Mukwa Wildlife Area: hunting and access
Mukwa Wildlife Area is 1,338 acres of land managed by the Wisconsin DNR in Waupaca County, next to Northport. The DNR's page for it names deer and ducks and geese among the game here. Hunters registered 10,740 deer in Waupaca 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 landState parksOther county, city and regional landMukwa Wildlife AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 1,338 acres in 3 pieces |
|---|---|
| County | Waupaca County |
| Deer Management Unit | Waupaca County |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer and ducks and geese |
| Public access (DNR) | Open to Hiking, Fishing, Hunting and Trapping |
| DNR property page | Mukwa Wildlife Area |
| Nearest towns | Northport (next to it), New London (next to it) and Weyauwega (7 mi) |
What is Mukwa Wildlife Area like?
Mukwa Wildlife Area is in Mukwa Township in southeast Waupaca County, 1 mile west of New London. Currently, 1,290.60 acres are state-owned. The property is bisected by the Wolf River, and the Little Wolf River flows through it to join the Wolf from the west. One State Natural Area (SNA), Mukwa Bottomland Forest, is located within the property. The most extensive plant community here is silver maple-dominated bottomland hardwood forest, varying in condition from highly disturbed to excellent. There are many old oxbows, some of which host high-quality emergent marsh and sedge meadow communities, including beds of wild rice.
More open wetlands of bulrushes, spikerushes, burreeds and sedges are found east of the Wolf, some disturbed by ditches and reed canary grass. There also are extensive patches of wetland shrub-dominated by alder and willow. The floodplain forest and emergent marsh communities here support rare plants and animals and are considered significant here due to their extent, condition, and connection to the vast bottomlands forests downstream. The corridor of the Little Wolf is considered highly significant for aquatic species. The Mukwa Wildlife Area is managed to provide opportunities for public hunting, fishing, trapping and other outdoor recreation while protecting the qualities of the unique native communities and associated species found on the property.
In the DNR's words, from its page for the property.
What can you hunt on Mukwa Wildlife Area?
The DNR's page for Mukwa Wildlife Area names deer and ducks and geese. Each follows Wisconsin's statewide season and, for deer, the tags and rules of the deer management unit.
What are the rules on Mukwa Wildlife Area?
The DNR's property map lists Mukwa 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 Mukwa Wildlife Area: Birding, Boating (motorized and non-motorized), Canoeing, Cross-country skiing (no designated trail), Fishing, Hiking (no designated trail), Hunting (noted for waterfowl and deer), Kayaking, Trapping, Snowmobiling trail, Wild edibles/gathering and Wildlife viewing.
How many deer are taken around Mukwa Wildlife Area?
Mukwa Wildlife Area lies in Waupaca County. The DNR registered 10,740 deer in Waupaca County in 2025, against 10,349 in 2024.
| DMU | Mukwa Wildlife Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waupaca County | 1,338 | 10,740 | 10,349 | 9,097 |
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 Mukwa Wildlife Area?
Nearest towns: Northport (next to it), New London (next to it), Weyauwega (7 miles) and Manawa (7 miles). Highways within 5 miles: WI 54, US 45 and WI 15.
What other public land is near Mukwa Wildlife Area?
DNR properties within 10 miles:
- Lower Wolf River Bottomlands Natural Resource Area: 3,670 acres, next to it
- Wolf River Fishery Area: 205 acres, next to it
- Newton Blackmour State Trail: 286 acres, 1.4 miles away
- Wolf River Bottoms Wildlife Area: 3,142 acres, 3.7 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Mukwa Wildlife Area
Counting Mukwa Wildlife Area itself, 2,172 of the 32,765 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (6.6%), 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 | 1,899 |
| Other county, city and regional land | 272 |
| State parks | 1 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Mukwa Wildlife Area?
In Waupaca County, next to Northport. The DNR's property page has its maps and parking.
Is Mukwa 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 Mukwa Wildlife Area in?
Waupaca County.
How much public land is around Mukwa Wildlife Area?
2,172 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Mukwa Wildlife Area included, by PAD-US 4.1. The closest other DNR property is Lower Wolf River Bottomlands Natural Resource Area (next to it).
Get a Wisconsin hunt plan when they open
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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, Mukwa 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.