Wisconsin DNR proposes buck-only restrictions in just 1 county

MADISON — Wisconsin wildlife officials want to impose buck-only restrictions in only one county this fall, a sign the state's northern herd has regenerated.

The Department of Natural Resources plans to ask its board on May 23 to approve a plan that would make Iron County the only county where hunters could kill only bucks.

Buck-only restrictions protect does so they can give birth, leading to a larger herd in those areas. The board designated Ashland, Eau Claire, Iron and Vilas counties as buck-only last year.

Citizen advisory councils in Ashland and Price counties wanted buck-only restrictions this year out of fears a mid-April snowstorm led to higher deer mortality.

But DNR Secretary Dan Meyer wrote in a memo to the board that only portions of each county experienced a severe winter.