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Columbia County · Wildlife area
Hunting at French Creek Wildlife Area
French Creek Wildlife Area, 3,759 acres in Columbia and Marquette counties: whitetails, wild turkeys, ducks and geese and mourning doves, zones and tags, property rules, county harvest and the land nearby.
Photo: aarongunnar (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Getting to French Creek Wildlife Area
Parking, trailheads and gates near French Creek Wildlife Area
- Boat rampBoat ramp · 3.5 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.6 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.
French Creek Wildlife Area on one card
Hunters reach French Creek Wildlife Area in Columbia and Marquette counties; 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 3,759 acres, it comes in 42nd of 285 state wildlife areas. Portage is the nearest town with a guide on this site, about 6 miles away; the land lies northeast of it. Below are the 2 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 French Creek Wildlife Area
Zones that take in French Creek Wildlife Area
French Creek Wildlife Area is Southern Farmland and Central Farmland deer country, unit Columbia and Marquette. Antlerless quota, 2026: 8,800 and 10,000. The Zone F bear quota for 2026 is 50, spread over 764 drawn permits. Zone 3 turkey numbers for 2025: 55,612 spring tags, 22% success. Wild deer with CWD have been confirmed in Columbia and Marquette counties. Leave the corn at home; Columbia and Marquette counties bans deer baiting.
Antlerless tags near French Creek Wildlife Area
| Unit | Zone | Quota 2026 | Bonus, public | Bonus, private | Farmland tags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia | Southern Farmland | 8,800 | 1,000 | 4,000 | 4 |
| Marquette | Central Farmland | 10,000 | 1,996 | 7,993 | 4 |
French 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 3 | 55,612 spring tags (2025) | 22% success | 12,324 gobblers | 1,500 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 French Creek Wildlife Area
The managing agency's own text.
French Creek Wildlife Area is a 3,645-acre property located in Columbia and Marquette Counties. Find it 6 miles northeast of Portage on Highway F. The wildlife area includes disjunct ownership in the towns of Fort Winnebago and Marcellon in Columbia County and the town of Buffalo in Marquette County. Prior to the establishment of the state wildlife area in 1947, the marshland was once devoted to the production of "wire-grass, an invasive plant used in the manufacturing of grass rugs and matting.
Later, it was subject to grazing and the occasional harvest of wild hay by farmers. Early settlers regularly hunted prairie chicken in the French Creek area. Today, the property primarily focuses on waterfowl production and hunting opportunities. It is recognized for the large, diverse wetlands dominated by sedge meadows, fens and tamaracks. The uplands are a mix of grasslands, oak savanna, and oak forests. Two State Natural Areas exist within the wildlife area, recognized for their large, diverse wetlands dominated by sedge meadows, fens and tamaracks: French Creek Fen and French Creek North.
The property also hosts a 240-acre waterfowl refuge in the French Creek impoundment.
Hunting notes printed for French Creek Wildlife Area
- Along with hunting, French Creek is also used by hikers, birders, and especially by paddlers who enjoy exploring the marshes and waterways.
- Hunting (noted for: deer, turkey [Zone 3], mourning doves, waterfowl [note the "waterfowl closed area"], rabbit and squirrel)
Quoted from the property page, retrieved 2026-10-19; checked October 19, 2026.
What French Creek Wildlife Area requires of hunters
French 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.
The rule book on French 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 French 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, French Creek Wildlife Area
640 pheasants are on the 2026 stocking plan, for 1,600 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 French Creek Wildlife Area
2 units sit inside French Creek Wildlife Area, 1,636 acres in total.
| Name | Kind | Counties | Acres | Species |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| French Creek North | State natural area | Marquette, Columbia | 1,417 | — |
| French Creek Fen | State natural area | Columbia | 219 | — |
What hunters pursue at French Creek Wildlife Area
Species the agency lists here: whitetails, wild turkeys, ducks and geese, mourning doves, squirrels, cottontails and hares, raccoons, foxes and coyotes and pheasants.
White-tailed deer
Wild turkey
Ducks and geese
Mourning dove
Small game
Furbearers
Pheasant
Unlisted species follow the Columbia 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.
French Creek Wildlife Area: opening and closing days
From bear baiting in September to the last spring turkey period, 40 season segments apply to French 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 | 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.
Columbia County harvest near French Creek Wildlife Area
Deer registered in the Columbia County unit, 2025: 7,189. The decade peaked at 7,440 in 2020 and bottomed at 5,828 in 2017. Through Oct. 19, 2026: 262 antlered and 309 antlerless in Columbia and 312 antlered and 408 antlerless in Marquette (preliminary). CWD year 2025 brought 616 Columbia County samples and 169 positives. Running total since 1999: 9,739 tested. No harvest is published for French Creek Wildlife Area itself, so the county unit is the finest level.
Registered deer in the French Creek Wildlife Area county unit
| Year | Antlered | Antlerless | 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 |
CWD tests in Columbia County
| CWD year | Wild deer sampled | Positive |
|---|---|---|
| 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.
Around French Creek Wildlife Area: more places to hunt
The big marker is French Creek Wildlife Area. Smaller ones are its 10 closest neighbours. The neighbours add 5,405 acres between them.
| Nearby | Kind | Acres | Miles | Heading |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fox River | Wildlife refuge | 1,054 | 4.8 mi | north |
| Waterfowl Production Area 1 | WPA | 89 | 5.1 mi | north |
| Swan Lake Tamaracks | State natural area | 205 | 5.2 mi | south |
| Muir | WPA | 124 | 5.3 mi | north |
| Becker | WPA | 357 | 5.5 mi | southeast |
| Swan Lake Wet-Mesic Prairie | State natural area | 50 | 5.9 mi | south |
| Swan Lake | Wildlife area | 2,499 | 6.2 mi | south |
| Swan Lake Sedge Meadow and Barrens | State natural area | 698 | 6.3 mi | south |
| Becker Lake | WPA | 152 | 6.3 mi | east |
| Observatory Hill | State natural area | 177 | 6.3 mi | north |
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) (point inside polygon (centroid falls outside))). Straight-line distances. Statewide public land map.
French Creek Wildlife Area: nearby towns and businesses
Town pages first, then shops, processors and DNR desks.
| Base town | County | Away | Residents | Public acres near |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portage | Columbia | 6.3 mi | 9,975 | 15,283 |
| Pardeeville | Columbia | 7.2 mi | 2,258 | 16,019 |
| Endeavor | Marquette | 7.6 mi | 433 | 7,232 |
| Wyocena | Columbia | 9.9 mi | 732 | 15,185 |
County-level hunting pages: Columbia County, Marquette County.
Shops a short drive from French Creek Wildlife Area
DNR desks closest to French Creek Wildlife Area
Service center for Columbia 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.
French Creek Wildlife Area: nearest ranges
About 21 miles separates French Creek Wildlife Area from Columbia County Shooting Range, the nearest public map range. Nearby rod and gun clubs round out the list.
rifle, shotgun on file
5-stand, sporting clays, trap, skeet, shotgun on file
sporting clays, rifle, handgun, smallbore rimfire, shotgun on file
From the DNR public range map and its map layer, checked October 19, 2026.
Shooting light at French Creek Wildlife Area by date
At French 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 89.39 W, checked October 19, 2026. Shooting hours for every county.
What people ask about hunting French Creek Wildlife Area
If French Creek Wildlife Area is full, where next?
Within a short drive: Fox River National Wildlife Refuge (5 miles), Waterfowl Production Area 1 Waterfowl Production Area (5 miles) and Swan Lake Tamaracks State Natural Area (5 miles).
Which Wisconsin license covers French Creek Wildlife Area?
Go Wild sells everything needed; antlerless tags on public land must be public-access tags.
Which agency sets the rules on French Creek Wildlife Area?
The Wisconsin DNR treats it as a DNR state wildlife area.
What is inside French Creek Wildlife Area?
2 parts, each linked above.
Where do French Creek Wildlife Area hunters spend the night?
Start from Portage; the land is 6 miles off, in Columbia and Marquette counties.
What acreage is listed for French Creek Wildlife Area?
Roughly 3,759 acres.
Which DMU takes in French Creek Wildlife Area?
Deer unit Columbia and Marquette; zone Southern Farmland and Central Farmland. The 2026 antlerless quota is 8,800 (Columbia) and 10,000 (Marquette); use a public-access antlerless tag here.
Which species are hunted on French Creek Wildlife Area?
Listed: whitetails, wild turkeys, ducks and geese, mourning doves, squirrels, cottontails and hares, raccoons, foxes and coyotes and pheasants.
Which turkey zone is French Creek Wildlife Area in?
Zone 3, one bird per spring authorization.
Which bear management zone holds French Creek Wildlife Area?
Bear Zone F. Zone F took 1 preference point in 2026.
Is deer baiting legal near French Creek Wildlife Area?
No: Columbia and Marquette counties ban deer baiting and feeding. Wild deer with CWD are documented in Columbia and Marquette counties.
What are the waterfowl zones for French 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 French Creek Wildlife Area?
Through GameReg (online, phone or a station) by 5 p.m. the day after recovery.
Check French Creek Wildlife Area once more
Refuges, closed areas and park windows at French Creek Wildlife Area can shift mid-season; the property page and the DNR map have the current picture.
Sources for this page: DNR: frenchcreek · 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 Mountain Prairie (CC BY 2.0); USFWS/Southeast (Public domain).