Rock Island State Park: hunting and access
Rock Island State Park is 985 acres of land managed by the Wisconsin DNR in Door County, 14 miles from Ellison Bay. Hunters registered 4,302 deer in Door 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 areasOther federal landRock Island State ParkCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 985 acres in 2 pieces |
|---|---|
| County | Door County |
| Deer Management Unit | Door County |
| Public access (DNR) | Open to Hiking, Fishing, Hunting and Trapping |
| DNR property page | Rock Island |
| Nearest towns | Ellison Bay (14 mi), Sister Bay (20 mi) and Ephraim (22 mi) |
What is Rock Island State Park like?
Take the ferry Memorial Day weekend through the second Monday in October to this primitive Lake Michigan island where no vehicles are allowed. This unique park features the Pottawatomie Lighthouse as well as stone buildings built by a wealthy inventor who owned the island between 1910 and 1964. Rock Island offers rustic, walk-in campsites, hiking trails, a swimming beach and miles of shoreline to explore.
In the DNR's words, from its page for the property.
What are the rules on Rock Island State Park?
The DNR's property map lists Rock Island State Park as "Open to Hiking, Fishing, Hunting and Trapping". Hunting follows Wisconsin's statewide seasons and the rules posted on the property.
In Wisconsin state parks and recreation areas, hunting is limited to the seasons and the parts of the property the DNR sets for each one; the DNR's page has the details.
How many deer are taken around Rock Island State Park?
Rock Island State Park lies in Door County. The DNR registered 4,302 deer in Door County in 2025, against 4,225 in 2024.
| DMU | Rock Island State Park acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Door County | 957 | 4,302 | 4,225 | 3,793 |
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 Rock Island State Park?
Nearest towns: Ellison Bay (14 miles), Sister Bay (20 miles), Ephraim (22 miles) and Baileys Harbor (27 miles).
What other public land is near Rock Island State Park?
DNR properties within 10 miles:
- Coffey Swamp State Natural Area: 191 acres, 1.3 miles away
- Big And Little Marsh State Natural Area: 328 acres, 1.5 miles away
- Grand Traverse Island State Park: 26 acres, 5.5 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Rock Island State Park
Counting Rock Island State Park itself, 1,523 of the 33,666 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (4.5%), 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 | 1,517 |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 2 |
| Other federal land | 2 |
| State parks | 2 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Rock Island State Park?
In Door County, 14 miles from Ellison Bay. The DNR's property page has its maps and parking.
Is Rock Island State Park 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 Rock Island State Park in?
Door County.
How much public land is around Rock Island State Park?
1,523 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Rock Island State Park included, by PAD-US 4.1. The closest other DNR property is Coffey Swamp State Natural Area (1.3 miles).
Get a Wisconsin hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for Wisconsin are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
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, Rock Island State Park; 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.