Adams County, Wisconsin: deer harvest and public hunting land
Adams County is its own deer management unit, 688 square miles around Adams. Hunters registered 6,148 deer here in 2025, 3,066 of them bucks, by the DNR's Deer Metrics. That is down 8% from 2024. 8.1% of Adams County is public land open to the public, the largest share state wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land (27,841 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
Data updated October 2026. Harvest: DNR Deer Metrics. Land: PAD-US 4.1, the DNR's managed lands and VPA layers.
State wildlife areas, forests and other DNR landCounty forestNational wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areasOther federal landOther county, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landVoluntary Public Access landAdams CountyNeighboring deer management unitsLakeHighway
| Counties | Adams County and Juneau County |
|---|---|
| Size | 440,535 acres (688 square miles) |
| Deer registered, 2025 | 6,148 (3,066 bucks, 3,082 antlerless) |
| Yearly average, 2016 to 2025 | 5,550 deer |
| Public land | 8.1% (35,845 acres) |
| Properties | 24 (27,263 acres inside Adams County) |
| Voluntary Public Access land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Adams, Friendship, Lake Arrowhead, Wisconsin Dells, Oxford and Lyndon Station |
How many deer are harvested in Adams County?
The DNR registered 6,148 deer in Adams County in 2025: 3,066 bucks and 3,082 antlerless deer, 50% of the harvest antlerless. Over the 10 years shown, the harvest averaged 5,550 deer a year; the most bucks were registered in 2024 (3,418).
| Year | Deer registered | Bucks | Antlerless | Antlerless share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 6,148 | 3,066 | 3,082 | 50% |
| 2024 | 6,658 | 3,418 | 3,240 | 49% |
| 2023 | 5,428 | 2,762 | 2,666 | 49% |
| 2022 | 6,020 | 2,923 | 3,097 | 51% |
| 2021 | 4,857 | 2,425 | 2,432 | 50% |
| 2020 | 5,611 | 2,609 | 3,002 | 54% |
| 2019 | 4,490 | 2,191 | 2,299 | 51% |
| 2018 | 5,573 | 2,657 | 2,916 | 52% |
| 2017 | 5,196 | 2,462 | 2,734 | 53% |
| 2016 | 5,514 | 2,639 | 2,875 | 52% |
Source: Wisconsin DNR Deer Metrics, harvest history for Adams County. Deer registered is the DNR's buck and antlerless harvest added together. The DNR's Deer Metrics shows every year back to 1960 for most counties.
How much public land is in Adams County?
35,845 of Adams County's 440,535 acres are public land open to the public (8.1%). The biggest share is state wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land: 27,841 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Adams County |
|---|---|---|
| State wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land | 27,841 | 6.3% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 4,173 | 0.9% |
| Other county, city and regional land | 3,173 | 0.7% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 342 | 0.1% |
| Other federal land | 314 | 0.1% |
| State parks | 2 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 35,845 | 8.1% |
Measured by FilledTag inside the DNR's boundary from USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). Hunting rules differ by manager: DNR wildlife areas and state forests are open to hunting unless posted; county forests are open to hunting in most cases (check the county forest's rules); national forest land is open in season; refuges follow U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rules; state parks allow hunting only in listed seasons and areas; national park land is closed to hunting.
DNR properties in Adams County
DNR properties in Adams County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Central Sands Pines Forest Legacy Easement: 9,122 acres
- Quincy Bluff and Wetlands State Natural Area: 6,591 acres
- Colburn Wildlife Area: 5,068 acres
- Leola Marsh Wildlife Area: 2,518 acres
- Dells Of The Wisconsin River State Natural Area: 796 acres
- Roche-A-Cri State Park: 454 acres
- Lawrence Creek Wildlife Area: 424 acres
- Upper Neenah Fishery Area: 384 acres
- Big Roche A Cri Fishery Area: 350 acres
- Fordham Ck-Little Roche a Cri Ck SHA: 347 acres
- Sohlberg Silver Lake State Natural Area: 315 acres
- Carter Creek State Habitat Area: 195 acres
- Lake Camelot State Habitat Area: 160 acres
- Roche-A-Cri Woods State Natural Area: 150 acres
- Lake Arrowhead State Habitat Area: 110 acres
- Central Wisconsin Grassland Conservation Area: 81 acres
- Beaver Avenue State Habitat Area: 80 acres
- Campbell Creek-White Creek SHA: 26 acres
- Fordham Ck-Little Roche a Cri Ck SBE Area: 23 acres
- Town of Richfield SHA: 20 acres
- Brooks Bluff State Natural Area: 18 acres
- Adams Station: 12 acres
- Carter Creek SBE Area: 12 acres
- Lake Camelot Public Access: 7 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Central Sands Forest & Barrens (3,241 acres), Dryacuse Motorcycle Recreation Area (2,849 acres), Monroe Prairie Recreation Area (2,524 acres), Castle Rock Trails (513 acres), Natural Area (393 acres) and Adams County Waterfowl Production Area (342 acres).
How do you get to Adams County?
Highways through it: WI 13 (about 44 miles inside), WI 21 (about 22 miles inside), WI 82 (about 14 miles inside), WI 23 (about 6 miles inside) and WI 73 (about 3 miles inside). Towns inside: Adams, Friendship, Lake Arrowhead, Dellwood, Lake Camelot and Arkdale. Nearby: Wisconsin Dells (on the line), Oxford (2 miles), Lyndon Station (3 miles) and Necedah (3 miles).
Which deer management units border Adams County?
Adams County touches 9 other deer management units. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| DMU | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | Voluntary Public Access land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DMU 204 | 598 | 2025 | 46% | |
| DMU 206 | 657 | 2025 | 53.9% | |
| Sauk County | 6,025 | 2025 | 7.9% | 1 |
| DMU Wood | 5,416 | 2025 | 6.6% | |
| DMU Juneau | 4,295 | 2025 | 5.3% | 2 |
| Portage County | 8,384 | 2025 | 7.6% | |
| Columbia County | 7,189 | 2025 | 5.5% | 4 |
| Waushara County | 8,678 | 2025 | 4.9% | 1 |
| Marquette County | 7,790 | 2025 | 5.1% | 2 |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Adams County in 2025?
6,148 deer were registered: 3,066 bucks and 3,082 antlerless deer (DNR Deer Metrics). In 2024: 6,658.
Is there public hunting land in Adams County?
Yes. 35,845 acres, 8.1% of the unit, are public land open to the public by PAD-US 4.1, the largest share state wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land (27,841 acres). The DNR's map shows 24 DNR properties open to hunting here.
Does Adams County have VPA land?
Not on the DNR's 2026 lease map.
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Where these numbers come from
- Deer harvest: Wisconsin DNR Deer Metrics (registered harvest by deer management unit).
- Public land: USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). DNR properties: Wisconsin DNR managed lands open to hunting. Voluntary Public Access land: Wisconsin DNR Voluntary Public Access and Turkey Hunting Program lands.
- Boundaries: Wisconsin DNR deer management units. Highways and towns: U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 primary and secondary roads; U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer, places.
FilledTag is not part of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Numbers are copied from the DNR and the federal sources above, or measured from their maps; nothing on this page is estimated by FilledTag.
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