Marquette County, Wisconsin: deer harvest and public hunting land
Marquette County is its own deer management unit, 464 square miles around Neshkoro. Hunters registered 7,790 deer here in 2025, 3,204 of them bucks, by the DNR's Deer Metrics. That is up 1% from 2024. 5.1% of Marquette County is public land open to the public, the largest share state wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land (13,601 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 areasOther county, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landVoluntary Public Access landMarquette CountyNeighboring deer management unitsLakeHighway
| Counties | Marquette County |
|---|---|
| Size | 297,217 acres (464 square miles) |
| Deer registered, 2025 | 7,790 (3,204 bucks, 4,586 antlerless) |
| Yearly average, 2016 to 2025 | 6,855 deer |
| Public land | 5.1% (15,297 acres) |
| Properties | 12 (12,397 acres inside Marquette County) |
| Voluntary Public Access land | 2 sites, 92 acres |
| Towns in and near it | Neshkoro, Montello, Westfield, Marquette, Princeton and Coloma |
How many deer are harvested in Marquette County?
The DNR registered 7,790 deer in Marquette County in 2025: 3,204 bucks and 4,586 antlerless deer, 59% of the harvest antlerless. Over the 10 years shown, the harvest averaged 6,855 deer a year; the most bucks were registered in 2024 (3,410).
| Year | Deer registered | Bucks | Antlerless | Antlerless share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 7,790 | 3,204 | 4,586 | 59% |
| 2024 | 7,744 | 3,410 | 4,334 | 56% |
| 2023 | 6,550 | 2,848 | 3,702 | 57% |
| 2022 | 7,223 | 2,827 | 4,396 | 61% |
| 2021 | 6,577 | 2,795 | 3,782 | 58% |
| 2020 | 7,084 | 2,808 | 4,276 | 60% |
| 2019 | 6,170 | 2,596 | 3,574 | 58% |
| 2018 | 6,758 | 2,909 | 3,849 | 57% |
| 2017 | 5,998 | 2,591 | 3,407 | 57% |
| 2016 | 6,656 | 2,730 | 3,926 | 59% |
Source: Wisconsin DNR Deer Metrics, harvest history for Marquette 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 Marquette County?
15,297 of Marquette County's 297,217 acres are public land open to the public (5.1%). The biggest share is state wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land: 13,601 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Marquette County |
|---|---|---|
| State wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land | 13,601 | 4.6% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 1,395 | 0.5% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 300 | 0.1% |
| Other county, city and regional land | 1 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 15,297 | 5.1% |
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 Marquette County
DNR properties in Marquette County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Mecan River Fishery Area: 3,077 acres
- Germania Wildlife Area: 2,416 acres
- Grand River Marsh Wildlife Area: 1,950 acres
- French Creek Wildlife Area: 1,504 acres
- White River Marsh Wildlife Area: 853 acres
- Caves Creek Fishery Area: 851 acres
- Comstock Bog-Meadow State Natural Area: 656 acres
- Lawrence Creek Wildlife Area: 528 acres
- John A Lawton Fishery Area: 282 acres
- Observatory Hill State Natural Area: 178 acres
- Upper Fox River Public Access: 79 acres
- Andrew Krakow Public Access And Fishery Area: 23 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Fox River National Wildlife Refuge (1,001 acres), Natural Area (834 acres), Page Creek Marsh (655 acres), Summerton Bog (458 acres) and Marquette County Waterfowl Production Area (395 acres).
Voluntary Public Access land in Marquette County
The DNR's 2026 lease map shows 2 properties in Marquette County, 92 acres of private land open to the public. No landowner permission is needed. DNR VPA program.
How do you get to Marquette County?
Highways through it: US 51 (about 48 miles inside), I-39 (about 48 miles inside), WI 23 (about 37 miles inside), WI 22 (about 26 miles inside) and WI 73 (about 7 miles inside). Towns inside: Neshkoro, Montello, Westfield, Oxford, Endeavor and Briggsville. Nearby: Marquette (2 miles), Princeton (3 miles), Coloma (4 miles) and Lohrville (4 miles).
Which deer management units border Marquette County?
Marquette 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams County | 6,148 | 2025 | 8.1% | |
| Columbia County | 7,189 | 2025 | 5.5% | 4 |
| Waushara County | 8,678 | 2025 | 4.9% | 1 |
| Green Lake County | 4,589 | 2025 | 8.3% | 3 |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Marquette County in 2025?
7,790 deer were registered: 3,204 bucks and 4,586 antlerless deer (DNR Deer Metrics). In 2024: 7,744.
Is there public hunting land in Marquette County?
Yes. 15,297 acres, 5.1% 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 (13,601 acres). The DNR's map shows 12 DNR properties open to hunting here.
Does Marquette County have VPA land?
Yes. The DNR's 2026 lease map shows 2 properties, 92 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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