I have hunted in many areas around the state, including some that are still, BUCKS ONLY. Up north, where Winterkill and Wolves are prevalent, the deer herd is thin and in many places the quest for a buck leads to fewer and fewer bucks being available which affects the deer herd almost as much as a lack of breedable does. It still takes two to tango and while a buck can take care of several does both need to be present for herds to grow. I live in Southern Wisconsin. While I am primarily a meat hunter I hunt on private land where both bucks and does are abundant. I don't shoot the first legal deer. Where I hunt both bucks and does are legal so with deer processors practicing price gouging to the extreme, pushing $200 per animal, I am looking for the biggest deer of either sex to fill my freezer. For me this means a deer, any deer pushing 200 pounds. Going hunting means a lot more than shooting a deer. If none shows up that meets my criteria then I am just as happy to go home empty handed with $200 still in my pocket. I still got out into the woods, see many deer as well as other animals, watched the bobcat population increase over the years, chipmunks scampering around, song birds that have still not headed south for the winter, turkeys wandering here and even a family of badgers a couple of years ago. There is time to read a book in the comfort of my heated blind. Deer camp is still a lot of fun, regardless of whether we get a deer or not. Traditions continue which to many of us growing older every year is sometimes more important than dragging a deer out of the woods.
