Gobler Lake State Natural Area: hunting and access
Gobler Lake State Natural Area is 393 acres of land managed by the Wisconsin DNR in Oneida County, 13 miles from Tomahawk. Hunters registered 1,218 deer in DMU 116 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 forestLand trusts and other open landGobler Lake State Natural AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 393 acres in 5 pieces |
|---|---|
| County | Oneida County |
| Deer Management Unit | DMU 116 |
| Public access (DNR) | Open to Hiking, Fishing, Hunting and Trapping |
| DNR property page | Gobler Lake |
| Nearest towns | Tomahawk (13 mi), Lake Tomahawk (17 mi) and Minocqua (17 mi) |
What is Gobler Lake State Natural Area like?
Gobler Lake contains a large open bog and a soft water bog lake and includes a geologically significant esker within the natural area. Gobler Lake is a 20-acre, muck-bottomed bog lake with slightly acidic water of moderate transparency and a maximum depth of 8 feet. Surrounding the lake is an open bog (muskeg) dominated by sphagnum and sedges with scattered stunted black spruce and white pine. The muskeg contains dwarf mistletoe, a parasite on black spruce, several ericaceous shrubs, pitcher plants, sundews, sedges, three-way sedges, beak rushes, and cotton grasses. Bird life includes such uncommon nesters as black and white, Canada, and Connecticut warblers and Lincoln's sparrow. To the south and west is an esker wooded with white pine. The wild character is reduced only by the road, which follows the esker to the south of the lake. Gobler Lake is owed by Oneida County and the DNR.
From the intersection of Highways Y and 8 in Bradley, go north and west on County Highway Y for 4.4 miles, then west on Old 8 Drive for 1 mile, then north on Kelly Dam Road for 0.9 miles, then northwest on Kelly Firelane Road 5.8 miles, then northeast on Gobler Lake Road 0.4 mile to the southern boundary of the site. Gobler Lake is owned by: Oneida County and the Wisconsin DNR.
In the DNR's words, from its page for the property.
What are the rules on Gobler Lake State Natural Area?
The DNR's property map lists Gobler Lake 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 Gobler Lake State Natural Area?
Gobler Lake State Natural Area lies in DMU 116. The DNR registered 1,218 deer in DMU 116 in 2025.
| DMU | Gobler Lake State Natural Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| DMU 116 | 393 | 1,218 |
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 Gobler Lake State Natural Area?
Nearest towns: Tomahawk (13 miles), Lake Tomahawk (17 miles), Minocqua (17 miles) and Woodruff (19 miles). Highways within 5 miles: US 8.
What other public land is near Gobler Lake State Natural Area?
DNR properties within 10 miles:
- Willow Flowage Scenic Waters Area: 27,366 acres, 0.5 miles away
- Forest Legacy Program: 33,075 acres, 1.1 miles away
- Swamp Lake Public Access: 56 acres, 2.8 miles away
- Willow Flowage SWA - Dick Steffes Unit: 2,034 acres, 5.2 miles away
- Bearskin State Trail: 638 acres, 5.4 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Gobler Lake State Natural Area
Counting Gobler Lake State Natural Area itself, 22,602 of the 30,147 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (75%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| County forest | 14,320 |
| State wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land | 8,281 |
| Land trusts and other open land | 1 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Gobler Lake State Natural Area?
In Oneida County, 13 miles from Tomahawk. The DNR's property page has its maps and parking.
Is Gobler Lake 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 Gobler Lake State Natural Area in?
DMU 116.
How much public land is around Gobler Lake State Natural Area?
22,602 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Gobler Lake State Natural Area included, by PAD-US 4.1. The closest other DNR property is Willow Flowage Scenic Waters Area (0.5 miles).
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Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Wisconsin included.
Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: DNR, Gobler Lake 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.