Taylor County, Wisconsin: public hunting land
Taylor County has 151,330 acres of public land open to the public, 24% of the county, the largest share national forest (124,036 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). The DNR's map shows 7 DNR properties here covering 9,320 acres, the largest Pershing Wildlife Area (8,729 acres in the county). Deer here are counted by deer management unit: DMU 114 (2,131 deer in 2025), DMU Taylor (2,710 deer in 2025), DMU 110 (3,544 deer in 2025) and DMU 119 (2,516 deer in 2025).
Data updated October 2026. Land: PAD-US 4.1. DNR properties and Voluntary Public Access land: the DNR's map layers, read 2026-10. Harvest: DNR Deer Metrics.
State wildlife areas, forests and other DNR landCounty forestNational forestOther county, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landVoluntary Public Access landTaylor CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 630,222 acres (985 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Public land | 24% (151,330 acres) |
| Properties | 7 (9,320 acres) |
| Voluntary Public Access land | None mapped this year |
| Deer management units | DMU 114, DMU Taylor, DMU 110, DMU 119, DMU 115 |
| Towns | Medford, Gilman, Rib Lake, Lublin, Sheldon and Dorchester |
How much public hunting land is in Taylor County?
151,330 of the county's 630,222 acres are public land open to the public (24%). 151,120 acres of that are state wildlife, state forest or federal land, where hunting is the rule rather than the exception.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Taylor County |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 124,036 | 19.7% |
| County forest | 17,734 | 2.8% |
| State wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land | 9,350 | 1.5% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 132 | under 0.1% |
| Other county, city and regional land | 78 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 151,330 | 24% |
Measured by FilledTag inside the county line from USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). 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.
The largest public areas in Taylor County by PAD-US, besides the properties: Chequamegon National Forest (124,047 acres), Taylor County Forest (17,725 acres) and Natural Area (201 acres).
Which DNR properties are in Taylor County?
7, largest first.
| Property | Acres in the county | DNR lists for hunting |
|---|---|---|
| Pershing Wildlife Area | 8,729 | ruffed grouse |
| Diamond Lake State Natural Area | 250 | |
| Rib River Fishery Area | 231 | |
| Tomahawk Timberlands Conservation Easement (New Wood Trct) | 60 | |
| Black River Public Access | 26 | |
| Marimor State Ice Age Trail Area | 17 | |
| Medford Ranger Station | 7 |
How many deer are taken in Taylor County?
Since the DNR redrew its northern and central forest units in 2025, Taylor County is split among 5 deer management units that do not follow the county line, so there is no county total. The DNR has one year of numbers for the redrawn units so far. Each figure is for the whole unit.
| DMU | Share of the county | Deer harvested in the whole DMU | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| DMU 114 | 44.4% | 2,131 | 2025 |
| DMU Taylor | 27.3% | 2,710 | 2025 |
| DMU 110 | 10.2% | 3,544 | 2025 |
| DMU 119 | 9.5% | 2,516 | 2025 |
| DMU 115 | 8.6% | 3,013 | 2025 |
Harvest: Wisconsin DNR Deer Metrics (registered harvest by deer management unit). Share of the county measured by FilledTag from the DNR's deer management units and the Census county line.
How do you get around Taylor County?
Highways: WI 64 (about 48 miles in the county), WI 73 (about 27 miles in the county), WI 13 (about 25 miles in the county) and WI 102 (about 12 miles in the county). Towns: Medford, Gilman, Rib Lake, Lublin, Stetsonville, Westboro, Whittlesey and Chelsea.
Questions hunters ask
How much public hunting land is in Taylor County, Wisconsin?
151,330 acres, 24% of the county, are public land open to the public by PAD-US 4.1; the largest share is national forest (124,036 acres).
What is the largest DNR property in Taylor County?
Pershing Wildlife Area, with 8,729 acres inside the county.
Which deer management units cover Taylor County?
DMU 114 (44.4%), DMU Taylor (27.3%), DMU 110 (10.2%), DMU 119 (9.5%) and DMU 115 (8.6%).
Does Taylor County have VPA land?
Not on the DNR's 2026 lease map.
Get a Wisconsin hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for Wisconsin are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Wisconsin included.
Where these numbers come from
- 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.
- Deer harvest: Wisconsin DNR Deer Metrics (registered harvest by deer management unit).
- County line: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 cartographic county boundaries. Highways and towns: U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 primary and secondary roads.
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.
Wisconsin hunting Rusk County Clark County Price County Lincoln County Chippewa County