Footville Wildlife Area: hunting and access
Footville Wildlife Area is 476 acres of land managed by the Wisconsin DNR in Rock County, next to Hanover. The DNR's page for it names deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game among the game here. Hunters registered 2,667 deer in Rock 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 landOther county, city and regional landVoluntary Public Access landFootville Wildlife AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 476 acres in 7 pieces |
|---|---|
| County | Rock County |
| Deer Management Unit | Rock County |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Public access (DNR) | Open to Hiking, Fishing, Hunting and Trapping |
| DNR property page | Footville Wildlife Area |
| Nearest towns | Hanover (next to it), Orfordville (2 mi) and Footville (2 mi) |
What is Footville Wildlife Area like?
Footville Wildlife Area consists of 481 acres of state-owned land scattered throughout the greater Footville area of Rock County. Additionally, thousands of acres of privately leased land are open to the public through the Voluntary Public Access Program (VPA), which covers state-owned parcels. For more details, please refer to the Voluntary Public Access webpage. The wildlife area's habitat is dominated by native upland prairie, wetlands, woodlands, and cropland. VPA parcels are primarily cropland, but also offer native prairie plantings, wetlands, and wooded acres.
Together, these properties provide public access for hunting, trapping, wildlife viewing, and other recreational opportunities. Common game species include pheasants, mourning doves, turkeys, waterfowl, deer, and other small game species. Footville Wildlife Area started out as a leased Public Hunting Ground (PHG) area in the late 1940s, thanks to the gracious efforts of private landowners offering their land for public use. With the continued success of leasing lands (now under the Voluntary Public Access program), the department began purchasing parcels in the 1980s up to as recently as 2010 to provide perpetual public access on 481 acres, while the leased lands continue to vary in acreage. Prescribed burning, mowing, invasive species control, timber stand improvement, and agriculture are the most common management practices.
In the DNR's words, from its page for the property.
What can you hunt on Footville Wildlife Area?
The DNR's page for Footville Wildlife Area names deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game. Each follows Wisconsin's statewide season and, for deer, the tags and rules of the deer management unit.
What are the rules on Footville Wildlife Area?
The DNR's property map lists Footville Wildlife Area as "Open to Hiking, Fishing, Hunting and Trapping". Hunting follows Wisconsin's statewide seasons and the rules posted on the property.
Activities the DNR lists for Footville Wildlife Area: Birding, Cross-country skiing (no designated trail), Hiking (no designated trail), Hunting (noted for: pheasant, mourning dove, turkey, deer), Trapping, Snowmobiling trail, Wild edibles/gathering and Wildlife viewing.
How many deer are taken around Footville Wildlife Area?
Footville Wildlife Area lies in Rock County. The DNR registered 2,667 deer in Rock County in 2025, against 2,501 in 2024.
| DMU | Footville Wildlife Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rock County | 476 | 2,667 | 2,501 | 2,468 |
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 Footville Wildlife Area?
Nearest towns: Hanover (next to it), Orfordville (2 miles), Footville (2 miles) and Evansville (4 miles). Highways within 5 miles: WI 213, WI 11, US 14 and WI 59. 12 VPA properties within 3 miles.
What other public land is near Footville Wildlife Area?
DNR properties within 10 miles:
- Evansville Wildlife Area: 839 acres, 1.7 miles away
- Allen Creek Streambank Protection Area: 220 acres, 2.8 miles away
- Sugar River State Trail: 248 acres, 6.3 miles away
- Avon Bottoms Wildlife Area: 4,340 acres, 7.1 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Footville Wildlife Area
Counting Footville Wildlife Area itself, 1,366 of the 66,088 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (2.1%), 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 | 1,366 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Footville Wildlife Area?
In Rock County, next to Hanover. The DNR's property page has its maps and parking.
Is Footville Wildlife 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 Footville Wildlife Area in?
Rock County.
How much public land is around Footville Wildlife Area?
1,366 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Footville Wildlife Area included, by PAD-US 4.1. The closest other DNR property is Evansville Wildlife Area (1.7 miles).
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Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: DNR, Footville Wildlife 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.