Waushara County, Wisconsin: deer harvest and public hunting land
Waushara County is its own deer management unit, 637 square miles around Wautoma. Hunters registered 8,678 deer here in 2025, 3,865 of them bucks, by the DNR's Deer Metrics. That is up 6% from 2024. 4.9% of Waushara County is public land open to the public, the largest share state wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land (19,724 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 landWaushara CountyNeighboring deer management unitsLakeHighway
| Counties | Waushara County |
|---|---|
| Size | 407,846 acres (637 square miles) |
| Deer registered, 2025 | 8,678 (3,865 bucks, 4,813 antlerless) |
| Yearly average, 2016 to 2025 | 6,676 deer |
| Public land | 4.9% (20,066 acres) |
| Properties | 17 (19,331 acres inside Waushara County) |
| Voluntary Public Access land | 1 site, 62 acres |
| Towns in and near it | Wautoma, Redgranite, Plainfield, Berlin, Almond and Neshkoro |
How many deer are harvested in Waushara County?
The DNR registered 8,678 deer in Waushara County in 2025: 3,865 bucks and 4,813 antlerless deer, 55% of the harvest antlerless. Over the 10 years shown, the harvest averaged 6,676 deer a year; the most bucks were registered in 2024 (3,975).
| Year | Deer registered | Bucks | Antlerless | Antlerless share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 8,678 | 3,865 | 4,813 | 55% |
| 2024 | 8,191 | 3,975 | 4,216 | 51% |
| 2023 | 6,404 | 3,184 | 3,220 | 50% |
| 2022 | 7,150 | 3,225 | 3,925 | 55% |
| 2021 | 6,469 | 3,084 | 3,385 | 52% |
| 2020 | 7,112 | 3,083 | 4,029 | 57% |
| 2019 | 5,446 | 2,507 | 2,939 | 54% |
| 2018 | 6,291 | 2,832 | 3,459 | 55% |
| 2017 | 5,395 | 2,362 | 3,033 | 56% |
| 2016 | 5,627 | 2,668 | 2,959 | 53% |
Source: Wisconsin DNR Deer Metrics, harvest history for Waushara 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 Waushara County?
20,066 of Waushara County's 407,846 acres are public land open to the public (4.9%). The biggest share is state wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land: 19,724 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Waushara County |
|---|---|---|
| State wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land | 19,724 | 4.8% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 268 | 0.1% |
| Other county, city and regional land | 55 | under 0.1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 18 | under 0.1% |
| State parks | 1 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 20,066 | 4.9% |
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 Waushara County
DNR properties in Waushara County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Mecan River Fishery Area: 3,653 acres
- Poygan Marsh Wildlife Area: 3,573 acres
- White River Fishery Area-Waushara: 3,501 acres
- Willow Creek Fishery Area: 2,225 acres
- Pine River System Fishery Area: 2,085 acres
- Greenwood Wildlife Area: 1,442 acres
- State Ice Age Trail Area (SIATA): 894 acres
- Big Roche A Cri Fishery Area: 495 acres
- Leach Natural Resource Center - Closed To Public: 356 acres
- Plainfield Tunnel Channel Lakes State Natural Area: 288 acres
- Wild Rose Hatchery: 245 acres
- Lunch Creek Wetlands State Natural Area: 214 acres
- Carter Creek State Habitat Area: 200 acres
- Bass Lake Fen State Natural Area: 103 acres
- Karner Blue Meadow State Natural Area: 41 acres
- White River Marsh Wildlife Area: 9 acres
- Wautoma Station: 7 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Ice Age Trail - Lm (878 acres), Natural Area (381 acres) and Waushara County Waterfowl Production Area (268 acres).
Voluntary Public Access land in Waushara County
The DNR's 2026 lease map shows 1 property in Waushara County, 62 acres of private land open to the public. No landowner permission is needed. DNR VPA program.
How do you get to Waushara County?
Highways through it: WI 21 (about 40 miles inside), US 51 (about 38 miles inside), I-39 (about 38 miles inside), WI 73 (about 29 miles inside) and WI 49 (about 21 miles inside). Towns inside: Wautoma, Redgranite, Plainfield, Coloma, Wild Rose and Lohrville. Nearby: Berlin (on the line), Almond (on the line), Neshkoro (on the line) and Fremont (on the line).
Which deer management units border Waushara County?
Waushara 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams County | 6,148 | 2025 | 8.1% | |
| Portage County | 8,384 | 2025 | 7.6% | |
| Waupaca County | 10,740 | 2025 | 2.3% | 3 |
| Marquette County | 7,790 | 2025 | 5.1% | 2 |
| Winnebago County | 2,895 | 2025 | 5.1% | 2 |
| Green Lake County | 4,589 | 2025 | 8.3% | 3 |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Waushara County in 2025?
8,678 deer were registered: 3,865 bucks and 4,813 antlerless deer (DNR Deer Metrics). In 2024: 8,191.
Is there public hunting land in Waushara County?
Yes. 20,066 acres, 4.9% 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 (19,724 acres). The DNR's map shows 17 DNR properties open to hunting here.
Does Waushara County have VPA land?
Yes. The DNR's 2026 lease map shows 1 property, 62 acres.
Get a Wisconsin hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for Wisconsin are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Wisconsin included.
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 Adams County Portage County Waupaca County Marquette County Winnebago County Green Lake County