Polk County, Wisconsin: deer harvest and public hunting land
Polk County is its own deer management unit, 893 square miles around St. Croix Falls. Hunters registered 8,091 deer here in 2025, 3,702 of them bucks, by the DNR's Deer Metrics. That is up 1% from 2024. 5.6% of Polk County is public land open to the public, the largest share state wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land (20,222 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 areasNational park landOther county, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landVoluntary Public Access landPolk CountyNeighboring deer management unitsLakeHighway
| Counties | Polk County |
|---|---|
| Size | 571,465 acres (893 square miles) |
| Deer registered, 2025 | 8,091 (3,702 bucks, 4,389 antlerless) |
| Yearly average, 2016 to 2025 | 8,225 deer |
| Public land | 5.6% (31,721 acres) |
| Properties | 30 (18,949 acres inside Polk County) |
| Voluntary Public Access land | 4 sites, 492 acres |
| Towns in and near it | St. Croix Falls, Osceola, Clayton, Turtle Lake, Star Prairie and Deer Park |
How many deer are harvested in Polk County?
The DNR registered 8,091 deer in Polk County in 2025: 3,702 bucks and 4,389 antlerless deer, 54% of the harvest antlerless. Over the 10 years shown, the harvest averaged 8,225 deer a year; the most bucks were registered in 2022 (3,874).
| Year | Deer registered | Bucks | Antlerless | Antlerless share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 8,091 | 3,702 | 4,389 | 54% |
| 2024 | 7,972 | 3,564 | 4,408 | 55% |
| 2023 | 7,275 | 3,266 | 4,009 | 55% |
| 2022 | 9,029 | 3,874 | 5,155 | 57% |
| 2021 | 8,018 | 3,584 | 4,434 | 55% |
| 2020 | 8,833 | 3,759 | 5,074 | 57% |
| 2019 | 7,433 | 3,319 | 4,114 | 55% |
| 2018 | 7,612 | 3,431 | 4,181 | 55% |
| 2017 | 8,923 | 3,599 | 5,324 | 60% |
| 2016 | 9,066 | 3,744 | 5,322 | 59% |
Source: Wisconsin DNR Deer Metrics, harvest history for Polk 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 Polk County?
31,721 of Polk County's 571,465 acres are public land open to the public (5.6%). The biggest share is state wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land: 20,222 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Polk County |
|---|---|---|
| State wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land | 20,222 | 3.5% |
| County forest | 6,869 | 1.2% |
| National park land | 2,256 | 0.4% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 1,221 | 0.2% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 840 | 0.1% |
| Other county, city and regional land | 257 | under 0.1% |
| State parks | 52 | under 0.1% |
| Other federal land | 4 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 31,721 | 5.6% |
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 Polk County
DNR properties in Polk County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- McKenzie Creek Wildlife Area: 5,547 acres
- Rice Beds Creek Wildlife Area: 3,137 acres
- Straight Lake Wilderness State Park: 1,631 acres
- Straight River Wildlife Area: 1,500 acres
- Joel Marsh Wildlife Area: 1,367 acres
- Interstate Park: 1,318 acres
- Sand Creek Fishery Area-Polk: 707 acres
- State Ice Age Trail Area (SIATA): 675 acres
- Parker Creek SHA-WPRA: 588 acres
- Loon Lake Wildlife Area: 414 acres
- Osceola Hatchery: 344 acres
- Gandy Dancer State Trail: 231 acres
- Black Brook SHA-WPRA: 208 acres
- Snake Creek Spring State Habitat Area: 199 acres
- Balsam Branch Wildlife Area: 174 acres
- Spring Meadow SHA-WPRA: 169 acres
- Stower Seven Lakes State Trail: 158 acres
- Cattail State Trail: 155 acres
- Behning Creek Fishery Area: 131 acres
- Wagon Landing SSP: 69 acres
- Apple River Timber Demo Forest: 54 acres
- Omer Springs Fishery Area: 47 acres
- East Lake Fishery Area: 36 acres
- Frederic Tower Site: 30 acres
- Alabama Lake - Island 2: 18 acres
- Alabama Lake State Habitat Area: 11 acres
- Osceola Creek State Habitat Area: 9 acres
- Pickerel Lake Public Access: 9 acres
- Twin Lake Public Access Laketown: 8 acres
- Nimon Lake State Public Access: 5 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Polk County Forest (6,869 acres), Lower Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway (1,612 acres), Polk County Waterfowl Production Area (1,218 acres), Polk County Waterfowl Production Area Of Wi (1,070 acres), Ice Age Trail - Nw (674 acres) and Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway (662 acres).
Voluntary Public Access land in Polk County
The DNR's 2026 lease map shows 4 properties in Polk County, 492 acres of private land open to the public. No landowner permission is needed. DNR VPA program.
How do you get to Polk County?
Highways through it: WI 46 (about 49 miles inside), WI 35 (about 46 miles inside), WI 48 (about 26 miles inside), US 8 (about 25 miles inside) and US 63 (about 16 miles inside). Towns inside: St. Croix Falls, Osceola, Clayton, Amery, Clear Lake and Balsam Lake. Nearby: Turtle Lake (on the line), Star Prairie (on the line), Deer Park (on the line) and Siren (4 miles).
Which deer management units border Polk County?
Polk 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DMU 108 | 3,490 | 2025 | 22.7% | |
| Dunn County | 9,118 | 2025 | 3.7% | 3 |
| Barron County | 6,376 | 2025 | 4.3% | 3 |
| DMU Burnett | 2,861 | 2025 | 2.9% | |
| St. Croix County | 4,858 | 2025 | 4.8% | 5 |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Polk County in 2025?
8,091 deer were registered: 3,702 bucks and 4,389 antlerless deer (DNR Deer Metrics). In 2024: 7,972.
Is there public hunting land in Polk County?
Yes. 31,721 acres, 5.6% 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 (20,222 acres). The DNR's map shows 30 DNR properties open to hunting here.
Does Polk County have VPA land?
Yes. The DNR's 2026 lease map shows 4 properties, 492 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 Dunn County Barron County St. Croix County