Leola Marsh Wildlife Area: hunting and access
Leola Marsh Wildlife Area is 2,518 acres of land managed by the Wisconsin DNR in Adams County, 4 miles from Lake Camelot. Hunters registered 6,148 deer in Adams 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 landLand trusts and other open landLeola Marsh Wildlife AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 2,518 acres in 3 pieces |
|---|---|
| County | Adams County |
| Deer Management Unit | Adams County |
| Public access (DNR) | Open to Hiking, Fishing, Hunting and Trapping |
| DNR property page | Leola Marsh Wildlife Area |
| Nearest towns | Lake Camelot (4 mi), Lake Sherwood (5 mi) and Hancock (6 mi) |
What is Leola Marsh Wildlife Area like?
Leola Marsh Wildlife Area is a 2,550-acre property located 15 miles southeast of Wisconsin Rapids. It can be accessed from County Highways D and W. The wildlife area is predominately non-native cool season grassland that was formerly marsh, drained with the many drainage ditches dug in the first part of the 1900s. Leola Marsh sits in the heart of the area first studied by Frances and Frederick Hamerstrom in the 1950s-70s on the habitat needs of Wisconsin’s greater prairie chickens. This property is home to many grassland bird species of conservation need, as well as state-threatened greater prairie chicken and upland sandpiper. If you enjoy birding, make the trip and enjoy a walk across large tracts of open public grassland. You can also visit the nearby Buena Vista Grasslands for additional grassland birding opportunities.
Many butterfly species can be found here in the spring and summer, including Purplish Coppers, Silver-bordered Fritillary and Monarchs. Leola Marsh is part of the southernmost range of Wisconsin's prairie chicken population and was purchased to protect their grassland habitat. The primary management objective of this property is to maintain quality grassland habitat and reduce the number of trees on the property. To maintain the open grassland landscape needed by prairie chickens and other grassland-dependent wildlife, management techniques like prescribed burning, grazing and mowing are used. Additionally, staff works with farmers in the area and leases the area for hay harvest annually.
In the DNR's words, from its page for the property.
What are the rules on Leola Marsh Wildlife Area?
The DNR's property map lists Leola Marsh 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 Leola Marsh Wildlife Area: Birding, Cross-country skiing (no designated trail), Fishing, Hiking (no designated trail), Hunting, Trapping, Wild edibles/gathering and Wildlife viewing.
How many deer are taken around Leola Marsh Wildlife Area?
Leola Marsh Wildlife Area lies in Adams County. The DNR registered 6,148 deer in Adams County in 2025, against 6,658 in 2024.
| DMU | Leola Marsh Wildlife Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams County | 2,518 | 6,148 | 6,658 | 5,428 |
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 Leola Marsh Wildlife Area?
Nearest towns: Lake Camelot (4 miles), Lake Sherwood (5 miles), Hancock (6 miles) and Plainfield (7 miles). Highways within 5 miles: WI 73, US 51 and I-39.
What other public land is near Leola Marsh Wildlife Area?
DNR properties within 10 miles:
- Central Wisconsin Grassland Conservation Area: 81 acres, next to it
- Big Roche A Cri Fishery Area: 845 acres, next to it
- Buena Vista Wildlife Area: 12,552 acres, 1.8 miles away
- Lake Camelot State Habitat Area: 160 acres, 2 miles away
- Ten Mile Creek Streambank Protection Area: 518 acres, 3.5 miles away
- Colburn Wildlife Area: 5,068 acres, 4.8 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Leola Marsh Wildlife Area
Counting Leola Marsh Wildlife Area itself, 4,246 of the 44,731 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (9.5%), 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 | 4,222 |
| Land trusts and other open land | 24 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Leola Marsh Wildlife Area?
In Adams County, 4 miles from Lake Camelot. The DNR's property page has its maps and parking.
Is Leola Marsh 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 Leola Marsh Wildlife Area in?
Adams County.
How much public land is around Leola Marsh Wildlife Area?
4,246 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Leola Marsh Wildlife Area included, by PAD-US 4.1. The closest other DNR property is Central Wisconsin Grassland Conservation Area (next to it).
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Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: DNR, Leola Marsh 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.