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Washington County, Wisconsin: deer harvest and public hunting land

Washington County is its own deer management unit, 436 square miles around Richfield. Hunters registered 3,731 deer here in 2025, 1,656 of them bucks, by the DNR's Deer Metrics. That is up 9% from 2024, and the most in the 66 years shown. 5.7% of Washington County is public land open to the public, the largest share state wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land (13,494 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 Washington County deer management unit: public land by manager, Voluntary Public Access land, the deer management units around it, highways US 41, I-41 and US 45; towns: Richfield, Germantown, West Bend, Menomonee Falls and Lannon

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 landWashington CountyNeighboring deer management unitsLakeHighway

Washington County at a glance
CountiesWashington County
Size278,938 acres (436 square miles)
Deer registered, 20253,731 (1,656 bucks, 2,075 antlerless)
Yearly average, 2016 to 20253,136 deer
Public land5.7% (16,012 acres)
Properties11 (13,068 acres inside Washington County)
Voluntary Public Access land7 sites, 141 acres
Towns in and near itRichfield, Germantown, West Bend, Menomonee Falls, Lannon and Lisbon

How many deer are harvested in Washington County?

The DNR registered 3,731 deer in Washington County in 2025: 1,656 bucks and 2,075 antlerless deer, 56% of the harvest antlerless. Over the 10 years shown, the harvest averaged 3,136 deer a year; the most bucks were registered in 2025 (1,656).

YearDeer registeredBucksAntlerlessAntlerless share
20253,7311,6562,07556%
20243,4271,5631,86454%
20232,9721,4121,56052%
20223,1771,3731,80457%
20212,8401,2471,59356%
20203,4001,3572,04360%
20192,9051,1711,73460%
20183,3241,3242,00060%
20172,7421,2711,47154%
20162,8401,2641,57655%

Source: Wisconsin DNR Deer Metrics, harvest history for Washington 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 Washington County?

16,012 of Washington County's 278,938 acres are public land open to the public (5.7%). The biggest share is state wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land: 13,494 acres.

ManagerAcresShare of Washington County
State wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land13,4944.8%
Other county, city and regional land2,3870.9%
Land trusts and other open land123under 0.1%
State parks6under 0.1%
Other federal land2under 0.1%
All public land open to the public16,0125.7%

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 Washington County

DNR properties in Washington County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:

Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Ice Age Trail - Se (578 acres), Lac Lawrann Conservancy (236 acres), Glacial Blue Hills Recreation Area (215 acres), Fellenz Woods (155 acres), Kilbourne Street Park (145 acres) and Quaas Creek Park (120 acres).

Voluntary Public Access land in Washington County

The DNR's 2026 lease map shows 7 properties in Washington County, 141 acres of private land open to the public. No landowner permission is needed. DNR VPA program.

How do you get to Washington County?

Highways through it: US 41 (about 57 miles inside), I-41 (about 57 miles inside), US 45 (about 50 miles inside), WI 60 (about 25 miles inside) and WI 175 (about 24 miles inside). Towns inside: Richfield, Germantown, West Bend, Hartford, Slinger and Jackson. Nearby: Menomonee Falls (2 miles), Lannon (2 miles), Lisbon (2 miles) and Mequon (2 miles).

Which deer management units border Washington County?

Washington County touches 6 other deer management units. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:

DMUDeer harvestedYearPublic landVoluntary Public Access land sites
Dodge County5,47720258.5%3
Ozaukee County1,28420255.4%
Waukesha County3,32020257.9%
Milwaukee County206202511.6%
Sheboygan County3,56220257.9%5
Fond du Lac County4,64220256.7%5

Questions hunters ask

How many deer were harvested in Washington County in 2025?

3,731 deer were registered: 1,656 bucks and 2,075 antlerless deer (DNR Deer Metrics). In 2024: 3,427.

Is there public hunting land in Washington County?

Yes. 16,012 acres, 5.7% 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 (13,494 acres). The DNR's map shows 11 DNR properties open to hunting here.

Does Washington County have VPA land?

Yes. The DNR's 2026 lease map shows 7 properties, 141 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.

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