Sohlberg Silver Lake State Natural Area: hunting and access
Sohlberg Silver Lake State Natural Area is 315 acres of land managed by the Wisconsin DNR in Adams County, 3 miles from Dellwood. 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 landCounty forestOther federal landOther county, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landSohlberg Silver Lake State Natural AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 315 acres in 4 pieces |
|---|---|
| County | Adams County |
| Deer Management Unit | Adams County |
| Public access (DNR) | Open to Hiking, Fishing, Hunting and Trapping |
| DNR property page | Sohlberg Silver Lake |
| Nearest towns | Dellwood (3 mi), Adams (6 mi) and Easton (6 mi) |
What is Sohlberg Silver Lake State Natural Area like?
Sohlberg Silver Lake features a small seepage lake nestled in a landscape of undulating topography with low wooded hills and scattered open bogs and tamarack swamps. Situated in the bed of now extinct Glacial Lake Wisconsin, the shallow lake has very soft, alkaline water and is moderately transparent. The fluctuating shoreline is dependent upon the local water table and the lake occupies anywhere from 7 to 16 acres depending on annual precipitation. These seasonal and yearly fluctuations maintain the sandy and muck shores in relatively open conditions that harbor several rare plants more commonly found along the Atlantic coastal plain. On the sandy shores and mud flats occur other uncommon species including autumn sedge, golden pert, beak rushes, lowland rotala, and yellow-eyed grass.
Adams County. T16N-R5E, Sections 4, 9. T17N-R5E, Section 33. 308 acres. From the intersection of State Highway 13 and County Highway M in Adams, go south on 13 for 1.9 miles, then west on County F for 4.8 miles, then south on 18th Avenue for 2.1 miles. Park at the end of the road and walk east 0.5 miles to the lake.
In the DNR's words, from its page for the property.
What are the rules on Sohlberg Silver Lake State Natural Area?
The DNR's property map lists Sohlberg Silver Lake State Natural Area 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 Sohlberg Silver Lake State Natural Area?
Sohlberg Silver Lake State Natural Area lies in Adams County. The DNR registered 6,148 deer in Adams County in 2025, against 6,658 in 2024.
| DMU | Sohlberg Silver Lake State Natural Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams County | 315 | 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 Sohlberg Silver Lake State Natural Area?
Nearest towns: Dellwood (3 miles), Adams (6 miles), Easton (6 miles) and Friendship (6 miles). Highways within 5 miles: WI 13.
What other public land is near Sohlberg Silver Lake State Natural Area?
DNR properties within 10 miles:
- Quincy Bluff and Wetlands State Natural Area: 6,591 acres, next to it
- Central Sands Pines Forest Legacy Easement: 9,122 acres, 1.5 miles away
- Buckhorn Wildlife Area: 1,677 acres, 3.5 miles away
- Buckhorn State Park: 4,000 acres, 4.2 miles away
- Town of Marion SHA: 40 acres, 5.9 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Sohlberg Silver Lake State Natural Area
Counting Sohlberg Silver Lake State Natural Area itself, 7,523 of the 25,083 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (30%), 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 | 7,340 |
| County forest | 112 |
| Other federal land | 47 |
| Other county, city and regional land | 23 |
| Land trusts and other open land | 1 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Sohlberg Silver Lake State Natural Area?
In Adams County, 3 miles from Dellwood. The DNR's property page has its maps and parking.
Is Sohlberg Silver Lake State Natural 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 Sohlberg Silver Lake State Natural Area in?
Adams County.
How much public land is around Sohlberg Silver Lake State Natural Area?
7,523 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Sohlberg Silver Lake State Natural Area included, by PAD-US 4.1. The closest other DNR property is Quincy Bluff and Wetlands State Natural Area (next to it).
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Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: DNR, Sohlberg Silver Lake State Natural 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.