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Dane County · Wildlife area
Hunting at Badfish Creek Wildlife Area
Badfish Creek Wildlife Area, 1,154 acres in Dane County: whitetails, wild turkeys, ducks and geese and pheasants, zones and tags, property rules, county harvest and the land nearby.
Photo: edenpictures (CC BY 2.0)
Getting to Badfish Creek Wildlife Area
Parking, trailheads and gates near Badfish Creek Wildlife Area
- Parking areaParking · 0.8 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.9 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.9 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.9 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.9 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 1.2 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.6 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.0 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.0 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.4 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.6 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.7 mi from the centreDirections
Parking, trailhead and gate locations come from OpenStreetMap contributors. Roads into public land can be gated or seasonal; check with the managing agency before you go.
Badfish Creek Wildlife Area on one card
Hunters reach Badfish Creek Wildlife Area in Dane County; it is a DNR state wildlife area. This is south-central Wisconsin, in the DNR South Central Region. Day-to-day it is in the hands of the Wisconsin DNR. Measured at 1,154 acres, it comes in 114th of 285 state wildlife areas. Oregon is the nearest town with a guide on this site, about 7 miles away; the land lies southeast of it. Below are the 1 units it contains.
From the source page (WI DNR Managed Lands GIS ACRES field, sum of parcels open to hunting); region from the DNR county layer. Checked October 19, 2026.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around Badfish Creek Wildlife Area
Zones that take in Badfish Creek Wildlife Area
Badfish Creek Wildlife Area is Southern Farmland deer country, unit Dane. Antlerless quota, 2026: 5,200. The Zone F bear quota for 2026 is 50, spread over 764 drawn permits. Zone 2 turkey numbers for 2025: 51,056 spring tags, 22% success. Wild deer with CWD have been confirmed in Dane County. Leave the corn at home; Dane County bans deer baiting.
Antlerless tags near Badfish Creek Wildlife Area
| Unit | Zone | Quota 2026 | Bonus, public | Bonus, private | Farmland tags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dane | Southern Farmland | 5,200 | 700 | 2,500 | 2 |
Badfish Creek Wildlife Area: other game zones
| Zone | Detail | Numbers | More | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bear zone F | No hounds | 50 target, 764 permits | 1 point | 27 bears in 2025 |
| Turkey 2 | 51,056 spring tags (2025) | 22% success | 11,024 gobblers | 2,500 fall bonus |
| Ruffed grouse B | Oct 17–Dec 8 | 2 a day | ||
| Duck zone | Southern | Oct 3–Oct 11 Oct 17–Dec 6 | ||
| Canada goose | Southern | Sep 16–Oct 11 Oct 17–Dec 6 Dec 19–Jan 2 | ||
| Wolf 6 | No harvest | Federal listing |
Zones from the DNR zone layers as recorded in lands.json; quotas and bonus tags from the 2026 antlerless quota table; bear figures from the 2026 bear drawing summary and 2025 bear harvest; turkey from the 2025 spring turkey report; CWD and baiting lists from the DNR. Checked October 19, 2026.
How the DNR describes Badfish Creek Wildlife Area
The managing agency's own text.
Badfish Creek Wildlife Area is located in Dane County, about 3 miles southwest of Stoughton and 3 miles southeast of Oregon. This property currently consists of 1,147 acres of state-owned land and 287 acres of leased land. This property can be reached from Madison by taking Highway 14 south, going east on Highway A and passing the Anthony Branch Fisheries and Wildlife Area, then taking your first right on Oak Ridge Road to continue to follow the boundary of the fisheries area.
This road dead-ends at Old Stone Road. Take Old Stone Road until you get to Badfish Creek Wildlife Area. The property is mainly wetland, although there are smaller areas of grassland and hardwood forest. The property is bisected by Badfish Creek, and several agricultural ditches can make access challenging. However, a pedestrian bridge across Badfish Creek allows access to either side of the creek. There is a Class II dog training area on the northeast side of the property.
Hunting notes printed for Badfish Creek Wildlife Area
- Hunting (especially noted for waterfowl, deer, turkey and stocked pheasant)
Quoted from the property page, retrieved 2026-10-19; checked October 19, 2026.
What Badfish Creek Wildlife Area requires of hunters
Badfish Creek Wildlife Area access terms
Public hunting and trapping run on the statewide calendar; refuges and closed areas are posted, and the NR 45 code covers everything else.
- It is one of the properties with dog training.
The rule book on Badfish Creek Wildlife Area
Half of your outer clothing above the waist, and half of your hat, must be blaze orange or pink whenever a firearm deer season is open (waterfowl hunters excepted). Ground blinds need a 144-square-inch orange or pink patch in gun deer seasons on DNR ground. Stands may not damage trees. North of Hwy. 64 they can stay overnight Sept. 1, 2026 to Jan. 31, 2027 (two per hunter per county); south of Hwy. 64 they come down daily. Deer and turkeys go into GameReg online or by phone by 5 p.m. the next day.
Go Wild shopping list for Badfish Creek Wildlife Area
A gun deer or archery license comes with a buck authorization; antlerless deer on this land need a public-access authorization.
Stocked birds and dove fields, Badfish Creek Wildlife Area
1,040 pheasants are on the 2026 stocking plan, for 1,980 acres of fields.
Access from the source page; closures from the DNR closed and restricted areas layer; stocking and dove fields from the DNR upland bird layers; rules from the Fall 2026-Spring 2027 regulations; prices from Go Wild. Checked October 19, 2026.
The parts of Badfish Creek Wildlife Area
1 units sit inside Badfish Creek Wildlife Area, 101 acres in total.
| Name | Kind | Counties | Acres | Species |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Badfish Creek Wet Prairie and Spring Seeps | State natural area | Dane | 101 | — |
What hunters pursue at Badfish Creek Wildlife Area
Species the agency lists here: whitetails, wild turkeys, ducks and geese, pheasants and raccoons, foxes and coyotes.
White-tailed deer
Wild turkey
Ducks and geese
Pheasant
Furbearers
Unlisted species follow the Dane County dates below, subject to the property rules.
Species from the property record (species named by the source); bag limits from the DNR regulations. Checked October 19, 2026.
Badfish Creek Wildlife Area: opening and closing days
From bear baiting in September to the last spring turkey period, 42 season segments apply to Badfish Creek Wildlife Area.
| Species | Hunt type | Zone or unit | Opening | Closing | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White-tailed deer | Archery and crossbow | Statewide | Sep 12, 2026 | Jan 3, 2027 | |
| White-tailed deer | Youth/disabled gun hunt | Statewide | Oct 10, 2026 | Oct 11, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Gun deer (9-day) | Statewide | Nov 21, 2026 | Nov 29, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Metro sub-unit gun | Metro sub-unit: Madison | Nov 21, 2026 | Dec 9, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Muzzleloader | Statewide | Nov 30, 2026 | Dec 9, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | December antlerless hunt | Statewide | Dec 10, 2026 | Dec 13, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Antlerless-only Holiday Hunt | Holiday Hunt: Dane | Dec 24, 2026 | Jan 1, 2027 | |
| White-tailed deer | Extended archery and crossbow | Extended archery | Jan 4, 2027 | Jan 31, 2027 | |
| Black bear | Bear, Class A draw | Bear Zone F/E | Sep 9, 2026 | Oct 13, 2026 | |
| Wild turkey | Fall turkey | Turkey Zone 1/2 | Sep 12, 2026 | Jan 3, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring youth turkey hunt | Turkey Zone 1/2 | Apr 17, 2027 | Apr 18, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period A | Turkey Zone 1/2 | Apr 21, 2027 | Apr 27, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period B | Turkey Zone 1/2 | Apr 28, 2027 | May 4, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period C | Turkey Zone 1/2 | May 5, 2027 | May 11, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period D | Turkey Zone 1/2 | May 12, 2027 | May 18, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period E | Turkey Zone 1/2 | May 19, 2027 | May 25, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period F | Turkey Zone 1/2 | May 26, 2027 | Jun 1, 2027 | |
| Ruffed Grouse | Ruffed grouse | Grouse Zone B | Oct 17, 2026 | Dec 8, 2026 | |
| Pheasant | Pheasant | Statewide | Oct 17, 2026 | Jan 3, 2027 | |
| Bobwhite Quail | Bobwhite quail | Statewide | Oct 17, 2026 | Dec 9, 2026 | |
| Hungarian partridge | Hungarian partridge | Statewide | Oct 17, 2026 | Jan 3, 2027 | |
| Squirrel | Squirrel | Statewide | Sep 12, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Cottontail | Cottontail rabbit | Southern cottontail zone | Oct 17, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Snowshoe Hare | Snowshoe hare | Statewide | Year-round | Year-round | Year-round |
| American Crow | Crow | Statewide | Nov 21, 2026 | Mar 24, 2027 | |
| Ducks | Youth waterfowl hunt | Statewide | Sep 19, 2026 | Sep 20, 2026 | |
| Ducks | Regular duck (split 1) | Southern Duck Zone | Oct 3, 2026 | Oct 11, 2026 | |
| Ducks | Regular duck (split 2) | Southern Duck Zone | Oct 17, 2026 | Dec 6, 2026 | |
| Teal | Early teal | Statewide | Sep 1, 2026 | Sep 9, 2026 | |
| Geese | Regular goose (split 1) | Southern Goose Zone | Sep 16, 2026 | Oct 11, 2026 | |
| Geese | Regular goose (split 2) | Southern Goose Zone | Oct 17, 2026 | Dec 6, 2026 | |
| Geese | Regular goose (holiday split) | Southern Goose Zone | Dec 19, 2026 | Jan 2, 2027 | |
| Canada goose | Early Canada goose | Statewide | Sep 1, 2026 | Sep 15, 2026 | |
| Raccoon | Raccoon (resident) | Statewide | Oct 17, 2026 | Feb 15, 2027 | |
| Raccoon | Raccoon (nonresident) | Statewide | Oct 31, 2026 | Feb 15, 2027 | |
| Red and gray fox | Fox (red and gray) | Statewide | Oct 17, 2026 | Feb 15, 2027 | |
| Coyote | Coyote (hunting) | Statewide | Year-round | Year-round | Year-round |
| Bobcat | Bobcat, Period 1 | North of Hwy. 64 | Oct 17, 2026 | Dec 25, 2026 | |
| Bobcat | Bobcat, Period 1 | South of Hwy. 64 | Oct 17, 2026 | Dec 25, 2026 | |
| Bobcat | Bobcat, Period 2 | North of Hwy. 64 | Dec 26, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | |
| Bobcat | Bobcat, Period 2 | South of Hwy. 64 | Dec 26, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | |
| Unprotected species | Unprotected species | Statewide | Year-round | Year-round | Year-round |
From the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Fall 2026-Spring 2027 hunting regulations and season dates, checked October 19, 2026.
Dane County harvest near Badfish Creek Wildlife Area
Deer registered in the Dane County unit, 2025: 4,438. The decade peaked at 4,948 in 2020 and bottomed at 3,630 in 2017. Through Oct. 19, 2026: 80 antlered and 174 antlerless in Dane (preliminary). CWD year 2025 brought 1,002 Dane County samples and 193 positives. Running total since 1999: 36,578 tested. No harvest is published for Badfish Creek Wildlife Area itself, so the county unit is the finest level.
Registered deer in the Badfish Creek Wildlife Area county unit
| Year | Antlered | Antlerless | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,247 | 2,191 | 4,438 |
| 2024 | 2,084 | 2,319 | 4,403 |
| 2023 | 2,328 | 2,133 | 4,461 |
| 2022 | 2,170 | 2,303 | 4,473 |
| 2021 | 1,936 | 2,011 | 3,947 |
| 2020 | 2,421 | 2,527 | 4,948 |
CWD tests in Dane County
| CWD year | Wild deer sampled | Positive |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (partial) | 64 | 13 |
| 2025 | 1,002 | 193 |
| 2024 | 964 | 166 |
| 2023 | 941 | 171 |
| 2022 | 1,016 | 198 |
| 2021 | 971 | 158 |
Deer from DNR Deer Metrics harvest history and the 2026 harvest to date; CWD from the DNR CWD summary; bears from the DNR bear harvest reports. Checked October 19, 2026.
Around Badfish Creek Wildlife Area: more places to hunt
The big marker is Badfish Creek Wildlife Area. Smaller ones are its 10 closest neighbours. The neighbours add 3,391 acres between them.
| Nearby | Kind | Acres | Miles | Heading |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grass Lake | WPA | 53 | 1.9 mi | northeast |
| Lund | WPA | 175 | 2.3 mi | southwest |
| Sime | WPA | 79 | 2.5 mi | north |
| Harvey's Marsh | WPA | 681 | 3.0 mi | southwest |
| Anthony Branch (Remnant) | Fishery area | 2 | 3.0 mi | northwest |
| Anthony Branch Fisheries and | Habitat area | 684 | 3.6 mi | west |
| Island Lake | WPA | 245 | 4.3 mi | north |
| Gadwall Swamp | WPA | 71 | 4.9 mi | north |
| Hook Lake Bog Grass Lake | Wildlife area | 874 | 5.9 mi | northwest |
| Hook Lake Bog | State natural area | 527 | 6.3 mi | northwest |
Points from the DNR managed lands, SNA, county forest, FWS realty, USFS, NPS and DoD layers (WI DNR Managed Lands GIS (polygon centroid of hunting-open parcels) (polygon centroid)). Straight-line distances. Statewide public land map.
Badfish Creek Wildlife Area: nearby towns and businesses
Town pages first, then shops, processors and DNR desks.
| Base town | County | Away | Residents | Public acres near |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon | Dane | 7.3 mi | 11,895 | 10,083 |
| Belleville | Dane | 14 mi | 2,635 | 7,306 |
| Deerfield | Dane | 16 mi | 2,647 | 6,488 |
| Orfordville | Rock | 17 mi | 1,598 | 5,722 |
County-level hunting pages: Dane County.
Shops a short drive from Badfish Creek Wildlife Area
DNR desks closest to Badfish Creek Wildlife Area
Service center for Dane County business: DNR Fitchburg Service Center.
Towns and populations from the Census 2024 estimates; public acres within 10 miles from the land layers; businesses from store locators and listings (license-only agents left out); offices from DNR, USFS and USFWS pages. Checked October 19, 2026. Call ahead.
Badfish Creek Wildlife Area: nearest ranges
About 10 miles separates Badfish Creek Wildlife Area from Hope Rod & Gun Club, the nearest public map range. Nearby rod and gun clubs round out the list.
handgun, trap, shotgun, skeet, smallbore rimfire on file
trap, skeet, handgun, smallbore rimfire, archery on file
trap, skeet, sporting clays, 5-stand, archery on file
From the DNR public range map and its map layer, checked October 19, 2026.
Shooting light at Badfish Creek Wildlife Area by date
At Badfish Creek Wildlife Area the offset is 8 minutes (Zone C). The times below already include it for both DNR shooting-hours areas.
| Day | Season | North table | South table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 12, 2026 | Bow, turkey, grouse opener | 6:03 a.m. to 7:35 p.m. | 6:05 a.m. to 7:34 p.m. |
| Oct 17, 2026 | Pheasant and duck dates | 6:47 a.m. to 6:29 p.m. | 6:46 a.m. to 6:32 p.m. |
| Nov 1, 2026 | Early November | 6:08 a.m. to 5:05 p.m. | 6:05 a.m. to 5:09 p.m. |
| Nov 21, 2026 | Gun deer opener | 6:36 a.m. to 4:42 p.m. | 6:31 a.m. to 4:48 p.m. |
| Dec 1, 2026 | Muzzleloader week | 6:48 a.m. to 4:36 p.m. | 6:43 a.m. to 4:43 p.m. |
| Dec 24, 2026 | Holiday Hunt opener | 7:07 a.m. to 4:38 p.m. | 7:01 a.m. to 4:46 p.m. |
| Jan 3, 2027 | Archery close (most units) | 7:09 a.m. to 4:47 p.m. | 7:03 a.m. to 4:54 p.m. |
Deer, bear, elk, small game and fall turkey table times from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources shooting hours tables, plus the Zone C offset of 8 minutes for longitude 89.27 W, checked October 19, 2026. Shooting hours for every county.
What people ask about hunting Badfish Creek Wildlife Area
Is deer baiting legal near Badfish Creek Wildlife Area?
No: Dane County bans deer baiting and feeding. Wild deer with CWD are documented in Dane County.
What are the waterfowl zones for Badfish Creek Wildlife Area?
It sits in the Southern duck and Southern goose zones. In the Southern Zone the regular duck split begins Oct 3.
How do I register a deer from Badfish Creek Wildlife Area?
Through GameReg (online, phone or a station) by 5 p.m. the day after recovery.
Do I need blaze orange at Badfish Creek Wildlife Area?
In any open firearm deer season, wear blaze orange or pink on at least half your coat and cap.
If Badfish Creek Wildlife Area is full, where next?
Within a short drive: Grass Lake Waterfowl Production Area (2 miles), Lund Waterfowl Production Area (2 miles) and Sime Waterfowl Production Area (3 miles).
Which Wisconsin license covers Badfish Creek Wildlife Area?
Go Wild sells everything needed; antlerless tags on public land must be public-access tags.
Which agency sets the rules on Badfish Creek Wildlife Area?
The Wisconsin DNR treats it as a DNR state wildlife area.
What is inside Badfish Creek Wildlife Area?
1 part, each linked above.
Where do Badfish Creek Wildlife Area hunters spend the night?
Start from Oregon; the land is 7 miles off, in Dane County.
What acreage is listed for Badfish Creek Wildlife Area?
Roughly 1,154 acres.
Which DMU takes in Badfish Creek Wildlife Area?
Deer unit Dane; zone Southern Farmland. The 2026 antlerless quota is 5,200 (Dane); use a public-access antlerless tag here.
Which species are hunted on Badfish Creek Wildlife Area?
Listed: whitetails, wild turkeys, ducks and geese, pheasants and raccoons, foxes and coyotes.
Which turkey zone is Badfish Creek Wildlife Area in?
Zone 2, one bird per spring authorization.
Check Badfish Creek Wildlife Area once more
Refuges, closed areas and park windows at Badfish Creek Wildlife Area can shift mid-season; the property page and the DNR map have the current picture.
Sources for this page: DNR: badfish · DNR GIS · DNR: alpha · DNR GIS; regulations from the Fall 2026-Spring 2027 Wisconsin hunting regulations. Checked October 19, 2026.
Other photos on this page: USFWS/Southeast (Public domain); USFWS Headquarters (CC BY 2.0).