Waterfowl
Waterfowl harvest trends, 1932-2019 [PDF]
Furbearers
Furbearer harvest and pelt value [PDF]
Total furbearer harvest and pelt value, 1930-2019 [PDF]
Hunting accidents
History of hunting accidents both fatal and non-fatal, 1944-2019 [PDF]

For more information about this data, please see the WI Wildlife Harvest Summary, 1930-2019 [PDF]