Vernon County, Wisconsin: deer harvest and public hunting land
Vernon County is its own deer management unit, 816 square miles around Viroqua. Hunters registered 9,561 deer here in 2025, 3,877 of them bucks, by the DNR's Deer Metrics. That is up 6% from 2024. 2.8% of Vernon County is public land open to the public, the largest share national wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas (6,930 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 areasState parksOther county, city and regional landVoluntary Public Access landVernon CountyNeighboring deer management unitsLakeHighway
| Counties | Vernon County |
|---|---|
| Size | 522,530 acres (816 square miles) |
| Deer registered, 2025 | 9,561 (3,877 bucks, 5,684 antlerless) |
| Yearly average, 2016 to 2025 | 8,371 deer |
| Public land | 2.8% (14,824 acres) |
| Properties | 9 (5,919 acres inside Vernon County) |
| Voluntary Public Access land | 3 sites, 1,122 acres |
| Towns in and near it | Viroqua, Westby, Readstown, Cashton, Yuba and Soldiers Grove |
How many deer are harvested in Vernon County?
The DNR registered 9,561 deer in Vernon County in 2025: 3,877 bucks and 5,684 antlerless deer, 59% of the harvest antlerless. Over the 10 years shown, the harvest averaged 8,371 deer a year; the most bucks were registered in 2025 (3,877).
| Year | Deer registered | Bucks | Antlerless | Antlerless share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 9,561 | 3,877 | 5,684 | 59% |
| 2024 | 9,000 | 3,746 | 5,254 | 58% |
| 2023 | 8,787 | 3,768 | 5,019 | 57% |
| 2022 | 8,833 | 3,643 | 5,190 | 59% |
| 2021 | 7,875 | 3,464 | 4,411 | 56% |
| 2020 | 8,860 | 3,780 | 5,080 | 57% |
| 2019 | 7,451 | 3,192 | 4,259 | 57% |
| 2018 | 8,678 | 3,570 | 5,108 | 59% |
| 2017 | 6,948 | 3,066 | 3,882 | 56% |
| 2016 | 7,713 | 3,328 | 4,385 | 57% |
Source: Wisconsin DNR Deer Metrics, harvest history for Vernon 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 Vernon County?
14,824 of Vernon County's 522,530 acres are public land open to the public (2.8%). The biggest share is national wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas: 6,930 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Vernon County |
|---|---|---|
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 6,930 | 1.3% |
| State wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land | 6,799 | 1.3% |
| County forest | 983 | 0.2% |
| State parks | 58 | under 0.1% |
| Other county, city and regional land | 46 | under 0.1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 8 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 14,824 | 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 Vernon County
DNR properties in Vernon County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Wildcat Mountain State Park: 3,706 acres
- La Crosse Area Comprehensive Fishery Area: 960 acres
- Coon Creek Fishery Area: 715 acres
- Battle Bluff Prairie State Natural Area: 344 acres
- Romance Prairie State Natural Area: 77 acres
- Champion Valley Timber Demo Forest: 53 acres
- Bergen Bluffs State Natural Area: 32 acres
- Hillsboro State Trail: 24 acres
- Rush Creek Streambank Protection Area: 8 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife And Fish Refuge (6,936 acres), Vernon County Forest (983 acres) and Natural Area (441 acres).
Voluntary Public Access land in Vernon County
The DNR's 2026 lease map shows 3 properties in Vernon County, 1,122 acres of private land open to the public; all of them are spring-turkey-only Turkey Hunter Access land. No landowner permission is needed. DNR VPA program.
How do you get to Vernon County?
Highways through it: WI 82 (about 61 miles inside), US 14 (about 37 miles inside), WI 56 (about 33 miles inside), US 61 (about 33 miles inside) and WI 131 (about 25 miles inside). Towns inside: Viroqua, Westby, Readstown, Hillsboro, De Soto and Coon Valley. Nearby: Cashton (on the line), Yuba (on the line), Soldiers Grove (2 miles) and Elroy (2 miles).
Which deer management units border Vernon County?
Vernon County touches 6 other deer management units. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| DMU | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | Voluntary Public Access land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sauk County | 6,025 | 2025 | 7.9% | 1 |
| DMU Juneau | 4,295 | 2025 | 5.3% | 2 |
| DMU Monroe | 8,137 | 2025 | 2.2% | |
| Crawford County | 5,420 | 2025 | 9.5% | 2 |
| Richland County | 4,744 | 2025 | 3.3% | 9 |
| La Crosse County | 4,515 | 2025 | 8.1% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Vernon County in 2025?
9,561 deer were registered: 3,877 bucks and 5,684 antlerless deer (DNR Deer Metrics). In 2024: 9,000.
Is there public hunting land in Vernon County?
Yes. 14,824 acres, 2.8% of the unit, are public land open to the public by PAD-US 4.1, the largest share national wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas (6,930 acres). The DNR's map shows 9 DNR properties open to hunting here.
Does Vernon County have VPA land?
Yes. The DNR's 2026 lease map shows 3 properties, 1,122 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.
Wisconsin hunting Sauk County Crawford County Richland County La Crosse County