Sheboygan Marsh Wildlife Area: hunting and access
Sheboygan Marsh Wildlife Area is 864 acres of land managed by the Wisconsin DNR in Sheboygan County, 2 miles from Greenbush. Hunters registered 3,562 deer in Sheboygan 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 landLand trusts and other open landVoluntary Public Access landSheboygan Marsh Wildlife AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 864 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Sheboygan County |
| Deer Management Unit | Sheboygan County |
| Public access (DNR) | Open to Hiking, Fishing, Hunting and Trapping |
| DNR property page | Sheboygan Marsh Wildlife Area |
| Nearest towns | Greenbush (2 mi), Glenbeulah (2 mi) and St. Cloud (3 mi) |
What is Sheboygan Marsh Wildlife Area like?
Sheboygan Marsh Wildlife Area lies in northwestern Sheboygan County, just one mile west and north of Elkhart Lake. It covers over half of the townships of Russell and Greenbush. The area historically known as Sheboygan Marsh includes over 14,000 acres of land and surface water. It contains the largest restored wetland in the Wisconsin watersheds of Lakes, Michigan, and Superior. Today, the Department of Natural Resources staff provides wildlife, fish, and forestry management of the 8,285-acre Sheboygan Marsh Wildlife Area. In addition to managing the 871 acres of state-owned lands, the DNR manages the 7,414 acres of county-owned lands by a formal management agreement executed with Sheboygan County in 1984.
The Sheboygan Marsh provides habitat for many different wildlife species. The main marsh and smaller wetland impoundments provide migratory stopover, breeding, and brood rearing habitat for numerous species of waterfowl and wetland birds. White cedar stands, bottomland hardwoods, dogwood, and alder thickets are commonly used by white-tailed deer, woodcock, squirrels, rabbits, and various furbearers. The prairies on the south side of the marsh provide habitat for grassland birds and are part of the stocked pheasant hunting program. Common wildlife species found on this property are white-tailed deer, woodcock, wild turkey, squirrels, ring-necked pheasants (stocked), rabbits, and numerous waterfowl and shorebird species. The formation of the marsh started as a large ice block, which melted and formed a kettle lake after the last glacial advance.
In the DNR's words, from its page for the property.
What are the rules on Sheboygan Marsh Wildlife Area?
The DNR's property map lists Sheboygan 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 Sheboygan Marsh Wildlife Area: Auto travel, Cross-country skiing (no designated trail), Fishing, Hiking (no designated trail), Trapping, Wild edibles/gathering and Wildlife viewing.
How many deer are taken around Sheboygan Marsh Wildlife Area?
Sheboygan Marsh Wildlife Area lies in Sheboygan County. The DNR registered 3,562 deer in Sheboygan County in 2025, against 3,536 in 2024.
| DMU | Sheboygan Marsh Wildlife Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sheboygan County | 864 | 3,562 | 3,536 | 3,251 |
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 Sheboygan Marsh Wildlife Area?
Nearest towns: Greenbush (2 miles), Glenbeulah (2 miles), St. Cloud (3 miles) and Elkhart Lake (4 miles). Highways within 5 miles: WI 23 and WI 67. 2 VPA properties within 3 miles.
What other public land is near Sheboygan Marsh Wildlife Area?
DNR properties within 10 miles:
- Kettle Moraine State Forest-Northern Unit: 30,281 acres, 2.3 miles away
- State Ice Age Trail Area (SIATA): 4,676 acres, 3.2 miles away
- La Budde Creek Fishery Area: 392 acres, 4.2 miles away
- Muehl Springs State Natural Area: 72 acres, 4.2 miles away
- Mullet Creek Wildlife Area: 2,245 acres, 4.5 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Sheboygan Marsh Wildlife Area
Counting Sheboygan Marsh Wildlife Area itself, 2,027 of the 29,829 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (6.8%), 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 | 2,024 |
| Land trusts and other open land | 3 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Sheboygan Marsh Wildlife Area?
In Sheboygan County, 2 miles from Greenbush. The DNR's property page has its maps and parking.
Is Sheboygan 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 Sheboygan Marsh Wildlife Area in?
Sheboygan County.
How much public land is around Sheboygan Marsh Wildlife Area?
2,027 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Sheboygan Marsh Wildlife Area included, by PAD-US 4.1. The closest other DNR property is Kettle Moraine State Forest-Northern Unit (2.3 miles).
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Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: DNR, Sheboygan 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.