Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Wildlife Management topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
West Bend reports 83 deer removed under 2024–25 abatement program; UAV surveys to continue
Summary
City officials reported 83 deer removed during the January–March 2025 abatement activities, 81 of which were processed for ground venison; UAV surveys in November–December 2025 were approved to assess future abatement.
The West Bend Deer Management Committee reported that 83 deer were removed during the 2024–25 abatement program and recommended continuing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) surveys in the fall of 2025.
Committee members said USDA District Supervisor Charles Lovell and City Park, Recreation and Forestry Director Mike Gensch presented a removal recap. A UAV survey conducted on Nov. 19, 2024, across 11 city properties observed between 239 and 250 deer; staff cautioned those counts should be considered a minimum and that the actual number was likely higher. Removal activities occurred Jan. 9, Feb. 13, Feb. 20 and March (dates as presented), with a total of 83 deer removed. Of those, 81 deer were delivered to Leroy Meats in Fox Lake and processed into ground venison; two deer were donated to the Wisconsin DNR deer processing program.
Committee members said there were no negative impacts reported to qualified individuals or families receiving venison. The committee voted to continue UAV surveys in November and December 2025 and to wait for the fall survey results before deciding whether to continue abatement in 2026. Staff said they will again pursue an urban wildlife damage abatement grant from the Wisconsin DNR to fund future efforts.
Committee members described the 2024–25 program as successful and planned further monitoring and grant applications to inform next steps.
