Lafayette County, Wisconsin: deer harvest and public hunting land
Lafayette County is its own deer management unit, 634 square miles around Darlington. Hunters registered 2,042 deer here in 2025, 937 of them bucks, by the DNR's Deer Metrics. That is down 2% from 2024. 1.6% of Lafayette County is public land open to the public, the largest share state wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land (6,652 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 landOther county, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landVoluntary Public Access landLafayette CountyNeighboring deer management unitsLakeHighway
| Counties | Lafayette County |
|---|---|
| Size | 406,023 acres (634 square miles) |
| Deer registered, 2025 | 2,042 (937 bucks, 1,105 antlerless) |
| Yearly average, 2016 to 2025 | 2,399 deer |
| Public land | 1.6% (6,677 acres) |
| Properties | 16 (6,627 acres inside Lafayette County) |
| Voluntary Public Access land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Darlington, Shullsburg, Belmont, Cuba City, Hazel Green and Rewey |
How many deer are harvested in Lafayette County?
The DNR registered 2,042 deer in Lafayette County in 2025: 937 bucks and 1,105 antlerless deer, 54% of the harvest antlerless. Over the 10 years shown, the harvest averaged 2,399 deer a year; the most bucks were registered in 2018 (1,295).
| Year | Deer registered | Bucks | Antlerless | Antlerless share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,042 | 937 | 1,105 | 54% |
| 2024 | 2,083 | 857 | 1,226 | 59% |
| 2023 | 2,403 | 1,083 | 1,320 | 55% |
| 2022 | 2,393 | 1,038 | 1,355 | 57% |
| 2021 | 2,228 | 1,006 | 1,222 | 55% |
| 2020 | 2,928 | 1,193 | 1,735 | 59% |
| 2019 | 2,465 | 1,103 | 1,362 | 55% |
| 2018 | 2,616 | 1,295 | 1,321 | 50% |
| 2017 | 2,266 | 1,070 | 1,196 | 53% |
| 2016 | 2,565 | 1,136 | 1,429 | 56% |
Source: Wisconsin DNR Deer Metrics, harvest history for Lafayette 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 Lafayette County?
6,677 of Lafayette County's 406,023 acres are public land open to the public (1.6%). The biggest share is state wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land: 6,652 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Lafayette County |
|---|---|---|
| State wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land | 6,652 | 1.6% |
| State parks | 15 | under 0.1% |
| Other county, city and regional land | 9 | under 0.1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 1 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 6,677 | 1.6% |
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 Lafayette County
DNR properties in Lafayette County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Yellowstone Wildlife Area: 4,450 acres
- Yellowstone Lake State Park: 790 acres
- Belmont Mound State Park: 277 acres
- Fever River SBE Area: 197 acres
- Hardscrabble Prairie State Natural Area: 170 acres
- Kelsey Branch SBE Area: 165 acres
- Otter Creek SBE Area: 164 acres
- Pecatonica State Trail: 113 acres
- Shullsburg Branch SBE Area: 93 acres
- Mound View State Trail: 81 acres
- Madden Branch SBE Area: 42 acres
- Copper Creek-Pecatonica River SBE Area: 24 acres
- Headwaters Yellowstone River SBE Area: 22 acres
- Pats Creek SBE Area: 22 acres
- Ipswich Prairie State Natural Area: 12 acres
- Sawmill-Erickson SBE Area: 5 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Natural Area (171 acres).
How do you get to Lafayette County?
Highways through it: WI 81 (about 33 miles inside), WI 11 (about 31 miles inside), US 151 (about 22 miles inside), WI 23 (about 17 miles inside) and WI 78 (about 14 miles inside). Towns inside: Darlington, Shullsburg, Belmont, Benton, South Wayne and Argyle. Nearby: Cuba City (on the line), Hazel Green (on the line), Rewey (2 miles) and Platteville (2 miles).
Which deer management units border Lafayette County?
Lafayette 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa County | 2,948 | 2025 | 5% | 3 |
| Grant County | 5,741 | 2025 | 4.6% | 7 |
| Green County | 2,562 | 2025 | 1.7% | 5 |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Lafayette County in 2025?
2,042 deer were registered: 937 bucks and 1,105 antlerless deer (DNR Deer Metrics). In 2024: 2,083.
Is there public hunting land in Lafayette County?
Yes. 6,677 acres, 1.6% 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 (6,652 acres). The DNR's map shows 16 DNR properties open to hunting here.
Does Lafayette 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.