Big And Little Marsh State Natural Area: hunting and access
Big And Little Marsh State Natural Area is 328 acres of land managed by the Wisconsin DNR in Door County, 12 miles from Ellison Bay. Hunters registered 4,302 deer in Door County 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 wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areasOther federal landBig And Little Marsh State Natural AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 328 acres in 3 pieces |
|---|---|
| County | Door County |
| Deer Management Unit | Door County |
| Public access (DNR) | Open to Hiking, Fishing, Hunting and Trapping |
| DNR property page | Big and Little Marsh |
| Nearest towns | Ellison Bay (12 mi), Sister Bay (17 mi) and Ephraim (20 mi) |
What is Big And Little Marsh State Natural Area like?
Big and Little Marsh features a complex of boreal-rich fen, a northern wet-mesic forest, and a large emergent aquatic marsh on marl. Located on Washington Island, off the tip of the Door County peninsula, the site harbors numerous rare species. An extensive lowland conifer swamp is dominated by white cedar with lesser amounts of balsam fir and tamarack; the ground layer is comprised of three-leaved gold-thread, Canada mayflower, starry false Solomon's-seal, and three-seeded sedge. Soft-stem bulrush dominates the unusual aquatic marsh, which contains large expanses of seasonally dry marl and pavement of dolomite gravel and cobbles. Frequent in the shallow pools are common bog-arrow grass. Also present are false mermaid weed, northern bladderwort, pondweeds, and water smartweed.
An upland hardwood forest of white cedar and hemlock surrounds the wetlands. Included within the natural area is 200' of the Lake Michigan shoreline, which is important foraging habitat for rare dragonfly species. Many birds funnel through this area during spring and fall migrations and a diversity of neotropical migrants breed here in summer. Big and Little Marsh is owned by the DNR and was designated a State Natural Area in 2003. Door County. T33N-R30E, Sections 4, 5. 322 acres. From Detroit Harbor on Washington Island, go north County W for 0.3 miles, then east on Lakeview Road for 3.1 miles, then north on Hemlock Drive for 0.2 miles. Big Marsh lies west of the road.
In the DNR's words, from its page for the property.
What are the rules on Big And Little Marsh State Natural Area?
The DNR's property map lists Big And Little Marsh 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 Big And Little Marsh State Natural Area?
Big And Little Marsh State Natural Area lies in Door County. The DNR registered 4,302 deer in Door County in 2025, against 4,225 in 2024.
| DMU | Big And Little Marsh State Natural Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Door County | 326 | 4,302 | 4,225 | 3,793 |
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 Big And Little Marsh State Natural Area?
Nearest towns: Ellison Bay (12 miles), Sister Bay (17 miles), Ephraim (20 miles) and Baileys Harbor (24 miles).
What other public land is near Big And Little Marsh State Natural Area?
DNR properties within 10 miles:
- Rock Island State Park: 985 acres, 1.5 miles away
- Coffey Swamp State Natural Area: 191 acres, 1.7 miles away
- Grand Traverse Island State Park: 26 acres, 3 miles away
- Newport State Park: 2,467 acres, 7.7 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Big And Little Marsh State Natural Area
Counting Big And Little Marsh State Natural Area itself, 781 of the 26,307 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (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 | 777 |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 2 |
| Other federal land | 1 |
| State parks | 1 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Big And Little Marsh State Natural Area?
In Door County, 12 miles from Ellison Bay. The DNR's property page has its maps and parking.
Is Big And Little Marsh 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 Big And Little Marsh State Natural Area in?
Door County.
How much public land is around Big And Little Marsh State Natural Area?
781 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Big And Little Marsh State Natural Area included, by PAD-US 4.1. The closest other DNR property is Rock Island State Park (1.5 miles).
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Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: DNR, Big And Little Marsh 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.