Buffalo County, Wisconsin: deer harvest and public hunting land
Buffalo County is its own deer management unit, 710 square miles around Alma. Hunters registered 5,806 deer here in 2025, 2,497 of them bucks, by the DNR's Deer Metrics. That is up 9% from 2024. 5.6% of Buffalo County is public land open to the public, the largest share state wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land (14,576 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 landNational wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areasOther federal landOther county, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landBuffalo CountyNeighboring deer management unitsLakeHighway
| Counties | Buffalo County |
|---|---|
| Size | 454,252 acres (710 square miles) |
| Deer registered, 2025 | 5,806 (2,497 bucks, 3,309 antlerless) |
| Yearly average, 2016 to 2025 | 6,095 deer |
| Public land | 5.6% (25,266 acres) |
| Properties | 6 (14,226 acres inside Buffalo County) |
| Voluntary Public Access land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Alma, Fountain City, Mondovi, Durand, Arcadia and Eleva |
How many deer are harvested in Buffalo County?
The DNR registered 5,806 deer in Buffalo County in 2025: 2,497 bucks and 3,309 antlerless deer, 57% of the harvest antlerless. Over the 10 years shown, the harvest averaged 6,095 deer a year; the most bucks were registered in 2016 (3,058).
| Year | Deer registered | Bucks | Antlerless | Antlerless share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5,806 | 2,497 | 3,309 | 57% |
| 2024 | 5,321 | 2,347 | 2,974 | 56% |
| 2023 | 5,148 | 2,301 | 2,847 | 55% |
| 2022 | 5,718 | 2,401 | 3,317 | 58% |
| 2021 | 5,565 | 2,646 | 2,919 | 52% |
| 2020 | 6,302 | 2,676 | 3,626 | 58% |
| 2019 | 5,714 | 2,424 | 3,290 | 58% |
| 2018 | 7,010 | 2,753 | 4,257 | 61% |
| 2017 | 6,951 | 2,852 | 4,099 | 59% |
| 2016 | 7,410 | 3,058 | 4,352 | 59% |
Source: Wisconsin DNR Deer Metrics, harvest history for Buffalo 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 Buffalo County?
25,266 of Buffalo County's 454,252 acres are public land open to the public (5.6%). The biggest share is state wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land: 14,576 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Buffalo County |
|---|---|---|
| State wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land | 14,576 | 3.2% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 10,324 | 2.3% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 289 | 0.1% |
| Other federal land | 48 | under 0.1% |
| Other county, city and regional land | 19 | under 0.1% |
| State parks | 10 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 25,266 | 5.6% |
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 Buffalo County
DNR properties in Buffalo County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Tiffany Wildlife Area: 10,543 acres
- Whitman Dam Wildlife Area: 2,096 acres
- Big Swamp Wildlife Area: 800 acres
- Trempealeau River Meadows State Natural Area: 411 acres
- Merrick State Park: 290 acres
- Buffalo River State Trail: 86 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife And Fish Refuge (7,724 acres), Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge (2,603 acres), Natural Area (412 acres) and Lower Chippewa River State Natural Area - The Nature Conservancy Addition (159 acres).
How do you get to Buffalo County?
Highways through it: WI 35 (about 40 miles inside), WI 88 (about 30 miles inside), WI 37 (about 26 miles inside), WI 95 (about 17 miles inside) and WI 25 (about 16 miles inside). Towns inside: Alma, Fountain City, Mondovi, Buffalo City, Nelson and Cochrane. Nearby: Durand (2 miles), Arcadia (2 miles), Eleva (3 miles) and Pepin (3 miles).
Which deer management units border Buffalo County?
Buffalo County touches 3 other deer management units. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| DMU | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | Voluntary Public Access land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pepin County | 2,215 | 2025 | 3.7% | |
| DMU Eau Claire | 3,672 | 2025 | 2.9% | 1 |
| Trempealeau County | 7,151 | 2025 | 2.7% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Buffalo County in 2025?
5,806 deer were registered: 2,497 bucks and 3,309 antlerless deer (DNR Deer Metrics). In 2024: 5,321.
Is there public hunting land in Buffalo County?
Yes. 25,266 acres, 5.6% 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 (14,576 acres). The DNR's map shows 6 DNR properties open to hunting here.
Does Buffalo 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.