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Dekorra Public Hunting Grounds hunting guide
Everything we could verify about Dekorra Public Hunting Grounds: acreage, zones, property rules, harvest around it and nearby ground.
Photo: Mobilus In Mobili (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Getting to Dekorra Public Hunting Grounds
The short version on Dekorra Public Hunting Grounds
In Columbia County you will find Dekorra Public Hunting Grounds, a DNR state wildlife area. On the DNR map it belongs to the South Central Region. The managing body is the Wisconsin DNR. At 226 acres it sits 183rd by area in a field of 285 state wildlife areas. Distances are from the county centre of Columbia County because the DNR lists no point; Wyocena is the town page closest to it.
From the source page (DNR property page (226-acre)); region from the DNR county layer. Checked October 19, 2026.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around Dekorra Public Hunting Grounds
Dekorra Public Hunting Grounds, as the managers tell it
Word for word from the property page.
Dekorra Public Hunting Grounds is a 226-acre property located in Columbia County. Find it 8 miles northwest of Poynette off of Highway V just west of Interstate 90/94. The property consists of approximately 15 acres of wetland, 46 acres of upland and 165 forested acres. This public hunting ground was established to provide the public with additional hunting and recreating opportunities.
What the Dekorra Public Hunting Grounds page says about hunting
- The Dekorra Public Hunting Grounds are primarily managed as an oak system, with a mixture of oak savanna and woodland occurring on this property.
- The property's objectives are to provide opportunities for hunting, trapping and wildlife watching.
- The Dekorra Public Hunting Grounds offers many recreational opportunities:
- Hunting (noted for: deer, squirrels, furbearers and turkey)
Quoted from the property page, retrieved 2026-10-19; checked October 19, 2026.
Dekorra Public Hunting Grounds: what is allowed
How access works on Dekorra Public Hunting Grounds
State seasons and Wisconsin licenses are all you need, except in posted refuges and closed zones; NR 45 governs use of the property.
Dekorra Public Hunting Grounds: rules from the regulations
From the October youth hunt through the Holiday Hunt, blaze orange or pink covers half of your upper clothing and cap. Mark a ground blind with 144 square inches of blaze orange or pink while firearm deer seasons run. Tree stands: no tree damage, ID on unattended stands, overnight only north of Hwy. 64 during Sept. 1-Jan. 31. Register deer, turkeys and bears through GameReg by 5 p.m. the day after recovery.
What Dekorra Public Hunting Grounds costs in licenses
Buy through Go Wild; the free Farmland tags and bonus tags are marked public-access or private-land, and only public-access ones work here.
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.
Tags and zones for Dekorra Public Hunting Grounds
For deer it lies in the Southern Farmland zone (Columbia). This season the unit quota is 8,800 antlerless deer. Zone F bear permits took 1 preference point in 2026; the target is 50 bears. Columbia County: CWD found in wild deer, and a CWD-positive deer earns a replacement authorization. No deer bait or feed: Columbia County is a ban county.
Dekorra Public Hunting Grounds: antlerless quota and bonus tags
| Deer unit | Zone | 2026 quota | Public bonus left | Private bonus left | Free farmland tags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia | Southern Farmland | 8,800 | 1,000 | 4,000 | 4 |
Every other zone Dekorra Public Hunting Grounds touches
| Zone | Detail | Figures | Points or note | Taken |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black bear F | Hounds barred | 50 target, 764 permits | 1 point | 27 bears in 2025 |
| Grouse B | Oct 17–Dec 8 | 2 a day | ||
| Duck zone | Southern | Oct 3–Oct 11 Oct 17–Dec 6 | ||
| Goose zone | Southern | Sep 16–Oct 11 Oct 17–Dec 6 Dec 19–Jan 2 |
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.
Quarry and limits, Dekorra Public Hunting Grounds
The list for Dekorra Public Hunting Grounds reads: whitetails, wild turkeys, squirrels, cottontails and hares and raccoons, foxes and coyotes.
White-tailed deer
Wild turkey
Small game
Furbearers
The list is what the agency names, not a limit: other Columbia County seasons apply under the same rules.
Species from the property record (species named by the source); bag limits from the DNR regulations. Checked October 19, 2026.
Dekorra Public Hunting Grounds season calendar, 2026-27
Archery, the nine-day gun hunt, muzzleloader, bear, turkey, upland birds, rabbits, furbearers and the duck and goose splits for Dekorra Public Hunting Grounds.
| Game | Hunt | Zone | First day | Last day | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 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: Columbia | Dec 24, 2026 | Jan 1, 2027 | |
| Black bear | Bear, Class A draw | Bear Zone F | Sep 9, 2026 | Oct 13, 2026 | |
| Wild turkey | Fall turkey | Turkey Zone 3/1/2 | Sep 12, 2026 | Jan 3, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring youth turkey hunt | Turkey Zone 3/1/2 | Apr 17, 2027 | Apr 18, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period A | Turkey Zone 3/1/2 | Apr 21, 2027 | Apr 27, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period B | Turkey Zone 3/1/2 | Apr 28, 2027 | May 4, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period C | Turkey Zone 3/1/2 | May 5, 2027 | May 11, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period D | Turkey Zone 3/1/2 | May 12, 2027 | May 18, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period E | Turkey Zone 3/1/2 | May 19, 2027 | May 25, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period F | Turkey Zone 3/1/2 | 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.
Nearest public ground to Dekorra Public Hunting Grounds, mapped
Without coordinates for Dekorra Public Hunting Grounds, the map shows only the public land nearest the Columbia County centre. Acres across them: 7,627.
| Neighbour | Type | Acres | Miles off | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rocky Run Oak Savanna | State natural area | 455 | 1.3 mi | southwest |
| Rocky Run | Fishery area | 740 | 1.4 mi | southwest |
| Rowe | WPA | 334 | 3.6 mi | south |
| Roelke Creek | Fishery area | 40 | 4.2 mi | east |
| Mud Lake (Columbia County) | Wildlife area | 2,277 | 4.7 mi | southeast |
| Mud Lake Forest and Ponds | State natural area | 131 | 4.7 mi | southeast |
| Hinkson Creek | WPA | 337 | 5.0 mi | southwest |
| Swan Lake Sedge Meadow and Barrens | State natural area | 698 | 5.4 mi | northwest |
| Empire Prairies | State natural area | 116 | 5.5 mi | southeast |
| Swan Lake | Wildlife area | 2,499 | 5.7 mi | northwest |
Points from the DNR managed lands, SNA, county forest, FWS realty, USFS, NPS and DoD layers (county centre, no point published). Straight-line distances. Statewide public land map.
Registered deer and bears near Dekorra Public Hunting Grounds
The 2025 registered deer total for the Columbia County unit was 7,189 (3,299 antlered). 2020 was the busiest year shown (7,440 deer) and 2017 the leanest (5,828). The 2026 season to date shows 571 deer in Columbia; the DNR calls it preliminary. 616 samples, 169 positive: that is Columbia County in CWD year 2025. All years combined: 824 of 9,739. These numbers describe the county around Dekorra Public Hunting Grounds, not the property alone.
Deer registered near Dekorra Public Hunting Grounds
| Year | Bucks registered | Antlerless registered | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3,299 | 3,890 | 7,189 |
| 2024 | 3,317 | 3,859 | 7,176 |
| 2023 | 3,203 | 3,426 | 6,629 |
| 2022 | 3,219 | 3,658 | 6,877 |
| 2021 | 3,016 | 3,151 | 6,167 |
| 2020 | 3,357 | 4,083 | 7,440 |
Columbia County CWD by year
| CWD year | Samples | Positives |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (partial) | 44 | 14 |
| 2025 | 616 | 169 |
| 2024 | 595 | 129 |
| 2023 | 534 | 112 |
| 2022 | 477 | 93 |
| 2021 | 510 | 74 |
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.
Towns, offices and services around Dekorra Public Hunting Grounds
Towns, then services in this county and the next one over.
| Town | County | Distance | People | Public acres, 10 mi |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wyocena | Columbia | 2.1 mi | 732 | 15,185 |
| Rio | Columbia | 4.7 mi | 1,126 | 13,789 |
| Pardeeville | Columbia | 4.7 mi | 2,258 | 16,019 |
| Dekorra | Columbia | 6.6 mi | — | 14,996 |
Our county write-ups: Columbia County.
Butchers, mounts and gun counters near Dekorra Public Hunting Grounds
Service centers near Dekorra Public Hunting Grounds
For Columbia County, the DNR points to its 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.
When the shooting day opens and closes at Dekorra Public Hunting Grounds
The DNR tables are worked out for Zone A in the east; Dekorra Public Hunting Grounds lies in longitude Zone C, so add 8 minutes to each table time.
| Day | Reason | Northern table | Southern 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 89.33 W, checked October 19, 2026. Shooting hours for every county.
Dekorra Public Hunting Grounds in questions and answers
Is Dekorra Public Hunting Grounds forest or farmland deer country?
Columbia in the Southern Farmland zone. The unit quota stands at 8,800 antlerless deer this year.
Which game does Dekorra Public Hunting Grounds list?
The source lists whitetails, wild turkeys, squirrels, cottontails and hares and raccoons, foxes and coyotes. Other open seasons apply too, within the property rules.
Is Dekorra Public Hunting Grounds in the northern or southern duck zone?
Southern duck zone and Southern goose zone. First regular duck day in the Southern Zone: Oct 3.
Are hounds allowed for bear at Dekorra Public Hunting Grounds?
Bear Zone F: 764 permits drawn for 2026.
Can pink replace orange at Dekorra Public Hunting Grounds?
Yes while gun deer seasons are open; half your upper clothing and hat in orange or fluorescent pink.
What are the CWD and bait rules for Dekorra Public Hunting Grounds?
Deer bait is illegal in Columbia County. Columbia County: CWD-positive deer on record.
Is a permit required for Dekorra Public Hunting Grounds?
Your Wisconsin license is enough; residents pay $24 for gun deer, $18 for small game.
How fast must I register a kill on Dekorra Public Hunting Grounds?
GameReg by 5 p.m. the day after you recover the animal.
Who is the land manager for Dekorra Public Hunting Grounds?
The Wisconsin DNR manages it; the land is a DNR state wildlife area.
What neighbours Dekorra Public Hunting Grounds?
Closest first: Rocky Run Oak Savanna State Natural Area (1 mile), Rocky Run Fishery Area (1 mile) and Rowe Waterfowl Production Area (4 miles).
How far is the drive from Wyocena to Dekorra Public Hunting Grounds?
Columbia County, roughly 2 miles out of Wyocena. The county centre stands in for a map point.
How large is Dekorra Public Hunting Grounds, in acres?
Acreage on record: 226.
Dekorra Public Hunting Grounds, final notes
Print the Dekorra Public Hunting Grounds map, carry your tags, and check the manager page the week you go.
Sources for this page: DNR: dekorra · DNR: alpha · DNR GIS; regulations from the Fall 2026-Spring 2027 Wisconsin hunting regulations. Checked October 19, 2026.
Other photos on this page: USFWS Midwest Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0); Maslowski, Steve, USFWS (Public domain).