Florence County, Wisconsin: public hunting land
Florence County has 178,364 acres of public land open to the public, 56% of the county, the largest share national forest (85,623 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). The DNR's map shows 10 DNR properties here covering 56,673 acres, the largest Wild Rivers/Pine Popple Conservation Easement (36,231 acres in the county). Deer here are counted by deer management unit: DMU 124 (1,226 deer in 2025) and DMU 125 (2,310 deer in 2025).
Data updated October 2026. Land: PAD-US 4.1. DNR properties and Voluntary Public Access land: the DNR's map layers, read 2026-10. Harvest: DNR Deer Metrics.
State wildlife areas, forests and other DNR landCounty forestNational forestLand trusts and other open landFlorence CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 318,353 acres (497 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Public land | 56% (178,364 acres) |
| Properties | 10 (56,673 acres) |
| Voluntary Public Access land | None mapped this year |
| Deer management units | DMU 124, DMU 125 |
| Towns | Florence, Long Lake, Niagara and Crandon |
How much public hunting land is in Florence County?
178,364 of the county's 318,353 acres are public land open to the public (56%). 178,136 acres of that are state wildlife, state forest or federal land, where hunting is the rule rather than the exception.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Florence County |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 85,623 | 26.9% |
| State wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land | 56,831 | 17.9% |
| County forest | 35,682 | 11.2% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 165 | 0.1% |
| State parks | 62 | under 0.1% |
| Other county, city and regional land | 1 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 178,364 | 56% |
Measured by FilledTag inside the county line from USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). 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.
The largest public areas in Florence County by PAD-US, besides the properties: Nicolet National Forest (85,840 acres), Florence County Forest (35,811 acres) and Natural Area (505 acres).
Which DNR properties are in Florence County?
10, largest first.
| Property | Acres in the county | DNR lists for hunting |
|---|---|---|
| Wild Rivers/Pine Popple Conservation Easement | 36,231 | |
| Pine-Popple Wild Rivers | 11,648 | |
| Spread Eagle Barrens State Natural Area | 7,888 | |
| Haley Creek Swamp State Natural Area | 473 | |
| Nicolet State Trail | 195 | |
| Woods Creek State Habitat Area | 78 | |
| Woods Creek Cedars State Natural Area | 49 | |
| Fox Maple Woods State Natural Area | 40 | |
| No Bottom Lake State Habitat Area | 37 | |
| Edith Lake State Public Access | 34 |
How many deer are taken in Florence County?
Since the DNR redrew its northern and central forest units in 2025, Florence County is split among 2 deer management units that do not follow the county line, so there is no county total. The DNR has one year of numbers for the redrawn units so far. Each figure is for the whole unit.
| DMU | Share of the county | Deer harvested in the whole DMU | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| DMU 124 | 59.4% | 1,226 | 2025 |
| DMU 125 | 40.5% | 2,310 | 2025 |
Harvest: Wisconsin DNR Deer Metrics (registered harvest by deer management unit). Share of the county measured by FilledTag from the DNR's deer management units and the Census county line.
How do you get around Florence County?
Highways: WI 70 (about 25 miles in the county), WI 101 (about 19 miles in the county), US 2 (about 15 miles in the county), US 141 (about 15 miles in the county) and WI 139 (about 14 miles in the county). Towns: Florence and Long Lake.
Questions hunters ask
How much public hunting land is in Florence County, Wisconsin?
178,364 acres, 56% of the county, are public land open to the public by PAD-US 4.1; the largest share is national forest (85,623 acres).
What is the largest DNR property in Florence County?
Wild Rivers/Pine Popple Conservation Easement, with 36,231 acres inside the county.
Which deer management units cover Florence County?
DMU 124 (59.4%) and DMU 125 (40.5%).
Does Florence County have VPA land?
Not on the DNR's 2026 lease map.
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Where these numbers come from
- 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.
- Deer harvest: Wisconsin DNR Deer Metrics (registered harvest by deer management unit).
- County line: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 cartographic county boundaries. Highways and towns: U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 primary and secondary roads.
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.