Keith McCaffery has been nominated for the Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame in recognition of his lifelong contributions to deer management and conservation in Wisconsin. Over a 37-year career with the Wisconsin Conservation Department, McCaffery helped shape science-based deer management practices that became models nationwide.

His research established the importance of summer deer habitat to winter survival and herd productivity, shifting habitat management priorities across the upper Midwest. He helped develop forest habitat valuation guidelines, played a central role in creating Wisconsin’s deer population monitoring and harvest management system, and authored more than 100 professional reports along with dozens of popular articles on deer management.

Born in Stanley, Wisconsin, McCaffery’s passion for conservation began early through hunting, fishing, and hands-on wildlife work. He earned degrees in forestry with a minor in wildlife management from St. Olaf College and the University of Minnesota and served in the Army National Guard. He joined the Wisconsin Conservation Department in 1963, where he advanced deer population monitoring methods, led statewide demographic surveys, and ultimately retired as State Deer Biologist in 2000.

Following retirement, McCaffery continued to serve as a volunteer deer expert for the DNR for two decades, providing public education, assisting research efforts, and authoring additional publications. His work helped sustain annual deer harvests exceeding 200,000 animals and generated more than $25 million annually in license revenue. He also contributed to the first long-term deer management policy in the United States.

Highly respected by peers, McCaffery has been described as a guiding leader in Midwest deer management. He has received numerous awards from the Wisconsin DNR, The Wildlife Society, and state leaders for his contributions. A charter member and past president of the Wisconsin Chapter of The Wildlife Society, he has also mentored generations of wildlife biologists and emphasized the role of sound science in management decisions.

McCaffery’s legacy remains deeply embedded in Wisconsin’s deer management program, where his data, methods, and philosophy continue to guide policy today. Now retired from formal service, he remains active in conservation, hunting, and community leadership. Reflecting on his life and career, McCaffery credits his wife of 64 years, Josie, as his constant partner and greatest support — an essential part of the work that has defined his lasting impact on Wisconsin’s conservation history.

Read a few of Keith’s stories in Deer & Deer Hunting here.