Lincoln County, Wisconsin: public hunting land
Lincoln County has 133,977 acres of public land open to the public, 23.1% of the county, the largest share county forest (100,647 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). The DNR's map shows 17 DNR properties here covering 31,707 acres, the largest Tomahawk Timberlands Conservation Easement (New Wood Trct) (16,885 acres in the county). Deer here are counted by deer management unit: DMU 119 (2,516 deer in 2025), DMU Lincoln (1,426 deer in 2025), DMU 123 (1,726 deer in 2025) and DMU 116 (1,218 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 forestOther county, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landLincoln CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 580,320 acres (907 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Public land | 23.1% (133,977 acres) |
| Properties | 17 (31,707 acres) |
| Voluntary Public Access land | None mapped this year |
| Deer management units | DMU 119, DMU Lincoln, DMU 123, DMU 116, DMU 120, DMU 121 |
| Towns | Tomahawk, Merrill, Maine and Rhinelander |
How much public hunting land is in Lincoln County?
133,977 of the county's 580,320 acres are public land open to the public (23.1%). 133,106 acres of that are state wildlife, state forest or federal land, where hunting is the rule rather than the exception.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Lincoln County |
|---|---|---|
| County forest | 100,647 | 17.3% |
| State wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land | 32,436 | 5.6% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 463 | 0.1% |
| Other county, city and regional land | 405 | 0.1% |
| Other federal land | 23 | under 0.1% |
| State parks | 3 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 133,977 | 23.1% |
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 Lincoln County by PAD-US, besides the properties: Lincoln County Forest - Public Fishing Grounds (100,656 acres) and Ice Age Trail - Nw (2,023 acres).
Which DNR properties are in Lincoln County?
17, largest first.
| Property | Acres in the county | DNR lists for hunting |
|---|---|---|
| Tomahawk Timberlands Conservation Easement (New Wood Trct) | 16,885 | |
| Forest Legacy Program | 2,727 | |
| New Wood Wildlife Area | 2,704 | |
| Prairie River Fishery Area | 2,471 | deer, wild turkey, bear and small game |
| Camp 27 State Ice Age Trail Area | 1,932 | |
| Menard Island Resource Area | 1,529 | |
| Bill Cross Wildlife Area | 1,522 | |
| Council Grounds State Park | 494 | |
| Spirit Falls State Habitat Area | 490 | |
| Rice River Flowage State Habitat Area | 331 | |
| Big Rib River Fishery Area | 289 | deer, wild turkey, bear and small game |
| Knob Creek State Ice Age Trail Area | 140 | |
| Lily Lake State Natural Area | 81 | |
| Parallel Ridges State Ice Age Trail Area | 65 | |
| Tomahawk Headquarters | 19 | |
| Prairie River State Ice Age Trail Area | 17 | |
| Little Haymeadow Creek Fish Area | 11 |
How many deer are taken in Lincoln County?
Since the DNR redrew its northern and central forest units in 2025, Lincoln County is split among 6 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 119 | 74.2% | 2,516 | 2025 |
| DMU Lincoln | 22% | 1,426 | 2025 |
| DMU 123 | 2% | 1,726 | 2025 |
| DMU 116 | 1.3% | 1,218 | 2025 |
| DMU 120 | 0.4% | 1,155 | 2025 |
| DMU 121 | 0% | 1,615 | 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 Lincoln County?
Highways: US 51 (about 63 miles in the county), WI 64 (about 36 miles in the county), WI 107 (about 34 miles in the county), WI 86 (about 19 miles in the county) and US 8 (about 19 miles in the county). Towns: Tomahawk and Merrill.
Questions hunters ask
How much public hunting land is in Lincoln County, Wisconsin?
133,977 acres, 23.1% of the county, are public land open to the public by PAD-US 4.1; the largest share is county forest (100,647 acres).
What is the largest DNR property in Lincoln County?
Tomahawk Timberlands Conservation Easement (New Wood Trct), with 16,885 acres inside the county.
Which deer management units cover Lincoln County?
DMU 119 (74.2%), DMU Lincoln (22%), DMU 123 (2%), DMU 116 (1.3%), DMU 120 (0.4%) and DMU 121 (0%).
Does Lincoln 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.
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