Brown County, Wisconsin: deer harvest and public hunting land
Brown County is its own deer management unit, 536 square miles around Green Bay. Hunters registered 3,627 deer here in 2025, 1,656 of them bucks, by the DNR's Deer Metrics. That is up 10% from 2024, and the most in the 66 years shown. 2% of Brown County is public land open to the public, the largest share state wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land (3,363 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 forestOther county, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landVoluntary Public Access landBrown CountyNeighboring deer management unitsLakeHighway
| Counties | Brown County |
|---|---|
| Size | 342,841 acres (536 square miles) |
| Deer registered, 2025 | 3,627 (1,656 bucks, 1,971 antlerless) |
| Yearly average, 2016 to 2025 | 3,007 deer |
| Public land | 2% (6,831 acres) |
| Properties | 10 (2,977 acres inside Brown County) |
| Voluntary Public Access land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Green Bay, Suamico, Hobart, Luxemburg, Maribel and Kaukauna |
How many deer are harvested in Brown County?
The DNR registered 3,627 deer in Brown County in 2025: 1,656 bucks and 1,971 antlerless deer, 54% of the harvest antlerless. Over the 10 years shown, the harvest averaged 3,007 deer a year; the most bucks were registered in 2025 (1,656).
| Year | Deer registered | Bucks | Antlerless | Antlerless share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3,627 | 1,656 | 1,971 | 54% |
| 2024 | 3,302 | 1,540 | 1,762 | 53% |
| 2023 | 2,956 | 1,471 | 1,485 | 50% |
| 2022 | 2,815 | 1,220 | 1,595 | 57% |
| 2021 | 2,743 | 1,249 | 1,494 | 54% |
| 2020 | 3,081 | 1,289 | 1,792 | 58% |
| 2019 | 2,811 | 1,204 | 1,607 | 57% |
| 2018 | 2,837 | 1,305 | 1,532 | 54% |
| 2017 | 2,940 | 1,310 | 1,630 | 55% |
| 2016 | 2,954 | 1,396 | 1,558 | 53% |
Source: Wisconsin DNR Deer Metrics, harvest history for Brown 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 Brown County?
6,831 of Brown County's 342,841 acres are public land open to the public (2%). The biggest share is state wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land: 3,363 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Brown County |
|---|---|---|
| State wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land | 3,363 | 1% |
| Other county, city and regional land | 2,953 | 0.9% |
| County forest | 478 | 0.1% |
| State parks | 21 | under 0.1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 16 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 6,831 | 2% |
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 Brown County
DNR properties in Brown County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Green Bay West Shores Wildlife Area: 1,826 acres
- Holland Wildlife Area: 536 acres
- Fox River State Trail: 207 acres
- Mountain-Bay State Trail: 189 acres
- Red Banks Alvar State Natural Area: 116 acres
- Heritage Hill State Park: 55 acres
- Devil's River State Trail: 18 acres
- Suamico River State Habitat Area: 12 acres
- Lost Dauphin State Park: 11 acres
- Northeast Region Hdqrs: 7 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Barkhausen (474 acres), He-Nis-Ra Park (117 acres), Natural Area (115 acres) and Izac Walton League (100 acres).
How do you get to Brown County?
Highways through it: WI 57 (about 54 miles inside), US 41 (about 50 miles inside), WI 32 (about 49 miles inside), I-43 (about 44 miles inside) and WI 29 (about 37 miles inside). Towns inside: Green Bay, Suamico, Hobart, Howard, Bellevue and Ashwaubenon. Nearby: Luxemburg (3 miles), Maribel (3 miles), Kaukauna (4 miles) and Kellnersville (4 miles).
Which deer management units border Brown County?
Brown County touches 6 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 Oconto | 7,277 | 2025 | 8.4% | |
| Calumet County | 1,481 | 2025 | 5.1% | 2 |
| Shawano County | 9,880 | 2025 | 2.8% | 1 |
| Kewaunee County | 3,110 | 2025 | 1.6% | 1 |
| Manitowoc County | 4,513 | 2025 | 2.9% | 2 |
| Outagamie County | 4,322 | 2025 | 3.5% | 3 |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Brown County in 2025?
3,627 deer were registered: 1,656 bucks and 1,971 antlerless deer (DNR Deer Metrics). In 2024: 3,302.
Is there public hunting land in Brown County?
Yes. 6,831 acres, 2% 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 (3,363 acres). The DNR's map shows 10 DNR properties open to hunting here.
Does Brown 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.
Wisconsin hunting Calumet County Shawano County Kewaunee County Manitowoc County Outagamie County