Grant County, Wisconsin: deer harvest and public hunting land
Grant County is its own deer management unit, 1,181 square miles around Platteville. Hunters registered 5,741 deer here in 2025, 2,728 of them bucks, by the DNR's Deer Metrics. That is down 5% from 2024. 4.6% of Grant County is public land open to the public, the largest share state wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land (20,501 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 areasU.S. Army Corps of Engineers landOther federal landOther county, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landVoluntary Public Access landGrant CountyNeighboring deer management unitsLakeHighway
| Counties | Grant County |
|---|---|
| Size | 755,692 acres (1,181 square miles) |
| Deer registered, 2025 | 5,741 (2,728 bucks, 3,013 antlerless) |
| Yearly average, 2016 to 2025 | 6,656 deer |
| Public land | 4.6% (34,618 acres) |
| Properties | 20 (18,861 acres inside Grant County) |
| Voluntary Public Access land | 7 sites, 1,846 acres |
| Towns in and near it | Platteville, Boscobel, Lancaster, Wauzeka, Rewey and Benton |
How many deer are harvested in Grant County?
The DNR registered 5,741 deer in Grant County in 2025: 2,728 bucks and 3,013 antlerless deer, 52% of the harvest antlerless. Over the 10 years shown, the harvest averaged 6,656 deer a year; the most bucks were registered in 2018 (3,329).
| Year | Deer registered | Bucks | Antlerless | Antlerless share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5,741 | 2,728 | 3,013 | 52% |
| 2024 | 6,014 | 2,760 | 3,254 | 54% |
| 2023 | 6,464 | 3,004 | 3,460 | 54% |
| 2022 | 6,393 | 2,802 | 3,591 | 56% |
| 2021 | 6,400 | 2,884 | 3,516 | 55% |
| 2020 | 7,379 | 3,296 | 4,083 | 55% |
| 2019 | 6,576 | 2,981 | 3,595 | 55% |
| 2018 | 7,615 | 3,329 | 4,286 | 56% |
| 2017 | 6,758 | 3,088 | 3,670 | 54% |
| 2016 | 7,217 | 3,280 | 3,937 | 55% |
Source: Wisconsin DNR Deer Metrics, harvest history for Grant 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 Grant County?
34,618 of Grant County's 755,692 acres are public land open to the public (4.6%). The biggest share is state wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land: 20,501 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Grant County |
|---|---|---|
| State wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land | 20,501 | 2.7% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 7,813 | 1% |
| U.S. Army Corps of Engineers land | 5,735 | 0.8% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 334 | under 0.1% |
| Other county, city and regional land | 206 | under 0.1% |
| Other federal land | 20 | under 0.1% |
| State parks | 9 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 34,618 | 4.6% |
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 Grant County
DNR properties in Grant County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Lower Wisconsin State Riverway: 13,568 acres
- Wyalusing State Park: 2,624 acres
- Nelson Dewey State Park: 745 acres
- Douglas Hallock Demo Forest: 452 acres
- Snow Bottom State Natural Area: 350 acres
- Mount Hope Rearing Station: 200 acres
- Snowden Branch SBE Area: 172 acres
- F G Wilson State Forest Nursery: 154 acres
- Headwaters Little Platte River SBE Area: 140 acres
- Little Grant River SBE Area: 77 acres
- Blue River Bluffs State Natural Area: 64 acres
- Cassville Bluffs State Natural Area: 59 acres
- Martin Branch SBE Area: 57 acres
- Headwaters Grant River SBE Area: 53 acres
- Gasner Hollow Prairie State Natural Area: 50 acres
- Borah Creek SBE Area: 35 acres
- Mound View State Trail: 29 acres
- Snowden Branch SHA: 20 acres
- Headwaters Little Platte River SHA: 7 acres
- Ipswich Prairie State Natural Area: 5 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife And Fish Refuge (7,816 acres), Ms Rv Pools 11-22 Recreation Area (6,084 acres), Natural Area (246 acres) and Floyd Von Haden Recreation Area (152 acres).
Voluntary Public Access land in Grant County
The DNR's 2026 lease map shows 7 properties in Grant County, 1,846 acres of private land open to the public; 5 of them are spring-turkey-only Turkey Hunter Access land. No landowner permission is needed. DNR VPA program.
How do you get to Grant County?
Highways through it: WI 133 (about 77 miles inside), WI 35 (about 63 miles inside), US 61 (about 61 miles inside), US 151 (about 43 miles inside) and WI 81 (about 41 miles inside). Towns inside: Platteville, Boscobel, Lancaster, Fennimore, Potosi and Muscoda. Nearby: Wauzeka (on the line), Rewey (2 miles), Benton (2 miles) and Highland (2 miles).
Which deer management units border Grant County?
Grant County touches 4 other deer management units. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| DMU | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | Voluntary Public Access land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa County | 2,948 | 2025 | 5% | 3 |
| Crawford County | 5,420 | 2025 | 9.5% | 2 |
| Richland County | 4,744 | 2025 | 3.3% | 9 |
| Lafayette County | 2,042 | 2025 | 1.6% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Grant County in 2025?
5,741 deer were registered: 2,728 bucks and 3,013 antlerless deer (DNR Deer Metrics). In 2024: 6,014.
Is there public hunting land in Grant County?
Yes. 34,618 acres, 4.6% 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 (20,501 acres). The DNR's map shows 20 DNR properties open to hunting here.
Does Grant County have VPA land?
Yes. The DNR's 2026 lease map shows 7 properties, 1,846 acres.
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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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