Trempealeau County, Wisconsin: deer harvest and public hunting land
Trempealeau County is its own deer management unit, 742 square miles around Blair. Hunters registered 7,151 deer here in 2025, 3,004 of them bucks, by the DNR's Deer Metrics. That is up 8% from 2024. 2.7% of Trempealeau County is public land open to the public, the largest share state wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land (7,093 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 landTrempealeau CountyNeighboring deer management unitsLakeHighway
| Counties | Trempealeau County |
|---|---|
| Size | 474,715 acres (742 square miles) |
| Deer registered, 2025 | 7,151 (3,004 bucks, 4,147 antlerless) |
| Yearly average, 2016 to 2025 | 6,817 deer |
| Public land | 2.7% (12,986 acres) |
| Properties | 11 (5,885 acres inside Trempealeau County) |
| Voluntary Public Access land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Blair, Independence, Whitehall, Taylor, Holmen and Fountain City |
How many deer are harvested in Trempealeau County?
The DNR registered 7,151 deer in Trempealeau County in 2025: 3,004 bucks and 4,147 antlerless deer, 58% of the harvest antlerless. Over the 10 years shown, the harvest averaged 6,817 deer a year; the most bucks were registered in 2020 (3,171).
| Year | Deer registered | Bucks | Antlerless | Antlerless share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 7,151 | 3,004 | 4,147 | 58% |
| 2024 | 6,627 | 2,855 | 3,772 | 57% |
| 2023 | 6,360 | 2,714 | 3,646 | 57% |
| 2022 | 7,331 | 2,979 | 4,352 | 59% |
| 2021 | 7,089 | 3,002 | 4,087 | 58% |
| 2020 | 7,432 | 3,171 | 4,261 | 57% |
| 2019 | 6,247 | 2,668 | 3,579 | 57% |
| 2018 | 6,746 | 2,858 | 3,888 | 58% |
| 2017 | 6,307 | 2,968 | 3,339 | 53% |
| 2016 | 6,882 | 3,090 | 3,792 | 55% |
Source: Wisconsin DNR Deer Metrics, harvest history for Trempealeau 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 Trempealeau County?
12,986 of Trempealeau County's 474,715 acres are public land open to the public (2.7%). The biggest share is state wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land: 7,093 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Trempealeau County |
|---|---|---|
| State wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land | 7,093 | 1.5% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 5,069 | 1.1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 643 | 0.1% |
| Other county, city and regional land | 133 | under 0.1% |
| State parks | 45 | under 0.1% |
| Other federal land | 3 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 12,986 | 2.7% |
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 Trempealeau County
DNR properties in Trempealeau County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Borst Valley Wildlife Area: 1,305 acres
- Perrot State Park: 1,262 acres
- Lakes Coulee Wildlife Area: 814 acres
- Chimney Rock Wildlife Area: 628 acres
- Tamarack Creek Wildlife Area: 589 acres
- Buffalo River Fishery Area: 426 acres
- Van Loon Wildlife Area: 300 acres
- Buffalo River State Trail: 238 acres
- Trempealeau Lakes Fishery Area: 169 acres
- Great River State Trail: 98 acres
- Hardies Creek Timber Demo Forest: 56 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge (4,664 acres) and Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife And Fish Refuge (740 acres).
How do you get to Trempealeau County?
Highways through it: WI 93 (about 49 miles inside), WI 54 (about 21 miles inside), WI 95 (about 21 miles inside), US 10 (about 20 miles inside) and WI 121 (about 15 miles inside). Towns inside: Blair, Independence, Whitehall, Arcadia, Osseo and Trempealeau. Nearby: Taylor (2 miles), Holmen (3 miles), Fountain City (5 miles) and Augusta (6 miles).
Which deer management units border Trempealeau County?
Trempealeau County touches 4 other deer management units. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| DMU | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | Voluntary Public Access land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo County | 5,806 | 2025 | 5.6% | |
| DMU Jackson | 4,911 | 2025 | 3.4% | 7 |
| La Crosse County | 4,515 | 2025 | 8.1% | |
| DMU Eau Claire | 3,672 | 2025 | 2.9% | 1 |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Trempealeau County in 2025?
7,151 deer were registered: 3,004 bucks and 4,147 antlerless deer (DNR Deer Metrics). In 2024: 6,627.
Is there public hunting land in Trempealeau County?
Yes. 12,986 acres, 2.7% 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 (7,093 acres). The DNR's map shows 11 DNR properties open to hunting here.
Does Trempealeau County have VPA land?
Not on the DNR's 2026 lease map.
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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.