Bibon Swamp State Natural Area: hunting and access
Bibon Swamp State Natural Area is 9,595 acres of land managed by the Wisconsin DNR in Bayfield County, next to Grand View. Hunters registered 1,250 deer in DMU 106 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 landNational forestBibon Swamp State Natural AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 9,595 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Bayfield County |
| Deer Management Unit | DMU 106 |
| Public access (DNR) | Open to Hiking, Fishing, Hunting and Trapping |
| DNR property page | Bibon Swamp |
| Nearest towns | Grand View (next to it), Mason (2 mi) and Drummond (4 mi) |
What is Bibon Swamp State Natural Area like?
Bibon Swamp, the largest wetland in Bayfield County, occupies the basin of an extinct glacial lake drained by the White River, a hard, cold-water trout stream. The community types of this 15-square-mile lowland are unusually varied for such a topographically uniform basin. Portions are forested with a rich wet-mesic conifer swamp of medium-sized white cedar, although trunk coring revealed that at least parts of the stand are more than 150 years old. Bunchberry, twinflower, small bishop's-cap and several orchid species are representative of the ground layer here. Resident birds include Nashville, parula, and Canada warblers, and winter wrens. Bordering the cedar swamp is a wet forest dominated by black ash, with a ground layer of speckled alder, sensitive fern, wood nettle and poison ivy. Black and white warblers, veery and red-eyed vireos are common nesting birds.
Deep sphagnum hummocks form a continuous ground cover upon which ericaceous shrubs grow including leather-leaf, bog laurel and Labrador-tea. Birds found in these coniferous peatlands include palm warbler, yellow-bellied flycatcher, boreal chickadee and sharp-shinned hawk. Vast shrub swamps composed of slender willow, red-osier dogwood and speckled alder blanket portions of the wetland. Other communities of lesser areal extent include northern sedge meadow composed of Carex species and blue-joint grass and patches of riparian woodlands, dominated by American elm, green ash and red maple along the White River. Bibon Swamp is owned by the DNR and was designated a State Natural Area in 1992. Bayfield County. T45N-R6W, Sections 1-18; T46N-R6W, Sections 29-35. 9,613 acres. Several places afford access to the site. From U.S.
In the DNR's words, from its page for the property.
What are the rules on Bibon Swamp State Natural Area?
The DNR's property map lists Bibon 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 Bibon Swamp State Natural Area?
Bibon Swamp State Natural Area lies in DMU 106. The DNR registered 1,250 deer in DMU 106 in 2025.
| DMU | Bibon Swamp State Natural Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| DMU 106 | 9,595 | 1,250 |
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 Bibon Swamp State Natural Area?
Nearest towns: Grand View (next to it), Mason (2 miles), Drummond (4 miles) and Marengo (12 miles). Highways within 5 miles: US 63.
What other public land is near Bibon Swamp State Natural Area?
DNR properties within 10 miles:
- White River Fishery Area-Bayfield: 4,546 acres, 0.8 miles away
- Eighteenmile Creek State Habitat Area: 38 acres, 1.7 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Bibon Swamp State Natural Area
Counting Bibon Swamp State Natural Area itself, 20,101 of the 66,508 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (30.2%), 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 | 10,981 |
| National forest | 9,120 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Bibon Swamp State Natural Area?
In Bayfield County, next to Grand View. The DNR's property page has its maps and parking.
Is Bibon 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 Bibon Swamp State Natural Area in?
DMU 106.
How much public land is around Bibon Swamp State Natural Area?
20,101 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Bibon Swamp State Natural Area included, by PAD-US 4.1. The closest other DNR property is White River Fishery Area-Bayfield (0.8 miles).
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Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: DNR, Bibon 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.