I would have to agree with your comments about the count accuracy. As you mentioned, the bear count is much much higher than they initially predicted. I would have to say that in the case of deer, the situation is the opposite in they predict many more than there are.
It is my opinion that these numbers are skewed those directions intentionally.
I think the general non-hunting urban public has an influence. I think in the state of Wisconsin, people see a lot of deer dead on the road or near roads and view them as a safety hazard and want them managed heavily especially around your urban areas....and the DNR obliges by printing more permits. On the other hand, the general big city public don't see a lot of bears, so they put on their pita shirt and pressure the DNR to limit the permit numbers.
Here is an example:
In LaCrosse a while back, a black bear was spotted which is rare. Then it wandered into the city limits near the zoo where there is a huge kids play area. The police came and the bear treed. They were not able to get a hold of a tranquilizer gun, so they shot and killed it. All sorts of people were pissed about them killing it.....even though if that bear paniced and hurt a kid, they would have been pissed that nothing was done quickly.
On the otherhand, you have urban areas where hunting isn't allowed and the deer numbers grow to an unsustainable level. The DNR pays to have a bunch of deer culled by snipers in a inconspicuous way and noone says a word.
The general non-hunting public don't understand what management really means...and unfortunately they have all of the weight.
