Atkins Lake and Hiles Swamp State Natural Area: hunting and access
Atkins Lake and Hiles Swamp State Natural Area is 672 acres of land managed by the Wisconsin DNR in Oneida and Forest counties, 8 miles from Argonne. Hunters registered 1,155 deer in DMU 120 in 2025.
Data updated October 2026. Area facts: the DNR's DNR property data, read 2026-10. Harvest: DNR Deer Metrics.
State wildlife areas, forests and other DNR landCounty forestNational forestState parksAtkins Lake and Hiles Swamp State Natural AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 672 acres |
|---|---|
| Counties | Oneida County and Forest County |
| Deer Management Unit | DMU 120 |
| Public access (DNR) | Open to Hiking, Fishing, Hunting and Trapping |
| DNR property page | Atkins Lake & Hiles Swamp |
| Nearest towns | Argonne (8 mi), Crandon (9 mi) and Three Lakes (11 mi) |
What is Atkins Lake and Hiles Swamp State Natural Area like?
Atkins Lake is a soft-water drainage lake lying within a vast conifer swamp (Hiles Swamp) on the Oneida/Forest county line. The lake is unusual in that the entire basin supports moderate to dense growths of emergents and floating-leaved aquatic vegetation including wild rice. Other aquatic macrophytes include pickerelweed, cat-tail, several pond weeds, and an abundance of water-shield, the inflorescence of which gives the lake a red color. These open communities are surrounded by the vast Hiles Swamp, a 1,700-acre complex of muskeg, a dense wet forest of black spruce and tamarack, a wet forest of tamarack alone, and an open bog. Together the area forms perhaps one of the largest and most diverse northern wet forest communities on the Chequamegon-Nicolet.
More details regarding allowable uses of this non-DNR-owned SNA may be noted above and posted with signs on the property site. Located (in part) within the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. Forest & Oneida Counties. T37N-R11E, Sections 25, 36. T37N-R12E, Sections 7, 8, 17-20, 30, 13. 2,527 acres. From the intersection of Yellow Birch Road (FR 2186) and Highway 32 in Hiles, go west on Yellow Birch Road for 0.85 miles, then southwest on Atkins Road (FR 2186) for about 3 miles, then west and south on FR 2861 1.4 miles. Walk west 0.1 miles to the lake. Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest [exit DNR].
In the DNR's words, from its page for the property.
What are the rules on Atkins Lake and Hiles Swamp State Natural Area?
The DNR's property map lists Atkins Lake and Hiles Swamp State Natural Area as "Open to Hiking, Fishing, Hunting and Trapping". Hunting follows Wisconsin's statewide seasons and the rules posted on the property.
How many deer are taken around Atkins Lake and Hiles Swamp State Natural Area?
Atkins Lake and Hiles Swamp State Natural Area lies in DMU 120. The DNR registered 1,155 deer in DMU 120 in 2025.
| DMU | Atkins Lake and Hiles Swamp State Natural Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| DMU 120 | 672 | 1,155 |
Harvest for the whole deer management unit, not the property alone: Wisconsin DNR Deer Metrics (registered harvest by deer management unit).
How do you get to Atkins Lake and Hiles Swamp State Natural Area?
Nearest towns: Argonne (8 miles), Crandon (9 miles), Three Lakes (11 miles) and Mole Lake (11 miles). Highways within 5 miles: WI 32, US 45 and US 8.
What other public land is near Atkins Lake and Hiles Swamp State Natural Area?
DNR properties within 10 miles:
- Pelican River Forest Conservation Easement: 67,444 acres, next to it
- Little Rice Wildlife Area: 2,287 acres, 2.3 miles away
- Pine Lake State Habitat Area: 20 acres, 4 miles away
- Spur Lake State Natural Area: 435 acres, 5.5 miles away
- Crandon Ribbed Fen State Natural Area: 132 acres, 6.1 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Atkins Lake and Hiles Swamp State Natural Area
Counting Atkins Lake and Hiles Swamp State Natural Area itself, 22,234 of the 28,023 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (79.3%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land | 15,610 |
| National forest | 6,624 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Atkins Lake and Hiles Swamp State Natural Area?
In Oneida and Forest counties, 8 miles from Argonne. The DNR's property page has its maps and parking.
Is Atkins Lake and Hiles Swamp State Natural Area open to hunting?
Yes. The DNR's property map lists it as "Open to Hiking, Fishing, Hunting and Trapping". Posted refuges or closed areas, where there are any, are marked on site.
Which deer management unit is Atkins Lake and Hiles Swamp State Natural Area in?
DMU 120.
How much public land is around Atkins Lake and Hiles Swamp State Natural Area?
22,234 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Atkins Lake and Hiles Swamp State Natural Area included, by PAD-US 4.1. The closest other DNR property is Pelican River Forest Conservation Easement (next to it).
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Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: DNR, Atkins Lake and Hiles Swamp State Natural Area; Wisconsin DNR managed lands open to hunting.
- Boundary and acres: the DNR's map layer above. Surrounding public land: USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
- Deer harvest: Wisconsin DNR Deer Metrics (registered harvest by deer management unit).
FilledTag is not part of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Check the DNR's rules and posted signs before you go.