Walworth County, Wisconsin: deer harvest and public hunting land
Walworth County is its own deer management unit, 577 square miles around Bloomfield. Hunters registered 2,132 deer here in 2025, 1,114 of them bucks, by the DNR's Deer Metrics. That is up 4% from 2024. 5.2% of Walworth County is public land open to the public, the largest share state wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land (16,886 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 landNational wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areasOther county, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landVoluntary Public Access landWalworth CountyNeighboring deer management unitsLakeHighway
| Counties | Walworth County |
|---|---|
| Size | 369,052 acres (577 square miles) |
| Deer registered, 2025 | 2,132 (1,114 bucks, 1,018 antlerless) |
| Yearly average, 2016 to 2025 | 1,625 deer |
| Public land | 5.2% (19,185 acres) |
| Properties | 19 (16,712 acres inside Walworth County) |
| Voluntary Public Access land | 1 site, 148 acres |
| Towns in and near it | Bloomfield, Whitewater, Elkhorn, Mukwonago, Burlington and Palmyra |
How many deer are harvested in Walworth County?
The DNR registered 2,132 deer in Walworth County in 2025: 1,114 bucks and 1,018 antlerless deer, 48% of the harvest antlerless. Over the 10 years shown, the harvest averaged 1,625 deer a year; the most bucks were registered in 2025 (1,114).
| Year | Deer registered | Bucks | Antlerless | Antlerless share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,132 | 1,114 | 1,018 | 48% |
| 2024 | 2,059 | 1,052 | 1,007 | 49% |
| 2023 | 1,881 | 1,030 | 851 | 45% |
| 2022 | 1,740 | 965 | 775 | 45% |
| 2021 | 1,561 | 811 | 750 | 48% |
| 2020 | 1,729 | 884 | 845 | 49% |
| 2019 | 1,391 | 716 | 675 | 49% |
| 2018 | 1,360 | 737 | 623 | 46% |
| 2017 | 1,199 | 639 | 560 | 47% |
| 2016 | 1,201 | 617 | 584 | 49% |
Source: Wisconsin DNR Deer Metrics, harvest history for Walworth 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 Walworth County?
19,185 of Walworth County's 369,052 acres are public land open to the public (5.2%). The biggest share is state wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land: 16,886 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Walworth County |
|---|---|---|
| State wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land | 16,886 | 4.6% |
| Other county, city and regional land | 1,277 | 0.3% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 923 | 0.3% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 85 | under 0.1% |
| State parks | 8 | under 0.1% |
| Other federal land | 6 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 19,185 | 5.2% |
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 Walworth County
DNR properties in Walworth County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Kettle Moraine State Forest-Southern Unit: 7,201 acres
- Turtle Valley Wildlife Area: 2,292 acres
- Lulu Lake Lulu Natural Area: 1,731 acres
- Bloomfield State Habitat Area: 1,265 acres
- Turtle Creek Wildlife Area: 734 acres
- Clover Valley State Habitat Area: 635 acres
- Troy State Habitat Area: 590 acres
- Honey Creek Streambank Protection Area: 414 acres
- Kettle Moraine State Forest-Mukwonago River Unit: 405 acres
- Big Foot Beach State Park: 268 acres
- Honey Creek Wildlife Area: 258 acres
- Como Lake State Habitat Area: 183 acres
- Sharon State Habitat Area: 166 acres
- White River State Trail: 149 acres
- Lyons State Habitat Area: 134 acres
- Peterkin Pond State Habitat Area: 132 acres
- Beulah Bog State Natural Area: 78 acres
- Clover Valley Fen State Natural Area: 66 acres
- Delavan Lake State Habitat Area: 11 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Extensive Wl Habitat - Public Hunting Ground (1,385 acres), Crooked Creek (587 acres), Lulu Lake (542 acres), Pickerel Lake Fen (347 acres) and Kishwauketoe Nature Conservancy (210 acres).
Voluntary Public Access land in Walworth County
The DNR's 2026 lease map shows 1 property in Walworth County, 148 acres of private land open to the public. No landowner permission is needed. DNR VPA program.
How do you get to Walworth County?
Highways through it: I-43 (about 62 miles inside), US 12 (about 58 miles inside), WI 67 (about 36 miles inside), WI 11 (about 31 miles inside) and WI 50 (about 25 miles inside). Towns inside: Bloomfield, Whitewater, Elkhorn, Delavan, Lake Geneva and East Troy. Nearby: Mukwonago (on the line), Burlington (2 miles), Palmyra (3 miles) and Eagle (3 miles).
Which deer management units border Walworth County?
Walworth County touches 5 other deer management units. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| DMU | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | Voluntary Public Access land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rock County | 2,667 | 2025 | 2.9% | 20 |
| Racine County | 768 | 2025 | 3.3% | 1 |
| Kenosha County | 510 | 2025 | 6.1% | |
| Waukesha County | 3,320 | 2025 | 7.9% | |
| Jefferson County | 3,843 | 2025 | 6.7% | 4 |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Walworth County in 2025?
2,132 deer were registered: 1,114 bucks and 1,018 antlerless deer (DNR Deer Metrics). In 2024: 2,059.
Is there public hunting land in Walworth County?
Yes. 19,185 acres, 5.2% 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 (16,886 acres). The DNR's map shows 19 DNR properties open to hunting here.
Does Walworth County have VPA land?
Yes. The DNR's 2026 lease map shows 1 property, 148 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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