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St. Croix County, Wisconsin: deer harvest and public hunting land

St. Croix County is its own deer management unit, 736 square miles around New Richmond. Hunters registered 4,858 deer here in 2025, 2,261 of them bucks, by the DNR's Deer Metrics. That is up 16% from 2024. 4.8% of St. Croix County is public land open to the public, the largest share state wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land (11,795 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 St. Croix County deer management unit: public land by manager, Voluntary Public Access land, the deer management units around it, highways I-94, WI 35 and WI 64; towns: New Richmond, Hudson, Glenwood City, River Falls and Spring Valley

State wildlife areas, forests and other DNR landNational wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areasNational park landOther county, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landVoluntary Public Access landSt. Croix CountyNeighboring deer management unitsLakeHighway

St. Croix County at a glance
CountiesSt. Croix County
Size470,845 acres (736 square miles)
Deer registered, 20254,858 (2,261 bucks, 2,597 antlerless)
Yearly average, 2016 to 20254,250 deer
Public land4.8% (22,508 acres)
Properties22 (11,718 acres inside St. Croix County)
Voluntary Public Access land5 sites, 508 acres
Towns in and near itNew Richmond, Hudson, Glenwood City, River Falls, Spring Valley and Downing

How many deer are harvested in St. Croix County?

The DNR registered 4,858 deer in St. Croix County in 2025: 2,261 bucks and 2,597 antlerless deer, 53% of the harvest antlerless. Over the 10 years shown, the harvest averaged 4,250 deer a year; the most bucks were registered in 2025 (2,261).

YearDeer registeredBucksAntlerlessAntlerless share
20254,8582,2612,59753%
20244,2021,9222,28054%
20234,1001,7622,33857%
20224,6552,0512,60456%
20214,2271,9702,25753%
20204,7152,0832,63256%
20193,8251,7322,09355%
20184,0001,7192,28157%
20173,9581,7382,22056%
20163,9611,7282,23356%

Source: Wisconsin DNR Deer Metrics, harvest history for St. Croix 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 St. Croix County?

22,508 of St. Croix County's 470,845 acres are public land open to the public (4.8%). The biggest share is state wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land: 11,795 acres.

ManagerAcresShare of St. Croix County
State wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land11,7952.5%
National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas6,4261.4%
Land trusts and other open land2,0430.4%
Other county, city and regional land1,3740.3%
National park land8490.2%
State parks21under 0.1%
All public land open to the public22,5084.8%

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 St. Croix County

DNR properties in St. Croix County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:

Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: St. Croix County Waterfowl Production Area (6,432 acres), Lower Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway (852 acres) and Extensive Wl Habitat - Public Hunting Ground (586 acres).

Voluntary Public Access land in St. Croix County

The DNR's 2026 lease map shows 5 properties in St. Croix County, 508 acres of private land open to the public. No landowner permission is needed. DNR VPA program.

How do you get to St. Croix County?

Highways through it: I-94 (about 62 miles inside), WI 35 (about 55 miles inside), WI 64 (about 34 miles inside), US 63 (about 30 miles inside) and WI 65 (about 30 miles inside). Towns inside: New Richmond, Hudson, Glenwood City, Somerset, Baldwin and Roberts. Nearby: River Falls (on the line), Spring Valley (on the line), Downing (on the line) and Knapp (3 miles).

Which deer management units border St. Croix County?

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

DMUDeer harvestedYearPublic landVoluntary Public Access land sites
Dunn County9,11820253.7%3
Polk County8,09120255.6%4
Barron County6,37620254.3%3
Pierce County4,36620251.7%5

Questions hunters ask

How many deer were harvested in St. Croix County in 2025?

4,858 deer were registered: 2,261 bucks and 2,597 antlerless deer (DNR Deer Metrics). In 2024: 4,202.

Is there public hunting land in St. Croix County?

Yes. 22,508 acres, 4.8% 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 (11,795 acres). The DNR's map shows 22 DNR properties open to hunting here.

Does St. Croix County have VPA land?

Yes. The DNR's 2026 lease map shows 5 properties, 508 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 Dunn County Polk County Barron County Pierce County