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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 2023 [PDF] 2024 [PDF]
Spring ring-necked pheasant surveys 2023 [PDF] 2024 [PDF]
Ruffed grouse
Ruffed grouse drumming survey 2023 [PDF] 2024 [PDF]
Sharp-tailed grouse
Sharp-tailed grouse harvest & hunter survey 2022 [PDF] 2023 [PDF]
Wisconsin sharp-tailed grouse survey 2023 [PDF] 2024 [PDF]
Other
Regional bobwhite quail and cottontail rabbit survey 2019 [PDF] 2021 [PDF]
Small game harvest 2023 [PDF] 2024 [PDF]
Summer wildlife inquiry 2022 [PDF] 2023 [PDF]
Ten-week brood observations 2018 [PDF] 2019 [PDF]
Upland gamebird brood survey 2023 [PDF] 2024 [PDF]
Big game
Report title Previous Current
Bear
Black bear harvest report 2022 [PDF] 2023 [PDF]
Black bear hunter questionnaire 2022 [PDF] 2023 [PDF]
Black bear population analyses 2023 [PDF] 2024 [PDF]
Damaging and nuisance wildlife
Agricultural deer damage shooting permits 2022 [PDF] 2023 [PDF]
Black bear damage and nuisance complaints 2022 [PDF] 2023 [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 2022 [PDF] 2023 [PDF]
Deer ages and condition 2022 [PDF] 2023 [PDF]
Deer harvest report 2022 [PDF] 2023 [PDF]
Deer hunter wildlife survey 2022 [PDF] 2023 [PDF]
Deer hunting questionnaire 2022 [PDF] 2023 [PDF]
Deer recruitment surveys 2022 [PDF] 2023 [PDF]
White-tailed deer population status 2022 [PDF] 2023 [PDF]
Winter severity indices 2023 [PDF] 2024 [PDF]
Wisconsin deer hunting summary 2020 [PDF] 2021 [PDF]
Elk
Wisconsin elk hunting summary 2022 [PDF] 2023 [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 2022 [PDF] 2023 [PDF]
Fall turkey hunting questionnaire 2022 [PDF] 2023 [PDF]
Spring turkey harvest report 2022 [PDF] 2023 [PDF]
Spring turkey hunting questionnaire 2023 [PDF] 2024 [PDF]
Wild turkey landowner brood survey 2010 [PDF] 2011 [PDF]
Waterfowl
Report title Previous Current
Bird banding accomplishments 2022 [PDF] 2023 [PDF]
Waterfowl breeding population survey for Wisconsin 2023 [PDF] 2024 [PDF]
Wisconsin Canada goose harvest report 2022 [PDF] 2023 [PDF]
Wisconsin youth waterfowl hunt 2018 [PDF] 2019 [PDF]
Furbearers
Report title Previous Current
Beaver population analyses 2011 [PDF] 2014 [PDF]
Beaver trapping questionnaire 2023 [PDF] 2024 [PDF]
Bobcat harvest 2022 [PDF] 2023 [PDF]
Bobcat hunter/trapper survey 2022 [PDF] 2023 [PDF]
Bobcat population analyses 2023 [PDF] 2024 [PDF]
Fisher harvest 2022 [PDF] 2023 [PDF]
Fisher population analyses 2023 [PDF] 2024 [PDF]
Fur trapper survey 2023 [PDF] 2024 [PDF]
Otter harvest 2023 [PDF] 2024 [PDF]
Otter population analyses 2023 [PDF] 2024 [PDF]
Winter track counts 2017 [PDF] 2018 [PDF]
Wisconsin fur buyers report 2023 [PDF] 2024 [PDF]
Nongame
Report title Previous Current
American marten winter track surveys in Northern Wisconsin 2023 [PDF] 2024 [PDF]
Annual mammal survey 2018 [PDF] 2019 [PDF]
Central Wisconsin Greater prairie-chicken survey 2023 [PDF] 2024 [PDF]
Frog and toad survey 2022 [PDF] 2023 [PDF]
Moose observations 2021-2022 [PDF] 2023 [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]