Outagamie County, Wisconsin: deer harvest and public hunting land
Outagamie County is its own deer management unit, 645 square miles around Greenville. Hunters registered 4,322 deer here in 2025, 2,159 of them bucks, by the DNR's Deer Metrics. That is about the same as 2024. 3.5% of Outagamie County is public land open to the public, the largest share state wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land (11,628 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 landOutagamie CountyNeighboring deer management unitsLakeHighway
| Counties | Outagamie County |
|---|---|
| Size | 412,505 acres (645 square miles) |
| Deer registered, 2025 | 4,322 (2,159 bucks, 2,163 antlerless) |
| Yearly average, 2016 to 2025 | 4,040 deer |
| Public land | 3.5% (14,396 acres) |
| Properties | 12 (11,055 acres inside Outagamie County) |
| Voluntary Public Access land | 3 sites, 694 acres |
| Towns in and near it | Greenville, Appleton, Kaukauna, New London, Wrightstown and Fox Crossing |
How many deer are harvested in Outagamie County?
The DNR registered 4,322 deer in Outagamie County in 2025: 2,159 bucks and 2,163 antlerless deer, 50% of the harvest antlerless. Over the 10 years shown, the harvest averaged 4,040 deer a year; the most bucks were registered in 2024 (2,207).
| Year | Deer registered | Bucks | Antlerless | Antlerless share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4,322 | 2,159 | 2,163 | 50% |
| 2024 | 4,318 | 2,207 | 2,111 | 49% |
| 2023 | 3,847 | 1,928 | 1,919 | 50% |
| 2022 | 3,623 | 1,661 | 1,962 | 54% |
| 2021 | 3,756 | 1,743 | 2,013 | 54% |
| 2020 | 3,959 | 1,728 | 2,231 | 56% |
| 2019 | 3,712 | 1,537 | 2,175 | 59% |
| 2018 | 4,241 | 1,820 | 2,421 | 57% |
| 2017 | 4,233 | 1,906 | 2,327 | 55% |
| 2016 | 4,384 | 2,017 | 2,367 | 54% |
Source: Wisconsin DNR Deer Metrics, harvest history for Outagamie 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 Outagamie County?
14,396 of Outagamie County's 412,505 acres are public land open to the public (3.5%). The biggest share is state wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land: 11,628 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Outagamie County |
|---|---|---|
| State wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land | 11,628 | 2.8% |
| Other county, city and regional land | 1,624 | 0.4% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 1,094 | 0.3% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 33 | under 0.1% |
| State parks | 14 | under 0.1% |
| Other federal land | 3 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 14,396 | 3.5% |
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 Outagamie County
DNR properties in Outagamie County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Wolf River Bottoms Wildlife Area: 3,069 acres
- Mack Wildlife Area: 1,846 acres
- Lower Wolf River Bottomlands Natural Resource Area: 1,845 acres
- Deer Creek Wildlife Area: 1,296 acres
- Outagamie Wildlife Area: 944 acres
- Hortonville Bog State Natural Area: 794 acres
- Maine Wildlife Area: 675 acres
- Newton Blackmour State Trail: 283 acres
- Shaky Lake State Natural Area: 222 acres
- Heath Van Handel Memorial Forest: 39 acres
- Wiouwash State Trail: 37 acres
- Wolf River Public Access: 5 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Natural Area (910 acres), Plamann Park (258 acres) and Appleton Memorial Park (139 acres).
Voluntary Public Access land in Outagamie County
The DNR's 2026 lease map shows 3 properties in Outagamie County, 694 acres of private land open to the public; all of them are spring-turkey-only Turkey Hunter Access land. No landowner permission is needed. DNR VPA program.
How do you get to Outagamie County?
Highways through it: I-41 (about 37 miles inside), US 41 (about 37 miles inside), WI 96 (about 32 miles inside), WI 76 (about 29 miles inside) and WI 54 (about 29 miles inside). Towns inside: Greenville, Appleton, Kaukauna, Little Chute, Hortonville and Seymour. Nearby: New London (on the line), Wrightstown (on the line), Fox Crossing (on the line) and Hobart (2 miles).
Which deer management units border Outagamie County?
Outagamie 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brown County | 3,627 | 2025 | 2% | |
| Calumet County | 1,481 | 2025 | 5.1% | 2 |
| Shawano County | 9,880 | 2025 | 2.8% | 1 |
| Waupaca County | 10,740 | 2025 | 2.3% | 3 |
| Winnebago County | 2,895 | 2025 | 5.1% | 2 |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Outagamie County in 2025?
4,322 deer were registered: 2,159 bucks and 2,163 antlerless deer (DNR Deer Metrics). In 2024: 4,318.
Is there public hunting land in Outagamie County?
Yes. 14,396 acres, 3.5% 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 (11,628 acres). The DNR's map shows 12 DNR properties open to hunting here.
Does Outagamie County have VPA land?
Yes. The DNR's 2026 lease map shows 3 properties, 694 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 Brown County Calumet County Shawano County Waupaca County Winnebago County