Virtual 2021 Deer Season Planning Meetings March 22-April 1

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) today announced the 2021 County Deer Advisory Councils’ (CDAC) planning meetings will take place virtually March 22-April 1 to discuss the upcoming deer seasons.  

Wisconsin's hunting legacy runs deep. Everyone has a say about the deer herd in Wisconsin and the DNR wants to hear from you. Anyone interested in listening to their county's meeting can join from the comfort of home.

Every county in Wisconsin has its own CDAC and each spring they meet to develop recommendations for antlerless harvest goals, antlerless tag availability and season options for their county. The recommendations for the 2021 deer hunting season are provided to the Natural Resources Board along with recommendations from the DNR. Councils will develop their recommendations using two meetings separated by a public input period to provide transparency and multiple opportunities for public input. After each meeting, the DNR will update the CDAC webpage with meeting summaries and preliminary recommendations.

The Councils will meet virtually via Zoom to develop preliminary recommendations on harvest quotas and season structure options. County-specific meeting dates and call-in options are available here.

All council meetings are open to the public. Anyone wishing to provide feedback will be asked to do so using the online public input form available on the DNR website from April 12-25.

The agenda for each county’s meeting will include the development of antlerless harvest goals and season framework recommendations for the 2021 deer season to achieve each county's deer population objective. Options under discussion include the antlerless deer harvest quota and various season framework options such as offering the holiday hunt or extended archery/crossbow seasons. The public can view the presentations from DNR wildlife biologists regarding objectives here.

A second round of meetings will take place in May, during which council members will review public comments and make final recommendations for the 2021 deer season. The DNR will review the final CDAC recommendations following the May meetings and provide CDAC and department recommendations to the Natural Resources Board for approval in June.

Each county in Wisconsin has a County Deer Advisory Council to provide input and recommendations to the department on deer management within their county. Councils work with local DNR staff to schedule meetings, provide community outreach and an opportunity for public input, review population data and deer impacts on forests and agriculture, develop recommendations on county population objectives and create annual antlerless harvest quotas.

The public can submit questions about the process to DNRCDACWebMail@wisconsin.gov. More information is available on the DNR’s County Deer Advisory Councils webpage.