Shawano County, Wisconsin: deer harvest and public hunting land
Shawano County is its own deer management unit, 910 square miles around Shawano. Hunters registered 9,880 deer here in 2025, 4,879 of them bucks, by the DNR's Deer Metrics. That is up 5% from 2024. 2.8% of Shawano County is public land open to the public, the largest share state wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land (15,774 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.
State wildlife areas, forests and other DNR landCounty forestNational wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areasOther county, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landVoluntary Public Access landShawano CountyNeighboring deer management unitsLakeHighway
| Counties | Shawano County |
|---|---|
| Size | 582,177 acres (910 square miles) |
| Deer registered, 2025 | 9,880 (4,879 bucks, 5,001 antlerless) |
| Yearly average, 2016 to 2025 | 10,224 deer |
| Public land | 2.8% (16,387 acres) |
| Properties | 11 (15,248 acres inside Shawano County) |
| Voluntary Public Access land | 1 site, 36 acres |
| Towns in and near it | Shawano, Bonduel, Eland, Marion, Embarrass and Pulaski |
How many deer are harvested in Shawano County?
The DNR registered 9,880 deer in Shawano County in 2025: 4,879 bucks and 5,001 antlerless deer, 51% of the harvest antlerless. Over the 10 years shown, the harvest averaged 10,224 deer a year; the most bucks were registered in 2025 (4,879).
| Year | Deer registered | Bucks | Antlerless | Antlerless share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 9,880 | 4,879 | 5,001 | 51% |
| 2024 | 9,402 | 4,812 | 4,590 | 49% |
| 2023 | 8,643 | 4,128 | 4,515 | 52% |
| 2022 | 10,340 | 4,642 | 5,698 | 55% |
| 2021 | 9,877 | 4,550 | 5,327 | 54% |
| 2020 | 10,587 | 4,279 | 6,308 | 60% |
| 2019 | 10,299 | 4,162 | 6,137 | 60% |
| 2018 | 10,898 | 4,592 | 6,306 | 58% |
| 2017 | 11,007 | 4,874 | 6,133 | 56% |
| 2016 | 11,308 | 4,748 | 6,560 | 58% |
Source: Wisconsin DNR Deer Metrics, harvest history for Shawano 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 Shawano County?
16,387 of Shawano County's 582,177 acres are public land open to the public (2.8%). The biggest share is state wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land: 15,774 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Shawano County |
|---|---|---|
| State wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land | 15,774 | 2.7% |
| Other county, city and regional land | 443 | 0.1% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 108 | under 0.1% |
| State parks | 50 | under 0.1% |
| Other federal land | 12 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 16,387 | 2.8% |
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 Shawano County
DNR properties in Shawano County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Navarino Wildlife Area: 13,461 acres
- Mountain-Bay State Trail: 650 acres
- Lower Wolf River Bottomlands Natural Resource Area: 462 acres
- Wiouwash State Trail: 221 acres
- Kroenke Lake State Natural Area: 148 acres
- Shawano Lake Fishery Area: 118 acres
- Jung Hemlock-Beech Forest State Natural Area: 79 acres
- Cowyard Rips State Habitat Area: 43 acres
- Nicolet State Trail: 41 acres
- Shawano Lake State Habitat Area: 19 acres
- North Branch Embarrass River Fishery Area: 6 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Murray Creek Nature Conservancy (311 acres) and Natural Area (225 acres).
Voluntary Public Access land in Shawano County
The DNR's 2026 lease map shows 1 property in Shawano County, 36 acres of private land open to the public. No landowner permission is needed. DNR VPA program.
How do you get to Shawano County?
Highways through it: WI 29 (about 111 miles inside), WI 55 (about 45 miles inside), US 45 (about 38 miles inside), WI 47 (about 25 miles inside) and WI 22 (about 25 miles inside). Towns inside: Shawano, Bonduel, Eland, Birnamwood, Aniwa and Tigerton. Nearby: Marion (on the line), Embarrass (on the line), Pulaski (on the line) and Elderon (on the line).
Which deer management units border Shawano County?
Shawano County touches 8 other deer management units. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| DMU | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | Voluntary Public Access land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brown County | 3,627 | 2025 | 2% | |
| DMU Oconto | 7,277 | 2025 | 8.4% | |
| Portage County | 8,384 | 2025 | 7.6% | |
| Waupaca County | 10,740 | 2025 | 2.3% | 3 |
| DMU Langlade | 2,007 | 2025 | 14.2% | |
| Marathon County | 12,041 | 2025 | 6.6% | 8 |
| Outagamie County | 4,322 | 2025 | 3.5% | 3 |
| Menominee Reservation | 0% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Shawano County in 2025?
9,880 deer were registered: 4,879 bucks and 5,001 antlerless deer (DNR Deer Metrics). In 2024: 9,402.
Is there public hunting land in Shawano County?
Yes. 16,387 acres, 2.8% 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 (15,774 acres). The DNR's map shows 11 DNR properties open to hunting here.
Does Shawano County have VPA land?
Yes. The DNR's 2026 lease map shows 1 property, 36 acres.
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Where these numbers come from
- Deer harvest: Wisconsin DNR Deer Metrics (registered harvest by deer management unit).
- Public land: USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). DNR properties: Wisconsin DNR managed lands open to hunting. Voluntary Public Access land: Wisconsin DNR Voluntary Public Access and Turkey Hunting Program lands.
- Boundaries: Wisconsin DNR deer management units. Highways and towns: U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 primary and secondary roads; U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer, places.
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.
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