The best counties are Iowa, Richland and Dane; however, much of this land is privately owned. In the northwest, Buffalo, Trempealeau and Jackson counties are known producers of bucks, with Marathon County in central Wisconsin being one of the highest number producing areas in the state. Other counties to mention are Waushara, Shawano, Marquette and Green Lake. All of these counties have a good mix of habitat, nutrition and EAB.

Another very intriguing piece of data is the antlered buck density per square mile of deer range, which is not to be confused with the density per square mile of total area. After all, we aren't going to hunt in shopping malls and the like, so for the purposes of this article, we'll focus only on suitable habitat.

One of the best units is Unit 66 near Oshkosh. This unit had a harvest rate of 9.5 antlered bucks per square mile. This unit is a good example of a unit that has been in EAB for the last three years. Yet, there are two ways to look at this number. On one hand, there are plenty of bucks; on the other hand, these bucks may not get the chance to live to a ripe old age. By contrast, look at Unit 4 that averages 2.2 bucks per square mile, yet this area has low hunting pressure, is rather roadless and is mostly public land. Bucks here can live to a ripe old age. The bottom line is that you can choose the hunt you want. The harvest density data for all units can be found on the DNR Web site.

Another good indicator of big bucks is the ratio of adult does to adult bucks. The optimum ratio is 1:1. You want to find areas that are as close to that number as you can find. For example, Unit 4 has a 1.1:1 ratio. Unit 13 has a 1.2:1 ratio, and most southern units have a 1.5-2:1 ratio. Many of the northern units, on the other hand, have a 2:1 ratio.

WINTER IMPACT
We all remember last year's long snowy winter, yet for most of the state, the winter had a mild effect on deer numbers.

"The impact of the winter had a normal or average effect on deer populations in the northwest and southern parts of the state," Warnke said. "The only place it had an impact was in the northeast because the snows piled up and stayed for long periods of time. Basically, this is the area from Ashland to Ladysmith and to the east. Also, the Central Forest saw some impact as well. This area has less agriculture to sustain deer through a snowy winter."

In the agricultural parts of the state, the winter wasn't severe enough to have much effect. There was a good break in the weather in late March and early April that helped sustain the deer, plus many were concentrated around a food source during the coldest parts of the winter.

CHANGES TO REGULATIONS
It's back. Whether you like it or not, the October antlerless season, Oct. 16-19, is back in EAB and herd control units. Some see the October season as a chance to qualify for a buck during the regular season, while others, mostly bowhunters, think the increased pressure forces deer into nocturnal patterns, thus reducing their chances during the bow season.