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Rock County, Wisconsin: deer harvest and public hunting land

Rock County is its own deer management unit, 726 square miles around Janesville. Hunters registered 2,667 deer here in 2025, 1,316 of them bucks, by the DNR's Deer Metrics. That is up 7% from 2024. 2.9% of Rock County is public land open to the public, the largest share state wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land (10,123 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).

Data updated October 2026. Harvest: DNR Deer Metrics. Land: PAD-US 4.1, the DNR's managed lands and VPA layers.

Map of Wisconsin's Rock County deer management unit: public land by manager, Voluntary Public Access land, the deer management units around it, highways I-39, I-90 and WI 11; towns: Janesville, Beloit, Milton, Brodhead and Brooklyn

State wildlife areas, forests and other DNR landNational wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areasOther county, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landVoluntary Public Access landRock CountyNeighboring deer management unitsLakeHighway

Rock County at a glance
CountiesRock County
Size464,715 acres (726 square miles)
Deer registered, 20252,667 (1,316 bucks, 1,351 antlerless)
Yearly average, 2016 to 20252,275 deer
Public land2.9% (13,582 acres)
Properties10 (9,182 acres inside Rock County)
Voluntary Public Access land20 sites, 3,526 acres
Towns in and near itJanesville, Beloit, Milton, Brodhead, Brooklyn and Whitewater

How many deer are harvested in Rock County?

The DNR registered 2,667 deer in Rock County in 2025: 1,316 bucks and 1,351 antlerless deer, 51% of the harvest antlerless. Over the 10 years shown, the harvest averaged 2,275 deer a year; the most bucks were registered in 2025 (1,316).

YearDeer registeredBucksAntlerlessAntlerless share
20252,6671,3161,35151%
20242,5011,1971,30452%
20232,4681,1781,29052%
20222,3501,0991,25153%
20212,2061,0691,13752%
20202,6021,1901,41254%
20192,1271,0401,08751%
20182,0991,0751,02449%
20171,84796188648%
20161,8878791,00853%

Source: Wisconsin DNR Deer Metrics, harvest history for Rock County. Deer registered is the DNR's buck and antlerless harvest added together. The DNR's Deer Metrics shows every year back to 1960 for most counties.

How much public land is in Rock County?

13,582 of Rock County's 464,715 acres are public land open to the public (2.9%). The biggest share is state wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land: 10,123 acres.

ManagerAcresShare of Rock County
State wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land10,1232.2%
Other county, city and regional land3,0280.7%
National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas4220.1%
Other federal land9under 0.1%
All public land open to the public13,5822.9%

Measured by FilledTag inside the DNR's boundary from USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). Hunting rules differ by manager: DNR wildlife areas and state forests are open to hunting unless posted; county forests are open to hunting in most cases (check the county forest's rules); national forest land is open in season; refuges follow U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rules; state parks allow hunting only in listed seasons and areas; national park land is closed to hunting.

DNR properties in Rock County

DNR properties in Rock County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:

Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Extensive Wl Habitat - Public Hunting Ground (675 acres), Rock County Waterfowl Production Area (421 acres), Rockport Park (269 acres), Turtle Creek Floodplain (221 acres), Rock River Parkway (201 acres), Big Hill Park (189 acres), Happy Hollow Park (181 acres) and Palmer Park (166 acres).

Voluntary Public Access land in Rock County

The DNR's 2026 lease map shows 20 properties in Rock County, 3,526 acres of private land open to the public. No landowner permission is needed. DNR VPA program.

How do you get to Rock County?

Highways through it: I-39 (about 51 miles inside), I-90 (about 51 miles inside), WI 11 (about 49 miles inside), WI 59 (about 42 miles inside) and US 14 (about 40 miles inside). Towns inside: Janesville, Beloit, Milton, Edgerton, Evansville and Clinton. Nearby: Brodhead (on the line), Brooklyn (on the line), Whitewater (2 miles) and Sharon (2 miles).

Which deer management units border Rock County?

Rock County touches 4 other deer management units. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:

DMUDeer harvestedYearPublic landVoluntary Public Access land sites
Dane County4,43820255.7%7
Green County2,56220251.7%5
Walworth County2,13220255.2%1
Jefferson County3,84320256.7%4

Questions hunters ask

How many deer were harvested in Rock County in 2025?

2,667 deer were registered: 1,316 bucks and 1,351 antlerless deer (DNR Deer Metrics). In 2024: 2,501.

Is there public hunting land in Rock County?

Yes. 13,582 acres, 2.9% of the unit, are public land open to the public by PAD-US 4.1, the largest share state wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land (10,123 acres). The DNR's map shows 10 DNR properties open to hunting here.

Does Rock County have VPA land?

Yes. The DNR's 2026 lease map shows 20 properties, 3,526 acres.

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Where these numbers come from

FilledTag is not part of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Numbers are copied from the DNR and the federal sources above, or measured from their maps; nothing on this page is estimated by FilledTag.

Wisconsin hunting Dane County Green County Walworth County Jefferson County