Jefferson County, Wisconsin: deer harvest and public hunting land
Jefferson County is its own deer management unit, 583 square miles around Watertown. Hunters registered 3,843 deer here in 2025, 1,772 of them bucks, by the DNR's Deer Metrics. That is up 1% from 2024. 6.7% of Jefferson County is public land open to the public, the largest share state wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land (22,750 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 landJefferson CountyNeighboring deer management unitsLakeHighway
| Counties | Jefferson County |
|---|---|
| Size | 373,002 acres (583 square miles) |
| Deer registered, 2025 | 3,843 (1,772 bucks, 2,071 antlerless) |
| Yearly average, 2016 to 2025 | 3,217 deer |
| Public land | 6.7% (25,120 acres) |
| Properties | 16 (20,662 acres inside Jefferson County) |
| Voluntary Public Access land | 4 sites, 256 acres |
| Towns in and near it | Watertown, Fort Atkinson, Jefferson, Whitewater, Cambridge and Rockdale |
How many deer are harvested in Jefferson County?
The DNR registered 3,843 deer in Jefferson County in 2025: 1,772 bucks and 2,071 antlerless deer, 54% of the harvest antlerless. Over the 10 years shown, the harvest averaged 3,217 deer a year; the most bucks were registered in 2025 (1,772).
| Year | Deer registered | Bucks | Antlerless | Antlerless share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3,843 | 1,772 | 2,071 | 54% |
| 2024 | 3,816 | 1,757 | 2,059 | 54% |
| 2023 | 3,579 | 1,647 | 1,932 | 54% |
| 2022 | 3,354 | 1,459 | 1,895 | 56% |
| 2021 | 3,067 | 1,440 | 1,627 | 53% |
| 2020 | 3,593 | 1,500 | 2,093 | 58% |
| 2019 | 2,850 | 1,265 | 1,585 | 56% |
| 2018 | 2,948 | 1,306 | 1,642 | 56% |
| 2017 | 2,451 | 1,252 | 1,199 | 49% |
| 2016 | 2,672 | 1,181 | 1,491 | 56% |
Source: Wisconsin DNR Deer Metrics, harvest history for Jefferson 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 Jefferson County?
25,120 of Jefferson County's 373,002 acres are public land open to the public (6.7%). The biggest share is state wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land: 22,750 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Jefferson County |
|---|---|---|
| State wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land | 22,750 | 6.1% |
| Other county, city and regional land | 1,288 | 0.3% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 752 | 0.2% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 239 | 0.1% |
| County forest | 43 | under 0.1% |
| State parks | 36 | under 0.1% |
| Other federal land | 12 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 25,120 | 6.7% |
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 Jefferson County
DNR properties in Jefferson County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Prince's Point Wildlife Area: 3,979 acres
- Kettle Moraine State Forest-Southern Unit: 3,496 acres
- Jefferson Marsh State Wildlife And Natural Area: 3,326 acres
- Waterloo - Mud Lake Wildlife Area: 2,691 acres
- Lake Mills Wildlife Area: 2,674 acres
- Rome Pond Wildlife Area: 2,295 acres
- Koshkonong Wildlife Area: 826 acres
- Glacial Drumlin State Trail: 570 acres
- Paradise Valley Wildlife Area: 319 acres
- Aztalan State Park: 178 acres
- Holzhueter Farm State Park: 108 acres
- Lake Mills Hatchery: 80 acres
- Red Cedar Lake State Natural Area: 49 acres
- Kanow Park Fishery Area: 46 acres
- Allen Creek Wetlands State Natural Area: 17 acres
- Glacial Heritage Area River-Based Cnsvn Area - Public Access: 8 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Extensive Wl Habitat - Public Hunting Ground (1,708 acres) and Jefferson County Waterfowl Production Area (240 acres).
Voluntary Public Access land in Jefferson County
The DNR's 2026 lease map shows 4 properties in Jefferson County, 256 acres of private land open to the public; one of them is spring-turkey-only Turkey Hunter Access land. No landowner permission is needed. DNR VPA program.
How do you get to Jefferson County?
Highways through it: WI 26 (about 69 miles inside), I-94 (about 49 miles inside), WI 89 (about 30 miles inside), WI 106 (about 26 miles inside) and US 18 (about 25 miles inside). Towns inside: Watertown, Fort Atkinson, Jefferson, Lake Mills, Waterloo and Johnson Creek. Nearby: Whitewater (on the line), Cambridge (on the line), Rockdale (on the line) and Lac La Belle (on the line).
Which deer management units border Jefferson County?
Jefferson County touches 5 other deer management units. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| DMU | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | Voluntary Public Access land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dane County | 4,438 | 2025 | 5.7% | 7 |
| Rock County | 2,667 | 2025 | 2.9% | 20 |
| Dodge County | 5,477 | 2025 | 8.5% | 3 |
| Walworth County | 2,132 | 2025 | 5.2% | 1 |
| Waukesha County | 3,320 | 2025 | 7.9% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Jefferson County in 2025?
3,843 deer were registered: 1,772 bucks and 2,071 antlerless deer (DNR Deer Metrics). In 2024: 3,816.
Is there public hunting land in Jefferson County?
Yes. 25,120 acres, 6.7% 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 (22,750 acres). The DNR's map shows 16 DNR properties open to hunting here.
Does Jefferson County have VPA land?
Yes. The DNR's 2026 lease map shows 4 properties, 256 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.
Wisconsin hunting Dane County Rock County Dodge County Walworth County Waukesha County