West-Central Region
If you hunt in Wisconsin's West-Central Region, you are hunting in our best deer-producing region -- both for high numbers of deer and trophy potential. Six of our state's best DMUs for 2005 are located here. DMU 61 was once again No. 1. Hunters killed 10,656 whitetails last year, and 4,199, or 39 percent, were registered as antlered. DMU 59C came in a close second with 10,588 deer. Forty percent of those animals, or 4,185 deer, were bucks. In third place was DMU 59B where 5,584 deer were registered, and 2,100 -- 38 percent -- were bucks.

DMU 60A is the only unit in this region with a regular deer season this fall. All the other units in the region are HC or EAB units for this year.

Central Forest Region
Our state's smallest DNR region is the Central Forest, with only five DMUs, but three of those five -- 54A, 55 and 58 -- are among our top 20 units for 2005. DMU 58 was the best in the region with a total nine-day gun kill of 8,203 deer. DNR figures show 3,073, or 37 percent, were legal bucks.

The region's second-best unit was DMU 54A where 6,890 whitetails were registered and 2,776, or 40 percent, wore horns. DMU 55 was third with 5,881 deer registrations, of which 2,404, or 41 percent, were registered as antlered.

During the 2004 hunt, the whole Central Forest Region was listed under "regular deer season" with no Zone T units. This year, only DMU 56 has a regular season while the rest are Herd-Control Units.

Southern Farmland Region
The total deer kill during the 2005 regular nine-day hunt in the Southern Farmland Region was 74,960. Regionwide, 43 percent -- or 32,432 deer -- were registered as antlered bucks. This region includes the entire Chronic Wasting Disease Zone.

As this was written, regulations for the CWD units had not yet been released by the DNR. Information on all our deer hunting regulations is available at DNR Service Centers, or on the DNR's Web site at www.dnr.wi.gov, and in the 2006 Wisconsin Deer Hunting Regulations pamphlet issued with each license.

DMU 67A was the region's best unit with a total kill of 6,875 whitetails. Forty-one percent, 2,806, were bucks. The next best was DMU 71CWD in which 6,168 deer were registered, and 2,938 -- 48 percent -- were legal bucks. DMU 72 took third place with a total of 5,237 deer. Of those, 2,840 -- or 54 percent -- were tagged as antlered deer.

Only DMU 69 in the region will have a regular deer season for 2005. All remaining units are HC, EAB or CWD units. The CWD Zone offers special regulations and bag limits, but even more important, there is an extended season and more hunting opportunities. Deer hunters who have taken advantage of the CWD units during past years report light hunting pressure and plenty of deer. Check out the CWD Zone if you are looking for a quality hunting experience.