Poynette Game Farm: hunting and access
Poynette Game Farm is 625 acres of land managed by the Wisconsin DNR in Columbia County, next to Poynette. The DNR's page for it names pheasants among the game here. Hunters registered 7,189 deer in Columbia 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 areasVoluntary Public Access landPoynette Game FarmCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 625 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Columbia County |
| Deer Management Unit | Columbia County |
| DNR lists for hunting | pheasants |
| Public access (DNR) | Open to Hiking, Fishing, Hunting and Trapping |
| DNR property page | State Game Farm |
| Nearest towns | Poynette (next to it), Arlington (4 mi) and Dekorra (5 mi) |
What is Poynette Game Farm like?
The State Game Farm is located next to the MacKenzie Center near Poynette in central Columbia County. The goals of the State Game Farm and the pheasant stocking program are to provide quality pheasant hunting opportunities on public and private lands, promote safe and ethical behavior in the field, and cooperate with conservation groups dedicated to promoting pheasant hunting in the state. There are a number of programs the DNR uses to accomplish these goals. All ring-necked pheasants the DNR provides are produced at the State Game Farm. Approximately 300,000 eggs are incubated during the pheasant production season. Weekly hatches occur from early April through mid July. At the end of the hatching season, approximately 230,000 chicks will be hatched.
Pheasant chicks are reared in two environmentally controlled brood-rearing barns. Approximately 75,000 chicks are reared indoors until they are six weeks old. An additional 12,000 chicks are reared in smaller brooder houses with access to an outdoor pen when weather permits. Chicks are then transferred from the rearing facilities to the outdoor range fields until they are released in the fall. These 112 outdoor range fields are planted with a cover crop, offering shade and cover from the elements and providing additional feed in the fall. The Department of Conservation, now the Wisconsin DNR, began stocking pheasants at the inception of the State Experimental Game and Fur Farm in 1928. The DNR continues to stock captive-raised ring-necked pheasants on public hunting grounds; however, the philosophy of the stocking program has changed over time.
In the DNR's words, from its page for the property.
What can you hunt on Poynette Game Farm?
The DNR's page for Poynette Game Farm names pheasants. Each follows Wisconsin's statewide season and, for deer, the tags and rules of the deer management unit.
What are the rules on Poynette Game Farm?
The DNR's property map lists Poynette Game Farm 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 Poynette Game Farm?
Poynette Game Farm lies in Columbia County. The DNR registered 7,189 deer in Columbia County in 2025, against 7,176 in 2024.
| DMU | Poynette Game Farm acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia County | 625 | 7,189 | 7,176 | 6,629 |
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 Poynette Game Farm?
Nearest towns: Poynette (next to it), Arlington (4 miles), Dekorra (5 miles) and Rio (7 miles). Highways within 5 miles: I-90, I-94, US 51, I-39 and WI 22.
What other public land is near Poynette Game Farm?
DNR properties within 10 miles:
- Rowan Creek Fishery Area: 651 acres, 0.5 miles away
- Mud Lake Wildlife Area-Columbia: 2,281 acres, 1.6 miles away
- Hinkson Creek Fishery Area: 235 acres, 1.9 miles away
- Rocky Run Creek Fishery Area: 741 acres, 3 miles away
- Rocky Run Oak Savanna State Natural Area: 164 acres, 3.5 miles away
- Swan Lake Wildlife Area: 2,502 acres, 7.2 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Poynette Game Farm
Counting Poynette Game Farm itself, 2,789 of the 26,920 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (10.4%), 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 | 2,115 |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 673 |
| Land trusts and other open land | 1 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Poynette Game Farm?
In Columbia County, next to Poynette. The DNR's property page has its maps and parking.
Is Poynette Game Farm 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 Poynette Game Farm in?
Columbia County.
How much public land is around Poynette Game Farm?
2,789 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Poynette Game Farm included, by PAD-US 4.1. The closest other DNR property is Rowan Creek Fishery Area (0.5 miles).
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Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: DNR, Poynette Game Farm; 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.