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Jackson County, Wisconsin
Halfmoon Lake Fishery Area: the hunter's file
Deer unit Jackson, bear and turkey zones, closures, licenses and the nearest towns and services.
Photo: wackybadger (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Getting to Halfmoon Lake Fishery Area
Parking, trailheads and gates near Halfmoon Lake Fishery Area
- Parking areaParking · 3.2 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.2 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.3 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.
Key facts for Halfmoon Lake Fishery Area
Halfmoon Lake Fishery Area is a DNR fishery area that is open to hunting in Jackson County. The DNR files it under its West Central Region (west-central Wisconsin). Management sits with the Wisconsin DNR. Acreage: 126, which places it 105th of 245 fishery areas. The closest covered town is Holmen, around 10 miles off as the crow flies. It holds 1 listed unit, linked below.
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 Halfmoon Lake Fishery Area
Halfmoon Lake Fishery Area by zone and unit
Deer: Central Farmland zone, Jackson. 5,000 antlerless deer: the 2026 quota for the unit. Bear hunters here apply for Zone E: 2,628 applied for 2026 and 2,628 permits went out. In Zone 1 turkey hunters held 64,574 spring tags in 2025 (spring 2027 levels are not out yet). CWD-positive deer have been recorded in Jackson County; free testing is offered statewide. Baiting and feeding deer are banned in Jackson County.
DMU figures for Halfmoon Lake Fishery Area
| Unit | Deer zone | Quota | Public-access bonus | Private bonus | Farmland per license |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson Central Farmland | Central Farmland | 5,000 | 0 | 1,481 | 2 |
Halfmoon Lake Fishery Area zone table
| Zone | Setting | Data | Also | Last season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bear zone E | No dogs | 185 target, 2,628 permits | 1 point | 128 bears in 2025 |
| Turkey 1 | 64,574 spring tags (2025) | 21% success | 13,813 gobblers | 1,500 fall bonus |
| Ruffed grouse A | Sep 12–Jan 3 | 5 a day | ||
| Duck | Southern | Oct 3–Oct 11 Oct 17–Dec 6 | ||
| Goose | Southern | Sep 16–Oct 11 Oct 17–Dec 6 Dec 19–Jan 2 | ||
| Elk | Central (Black River Elk Range) | 6 bull and 6 antlerless | Public land nearly 70% | |
| Wolf 6 | No hunt | Endangered status |
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.
Halfmoon Lake Fishery Area: the property description
Copied from the official listing.
Halfmoon Lake Fishery Area is an "Areas of Special Natural Resource Interest" (ASNRI) that includes warmwater fish species. The property also includes forested wetland, lowland shrub wetland, and cultural sites. Halfmoon Lake Fishery Area is also next to North Bend Bottoms Wildlife Area. Directions: Halfmoon Lake Fishery Area is in Jackson County, North Bend Township; T 19N R 6W, section 31.
Hunting lines from the Halfmoon Lake Fishery Area page
- Hunting – bear, deer, small game, and turkey
- Halfmoon Lake Fishery Area is managed for warmwater fish species and trapping.
Quoted from the property page, retrieved 2026-10-19; checked October 19, 2026.
Access, closures and licenses for Halfmoon Lake Fishery Area
Halfmoon Lake Fishery Area: open to whom, and how
Hunting and trapping follow state seasons on the parts of this fishery land that the DNR map marks open, under NR 45.
Orange, stands and GameReg at Halfmoon Lake Fishery Area
Bowhunters too: when a gun deer season is on, 50% of the coat and hat must be orange or pink, unless you are hunting waterfowl. A ground blind on DNR property needs 144 sq in of orange or pink during gun deer seasons. South of Hwy. 64 every stand and blind leaves with you; north of it, two portable stands per county may stay out Sept. 1-Jan. 31. Use GameReg (online or 844-426-3734) before 5 p.m. the day after the harvest.
Tags and licenses for Halfmoon Lake Fishery Area
Licenses sell on Go Wild. On public land, antlerless deer need a public-access authorization for the unit.
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.
What Halfmoon Lake Fishery Area is made of
Together its 1 units cover 202 acres.
| Unit | Category | County | Acres | Species |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Half Moon Bottoms | State natural area | Jackson | 202 | — |
Which animals Halfmoon Lake Fishery Area lists
Game on the record for Halfmoon Lake Fishery Area: whitetails, black bears, wild turkeys, squirrels, cottontails and hares and raccoons, foxes and coyotes.
White-tailed deer
Black bear
Wild turkey
Small game
Furbearers
Seasons not named here still apply if they are open in Jackson County and the property rules allow.
Species from the property record (species named by the source); bag limits from the DNR regulations. Checked October 19, 2026.
Which seasons are open in Halfmoon Lake Fishery Area
Deer dates are statewide in Wisconsin; bear, turkey, grouse, cottontail and waterfowl dates follow zone lines, so only the rows for Halfmoon Lake Fishery Area are listed.
| Species | Season | Where it applies | Opens | Closes | Today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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, Jackson | 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 E/C | Sep 9, 2026 | Oct 13, 2026 | |
| Elk | Elk, all weapons | Central Elk Zone | Oct 17, 2026 | Dec 13, 2026 | |
| Wild turkey | Fall turkey | Turkey Zone 1/3 | Sep 12, 2026 | Jan 3, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring youth turkey hunt | Turkey Zone 1/3 | Apr 17, 2027 | Apr 18, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period A | Turkey Zone 1/3 | Apr 21, 2027 | Apr 27, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period B | Turkey Zone 1/3 | Apr 28, 2027 | May 4, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period C | Turkey Zone 1/3 | May 5, 2027 | May 11, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period D | Turkey Zone 1/3 | May 12, 2027 | May 18, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period E | Turkey Zone 1/3 | May 19, 2027 | May 25, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period F | Turkey Zone 1/3 | May 26, 2027 | Jun 1, 2027 | |
| Ruffed Grouse | Ruffed grouse | Grouse Zone A | Sep 12, 2026 | Jan 3, 2027 | |
| 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.
Halfmoon Lake Fishery Area: county harvest and CWD tests
Hunters registered 4,911 deer in the Jackson County unit in 2025: 2,333 bucks and 2,578 antlerless. High year on the chart: 2022 at 6,250; low year: 2025 at 4,911. Preliminary 2026 count to Oct. 19: 394 in Jackson Central Farmland. Jackson County CWD testing (2025): 1 positives out of 198 samples. Cumulative total 4 positives in 3,127 tests. Jackson County bear harvest, 2025: 47. Harvest and CWD figures cover Jackson County as a whole.
Jackson County deer by year
| Year | Buck | Antlerless | Deer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,333 | 2,578 | 4,911 |
| 2024 | 2,940 | 2,780 | 5,720 |
| 2023 | 2,884 | 2,403 | 5,287 |
| 2022 | 3,230 | 3,020 | 6,250 |
| 2021 | 3,143 | 2,533 | 5,676 |
| 2020 | 3,198 | 3,018 | 6,216 |
Testing for CWD, Jackson County
| Year | Deer tested | CWD positive |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (partial) | 19 | 0 |
| 2025 | 198 | 1 |
| 2024 | 213 | 1 |
| 2023 | 225 | 2 |
| 2022 | 204 | 0 |
| 2021 | 186 | 0 |
Bears by year, Jackson County
| Year | Bears | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 110 | 48 | 62 |
| 2025 | 47 | 25 | 22 |
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.
Halfmoon Lake Fishery Area pinned among its neighbours
Map of Halfmoon Lake Fishery Area and the 10 nearest public places. That is 9,998 acres of public ground.
| Area | Category | Acreage | Distance | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Bend Wet Prairie | State natural area | 33 | 1.3 mi | east |
| North Bend Bottoms | Wildlife area | 1,684 | 2.1 mi | east |
| Black River Savanna | State natural area | 566 | 2.9 mi | east |
| South Beaver Creek | Wildlife area | 1,107 | 4.9 mi | north |
| Hardies Creek Timber Demonstration Forest | Demonstration forest | 56 | 5.3 mi | northwest |
| Washington Coulee | Fishery area | 92 | 7.7 mi | north |
| Sand Creek Pines | State natural area | 159 | 8.4 mi | east |
| Sand Creek | Habitat area | 683 | 8.6 mi | east |
| Van Loon Floodplain Savanna | State natural area | 1,574 | 9.2 mi | west |
| Van Loon | Wildlife area | 4,044 | 9.7 mi | west |
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.
Towns, processors and DNR desks near Halfmoon Lake Fishery Area
Start with a town, then line up a cooler, a butcher and a mount.
| Town | County | Miles off | People | Public acres (10 mi) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holmen | La Crosse | 9.7 mi | 11,866 | 23,671 |
| Galesville | Trempealeau | 11 mi | 1,663 | 17,458 |
| Brice Prairie | La Crosse | 13 mi | — | 23,918 |
| Bangor | La Crosse | 14 mi | 1,573 | 3,306 |
For the wider county picture: Jackson County.
Venison, mounts and ammo near Halfmoon Lake Fishery Area
Halfmoon Lake Fishery Area: agency contacts
County service center: DNR La Crosse Service Center (608-785-9000).
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.
Halfmoon Lake Fishery Area: nearest ranges
Viola Sportsman's Club in Vernon County is the nearest DNR-map range, 46 miles out. Two nearby club ranges follow.
rifle, trap, shotgun, air gun, smallbore rimfire on file
trap, rifle, archery, muzzleloader, cowboy action on file
archery, 3D archery on file
From the DNR public range map and its map layer, checked October 19, 2026.
First and last legal minute at Halfmoon Lake Fishery Area
Deer, bear, elk, small game and fall turkey: 30 minutes before sunrise until 20 minutes after sunset. Ducks, geese, doves and spring turkey: same start, done at sunset.
| Date | Season moment | Northern Area | Southern Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 12, 2026 | Bow, turkey, grouse opener | 6:11 a.m. to 7:43 p.m. | 6:13 a.m. to 7:42 p.m. |
| Oct 17, 2026 | Pheasant and duck dates | 6:55 a.m. to 6:37 p.m. | 6:54 a.m. to 6:40 p.m. |
| Nov 1, 2026 | Early November | 6:16 a.m. to 5:13 p.m. | 6:13 a.m. to 5:17 p.m. |
| Nov 21, 2026 | Gun deer opener | 6:44 a.m. to 4:50 p.m. | 6:39 a.m. to 4:56 p.m. |
| Dec 1, 2026 | Muzzleloader week | 6:56 a.m. to 4:44 p.m. | 6:51 a.m. to 4:51 p.m. |
| Dec 24, 2026 | Holiday Hunt opener | 7:15 a.m. to 4:46 p.m. | 7:09 a.m. to 4:54 p.m. |
| Jan 3, 2027 | Archery close (most units) | 7:17 a.m. to 4:55 p.m. | 7:11 a.m. to 5:02 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 E offset of 16 minutes for longitude 91.14 W, checked October 19, 2026. Shooting hours for every county.
Questions hunters raise about Halfmoon Lake Fishery Area
Is there other public ground around Halfmoon Lake Fishery Area?
By straight-line distance: North Bend Wet Prairie State Natural Area (1 mile), North Bend Bottoms Wildlife Area (2 miles) and Black River Savanna State Natural Area (3 miles).
How is Halfmoon Lake Fishery Area divided?
1 listed units, such as Half Moon Bottoms State Natural Area.
What type of property is Halfmoon Lake Fishery Area on the record?
It is a DNR fishery area that is open to hunting, managed by the Wisconsin DNR.
What size is Halfmoon Lake Fishery Area on the record?
About 126 acres.
What is the nearest town to Halfmoon Lake Fishery Area?
Base in Holmen, 10 miles away; the ground is in Jackson County.
Which game is named for Halfmoon Lake Fishery Area?
The property record lists whitetails, black bears, wild turkeys, squirrels, cottontails and hares and raccoons, foxes and coyotes.
What is the antlerless quota at Halfmoon Lake Fishery Area?
Jackson, part of the Central Farmland zone. Antlerless goal for 2026: 5,000.
Which bear permit zone holds Halfmoon Lake Fishery Area?
E. You need a Class A license from the drawing.
How many turkey permits go to the Halfmoon Lake Fishery Area zone?
Turkey Zone 1. 64,574 spring tags were issued there in 2025.
What waterfowl dates apply at Halfmoon Lake Fishery Area?
Duck zone: Southern; goose zone: Southern. Southern Zone ducks open Oct 3, 2026-27.
Can I put out corn for deer at Halfmoon Lake Fishery Area?
Not here: Jackson County is under the ban. CWD has been found in wild deer in Jackson County.
How much orange do I wear at Halfmoon Lake Fishery Area?
During any firearm deer season: 50% of your outer clothing above the waist and 50% of any cap, blaze orange or pink. Waterfowl hunters are exempt.
When must I register a turkey from Halfmoon Lake Fishery Area?
Deer: online, phone or station by 5 p.m. next day. Turkeys: online or phone only.
Halfmoon Lake Fishery Area: one more look before the drive
Signs on the ground beat any web page. Read the posted boundaries at Halfmoon Lake Fishery Area when you arrive.
Sources for this page: DNR: 1080halfmoonlake · DNR GIS · DNR: county; regulations from the Fall 2026-Spring 2027 Wisconsin hunting regulations. Checked October 19, 2026.
Other photos on this page: Shenandoah National Park (Public Domain Mark 1.0); Wesley Fryer (CC BY 2.0).