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Deer management committee reports UAV surveys and 83 deer removed; venison donated to food pantry
Summary
The Deer Management Committee reported a November 2024 UAV survey that observed 239–250 deer across 11 properties and removal operations in January–March 2025 that resulted in 83 deer removed; 81 carcasses were processed at Leroy Meats and venison distributed to food pantries, with two deer donated to the DNR processing program.
The Deer Management Committee reported to the Common Council on May 5 that an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) survey conducted Nov. 19, 2024, observed an estimated 239–250 deer across 11 monitored properties in West Bend and that an organized removal effort in January through March 2025 resulted in 83 deer taken.
Committee members said the UAV count should be considered a minimum because survey conditions can reduce detectability; the counts were short at each site and in most cases the UAV did not cause deer to flee, the committee said. The removal operations were conducted under a state nuisance permit issued by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to the City of West Bend.
Of the 83 deer removed, 81 carcasses were taken to Leroy Meats in Fox Lake for processing into ground venison; two deer were donated to a Department of Natural Resources processing program. Committee members said processed venison was donated to a local food pantry and offered at no cost to qualified individuals or families. The committee voted to continue UAV surveys in November and December 2025 and to wait for the fall survey results before deciding whether to proceed with an abatement program in 2026. The parks director said the 2024–2025 program was successful and that the city will again pursue an Urban Wildlife Damage Abatement grant from the DNR.
The committee’s report and vote were presented as operational wildlife management activity, and staff noted prior grant support for the program in previous years.
