Oct. 1, 2026
As deer season gets underway in Western Wisconsin, wildlife biologist Scott Craven underscored the importance of the hunt not only for the state’s economy and culture, but for the critical role hunting plays in managing the health of the state’s deer herd and the ecosystems which support it.
Craven is a Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame inductee and former chair of UW Wisconsin-Madison’s Department of Wildlife ecology. He will join the Coon Creek Community Watershed Council (CCCWC) at their 6pm Oct. 7th meeting to discuss deer population trends in the Driftless, as well as deer impacts, management goals, and Chronic Wasting Disease.
“Deer are a very powerful force in Wisconsin,” Craven said. “Deer hunters are all thinking about the big buck that they’ve got on their trail camera, but I would like to hope that they are also thinking about what impact their actions have on the herd. Deer hunters are really the agents of deer management in Wisconsin.”
The impact of deer management is far ranging, touching everything from crop damage and farm viability, to the spread of disease and health risks to humans and livestock, to forest regeneration and flood resilient woodlands.
“You can drive around and see a lot of deer and that definitely causes headaches for farmers,” said Dean Daniels, a CCCWC member and local hunter safety instructor. “If you can get out and help with the control of the white tale deer, that would make a huge difference as far as those impacts are concerned.”
The CCCWC meeting will take place at the Coon Valley Conservation Club, located at S1005 Knudson Ln, Coon Valley. The event will also feature dinner from Maybe Lately’s, updates from Habitat for Humanity’s free solar installation program, and notes from UW Extension on the Wisconsin Water and Soil Health Conference.
Like all CCCWC events, this one is free and open to the public.
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