Winnebago County, Wisconsin: deer harvest and public hunting land
Winnebago County is its own deer management unit, 579 square miles around Oshkosh. Hunters registered 2,895 deer here in 2025, 1,485 of them bucks, by the DNR's Deer Metrics. That is up 6% from 2024. 5.1% of Winnebago County is public land open to the public, the largest share state wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land (11,878 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 landWinnebago CountyNeighboring deer management unitsLakeHighway
| Counties | Winnebago County and Calumet County |
|---|---|
| Size | 370,601 acres (579 square miles) |
| Deer registered, 2025 | 2,895 (1,485 bucks, 1,410 antlerless) |
| Yearly average, 2016 to 2025 | 2,191 deer |
| Public land | 5.1% (18,772 acres) |
| Properties | 7 (11,257 acres inside Winnebago County) |
| Voluntary Public Access land | 2 sites, 22 acres |
| Towns in and near it | Oshkosh, Fox Crossing, Neenah, Fremont, Appleton and Greenville |
How many deer are harvested in Winnebago County?
The DNR registered 2,895 deer in Winnebago County in 2025: 1,485 bucks and 1,410 antlerless deer, 49% of the harvest antlerless. Over the 10 years shown, the harvest averaged 2,191 deer a year; the most bucks were registered in 2025 (1,485).
| Year | Deer registered | Bucks | Antlerless | Antlerless share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,895 | 1,485 | 1,410 | 49% |
| 2024 | 2,728 | 1,474 | 1,254 | 46% |
| 2023 | 2,280 | 1,211 | 1,069 | 47% |
| 2022 | 2,053 | 1,078 | 975 | 47% |
| 2021 | 1,824 | 1,007 | 817 | 45% |
| 2020 | 2,071 | 1,052 | 1,019 | 49% |
| 2019 | 1,799 | 874 | 925 | 51% |
| 2018 | 2,098 | 1,086 | 1,012 | 48% |
| 2017 | 1,947 | 1,037 | 910 | 47% |
| 2016 | 2,211 | 1,125 | 1,086 | 49% |
Source: Wisconsin DNR Deer Metrics, harvest history for Winnebago 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 Winnebago County?
18,772 of Winnebago County's 370,601 acres are public land open to the public (5.1%). The biggest share is state wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land: 11,878 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Winnebago County |
|---|---|---|
| State wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land | 11,878 | 3.2% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 2,663 | 0.7% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 2,386 | 0.6% |
| Other county, city and regional land | 1,831 | 0.5% |
| Other federal land | 14 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 18,772 | 5.1% |
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 Winnebago County
DNR properties in Winnebago County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Rat River Wildlife Area: 4,589 acres
- Glacial Habitat Restoration Area: 3,750 acres
- Wolf River Wildlife Area: 1,983 acres
- Lower Wolf River Bottomlands Natural Resource Area: 667 acres
- Deppe Wildlife Area: 201 acres
- Upper Fox River Public Access: 45 acres
- Asylum Bay Rough Fish Station: 22 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Winnebago County Waterfowl Production Area Of Wi (2,660 acres), Winnebago County Waterfowl Production Area (2,426 acres), Glacial Habitat Restoration (2,019 acres) and Sunnyview Expo Center (155 acres).
Voluntary Public Access land in Winnebago County
The DNR's 2026 lease map shows 2 properties in Winnebago County, 22 acres of private land open to the public. No landowner permission is needed. DNR VPA program.
How do you get to Winnebago County?
Highways through it: US 41 (about 52 miles inside), I-41 (about 52 miles inside), US 10 (about 44 miles inside), US 45 (about 42 miles inside) and WI 21 (about 17 miles inside). Towns inside: Oshkosh, Fox Crossing, Neenah, Menasha, Omro and Winneconne. Nearby: Fremont (on the line), Appleton (3 miles), Greenville (3 miles) and Berlin (3 miles).
Which deer management units border Winnebago County?
Winnebago 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calumet County | 1,481 | 2025 | 5.1% | 2 |
| Waupaca County | 10,740 | 2025 | 2.3% | 3 |
| Waushara County | 8,678 | 2025 | 4.9% | 1 |
| Outagamie County | 4,322 | 2025 | 3.5% | 3 |
| Green Lake County | 4,589 | 2025 | 8.3% | 3 |
| Fond du Lac County | 4,642 | 2025 | 6.7% | 5 |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Winnebago County in 2025?
2,895 deer were registered: 1,485 bucks and 1,410 antlerless deer (DNR Deer Metrics). In 2024: 2,728.
Is there public hunting land in Winnebago County?
Yes. 18,772 acres, 5.1% 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 (11,878 acres). The DNR's map shows 7 DNR properties open to hunting here.
Does Winnebago County have VPA land?
Yes. The DNR's 2026 lease map shows 2 properties, 22 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 Calumet County Calumet County Waupaca County Waushara County Outagamie County Green Lake County Fond du Lac County