Waukesha County, Wisconsin: deer harvest and public hunting land
Waukesha County is its own deer management unit, 581 square miles around New Berlin. Hunters registered 3,320 deer here in 2025, 1,649 of them bucks, by the DNR's Deer Metrics. That is up 10% from 2024, and the most in the 66 years shown. 7.9% of Waukesha County is public land open to the public, the largest share state wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land (20,902 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 forestState parksOther county, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landVoluntary Public Access landWaukesha CountyNeighboring deer management unitsLakeHighway
| Counties | Waukesha County |
|---|---|
| Size | 371,525 acres (581 square miles) |
| Deer registered, 2025 | 3,320 (1,649 bucks, 1,671 antlerless) |
| Yearly average, 2016 to 2025 | 2,678 deer |
| Public land | 7.9% (29,189 acres) |
| Properties | 17 (20,580 acres inside Waukesha County) |
| Voluntary Public Access land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | New Berlin, Menomonee Falls, Muskego, Hales Corners, Wauwatosa and West Allis |
How many deer are harvested in Waukesha County?
The DNR registered 3,320 deer in Waukesha County in 2025: 1,649 bucks and 1,671 antlerless deer, 50% of the harvest antlerless. Over the 10 years shown, the harvest averaged 2,678 deer a year; the most bucks were registered in 2025 (1,649).
| Year | Deer registered | Bucks | Antlerless | Antlerless share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3,320 | 1,649 | 1,671 | 50% |
| 2024 | 3,021 | 1,504 | 1,517 | 50% |
| 2023 | 2,888 | 1,450 | 1,438 | 50% |
| 2022 | 2,819 | 1,341 | 1,478 | 52% |
| 2021 | 2,728 | 1,306 | 1,422 | 52% |
| 2020 | 2,824 | 1,354 | 1,470 | 52% |
| 2019 | 2,525 | 1,258 | 1,267 | 50% |
| 2018 | 2,302 | 1,146 | 1,156 | 50% |
| 2017 | 2,140 | 1,065 | 1,075 | 50% |
| 2016 | 2,211 | 1,043 | 1,168 | 53% |
Source: Wisconsin DNR Deer Metrics, harvest history for Waukesha 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 Waukesha County?
29,189 of Waukesha County's 371,525 acres are public land open to the public (7.9%). The biggest share is state wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land: 20,902 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Waukesha County |
|---|---|---|
| State wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land | 20,902 | 5.6% |
| Other county, city and regional land | 7,654 | 2.1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 601 | 0.2% |
| State parks | 24 | under 0.1% |
| Other federal land | 8 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 29,189 | 7.9% |
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 Waukesha County
DNR properties in Waukesha County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Kettle Moraine State Forest-Southern Unit: 10,860 acres
- Vernon Wildlife Area: 4,355 acres
- Paradise Valley Wildlife Area: 1,469 acres
- Kettle Moraine State Forest-Lapham Peak Unit: 1,090 acres
- Big Muskego Lake Wildlife Area: 988 acres
- Kettle Moraine State Forest-Mukwonago River Unit: 581 acres
- Glacial Drumlin State Trail: 244 acres
- Lulu Lake Lulu Natural Area: 243 acres
- Oconomowoc State Habitat Area: 240 acres
- Mukwonago River SHA: 150 acres
- Ottawa SIATA: 108 acres
- Delafield State Habitat Area: 104 acres
- Genesee Oak Opening And Fen State Natural Area: 50 acres
- Pebble Brook State Habitat Area: 35 acres
- Allen Valley SIATA: 25 acres
- Nemahbin Lake State Public Access: 25 acres
- Kettle Moraine Railroad SIATA: 13 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Menomonee Park (461 acres), Nashotah Park (418 acres), Retzer Nature Center (408 acres), Mitchell Park (358 acres), Fox River Park (289 acres), Extensive Wl Habitat - Public Hunting Ground (273 acres), Pewaukee River Parkway (256 acres) and Fox Brook Park (222 acres).
How do you get to Waukesha County?
Highways through it: WI 164 (about 51 miles inside), I-94 (about 49 miles inside), WI 59 (about 42 miles inside), WI 16 (about 42 miles inside) and WI 67 (about 35 miles inside). Towns inside: New Berlin, Menomonee Falls, Muskego, Vernon, Brookfield and Lisbon. Nearby: Hales Corners (on the line), Wauwatosa (2 miles), West Allis (2 miles) and Sullivan (3 miles).
Which deer management units border Waukesha County?
Waukesha County touches 7 other deer management units. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| DMU | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | Voluntary Public Access land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dodge County | 5,477 | 2025 | 8.5% | 3 |
| Racine County | 768 | 2025 | 3.3% | 1 |
| Ozaukee County | 1,284 | 2025 | 5.4% | |
| Walworth County | 2,132 | 2025 | 5.2% | 1 |
| Jefferson County | 3,843 | 2025 | 6.7% | 4 |
| Milwaukee County | 206 | 2025 | 11.6% | |
| Washington County | 3,731 | 2025 | 5.7% | 7 |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Waukesha County in 2025?
3,320 deer were registered: 1,649 bucks and 1,671 antlerless deer (DNR Deer Metrics). In 2024: 3,021.
Is there public hunting land in Waukesha County?
Yes. 29,189 acres, 7.9% 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 (20,902 acres). The DNR's map shows 17 DNR properties open to hunting here.
Does Waukesha 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.
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