The earn-a-buck program forces hunters to shoot antlerless deer before taking a buck. It's designed as a population-control measure, but many hunters despise it because it forces them to pass up trophy kills.

Preliminary totals indicate hunters killed 19 percent fewer deer during November's gun hunt, leading many to conclude the deer population has shrunk. State experts are still crunching the final figures.

The Wisconsin Conservation Congress plans to ask outdoor lovers at its April hearings whether they support ending the earn-a-buck program. A yes answer would only advise state officials, not end the program.

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