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Columbia County, Wisconsin
Hinkson Creek Fishery Area: the hunter's file
Deer unit Columbia, bear and turkey zones, closures, licenses and the nearest towns and services.
Photo: Mobilus In Mobili (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Getting to Hinkson Creek Fishery Area
Parking, trailheads and gates near Hinkson Creek Fishery Area
- Parking areaParking · 1.8 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.2 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.2 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.3 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.3 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.4 mi from the centreDirections
- High School Parking LotParking · 2.4 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.5 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.5 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.7 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.8 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.5 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 Hinkson Creek Fishery Area
Hinkson Creek Fishery Area is a DNR fishery area that is open to hunting in Columbia County. The DNR files it under its South Central Region (south-central Wisconsin). Management sits with the Wisconsin DNR. Acreage: 235, which places it 79th of 245 fishery areas. The closest covered town is Poynette, around 2 miles off as the crow flies.
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 Hinkson Creek Fishery Area
Hinkson Creek Fishery Area by zone and unit
Deer: Southern Farmland zone, Columbia. 8,800 antlerless deer: the 2026 quota for the unit. Bear hunters here apply for Zone F: 764 applied for 2026 and 764 permits went out. In Zone 3 turkey hunters held 55,612 spring tags in 2025 (spring 2027 levels are not out yet). CWD-positive deer have been recorded in Columbia County; free testing is offered statewide. Baiting and feeding deer are banned in Columbia County.
DMU figures for Hinkson Creek Fishery Area
| Unit | Deer zone | Quota | Public-access bonus | Private bonus | Farmland per license |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia | Southern Farmland | 8,800 | 1,000 | 4,000 | 4 |
Hinkson Creek Fishery Area zone table
| Zone | Setting | Data | Also | Last season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bear zone F | No dogs | 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 | Southern | Oct 3–Oct 11 Oct 17–Dec 6 | ||
| Goose | Southern | Sep 16–Oct 11 Oct 17–Dec 6 Dec 19–Jan 2 | ||
| 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.
Hinkson Creek Fishery Area: the property description
Copied from the official listing.
Hinkson Creek drains a small watershed (9 square miles) as it flows a distance of 6 miles to its junction with Rowan Creek, a tributary to the Wisconsin River. An abundance of springs throughout the stream course maintains water temperatures capable of supporting a high quality brook trout fishery. Over 600 acres of marsh adjacent to the creek are, in general, bordered by agricultural field. Distant bluffs border the lower stream valley. For the most part, alder growth and marsh isolate the stream from surrounding land uses.
Roads cross the stream at three locations. Picture Title (picture optional) © photographer –> Thirty-nine mammal species may inhabit the area. Those species which can be managed for hunting or trapping include muskrat, raccoon, red fox, mink, white-tailed deer, fox and gray squirrels and cottontail rabbits. Beaver are known to inhabit the stream. The presence of 153 bird species has been documented in the area of the Columbia Generating Station and may also be present on the fishery area.
Those of interest for hunting purposes include the common waterfowl species, ring-necked pheasants, woodcocks and ruffed grouse.
Hunting lines from the Hinkson Creek Fishery Area page
- Hunting – deer, waterfowl & small game
Quoted from the property page, retrieved 2026-10-19; checked October 19, 2026.
Access, closures and licenses for Hinkson Creek Fishery Area
Hinkson Creek 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 Hinkson Creek 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 Hinkson Creek 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.
Which animals Hinkson Creek Fishery Area lists
Game on the record for Hinkson Creek Fishery Area: whitetails, ducks and geese, pheasants, ruffed grouse, squirrels, cottontails and hares and raccoons, foxes and coyotes.
White-tailed deer
Ducks and geese
Pheasant
Ruffed grouse
Small game
Furbearers
Seasons not named here still apply if they are open in Columbia 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 Hinkson Creek Fishery Area
Deer dates are statewide in Wisconsin; bear, turkey, grouse, cottontail and waterfowl dates follow zone lines, so only the rows for Hinkson Creek 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: 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.
Hinkson Creek Fishery Area: county harvest and CWD tests
Hunters registered 7,189 deer in the Columbia County unit in 2025: 3,299 bucks and 3,890 antlerless. High year on the chart: 2020 at 7,440; low year: 2017 at 5,828. Preliminary 2026 count to Oct. 19: 571 in Columbia. Columbia County CWD testing (2025): 169 positives out of 616 samples. Cumulative total 824 positives in 9,739 tests. Harvest and CWD figures cover Columbia County as a whole.
Columbia County deer by year
| Year | Buck | Antlerless | Deer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Testing for CWD, Columbia County
| Year | Deer tested | CWD 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.
Hinkson Creek Fishery Area pinned among its neighbours
Map of Hinkson Creek Fishery Area and the 10 nearest public places. That is 20,141 acres of public ground.
| Area | Category | Acreage | Distance | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hinkson Creek | WPA | 337 | 1.6 mi | northeast |
| Rowan Creek | Fishery area | 644 | 1.7 mi | south |
| Rocky Run Oak Savanna | State natural area | 455 | 5.3 mi | northeast |
| Rocky Run | Fishery area | 740 | 5.3 mi | northeast |
| Rowe | WPA | 334 | 5.7 mi | east |
| Lost Lake | State natural area | 169 | 6.7 mi | northwest |
| Mud Lake (Columbia County) | Wildlife area | 2,277 | 7.1 mi | east |
| Leopold Wetland Management District | Wetland district | 13,500 | 7.1 mi | northwest |
| Baraboo River | WPA | 950 | 7.2 mi | northwest |
| Schoeneberg Marsh | WPA | 735 | 7.8 mi | southeast |
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 Hinkson Creek 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poynette | Columbia | 2.0 mi | 2,834 | 8,779 |
| Dekorra | Columbia | 3.1 mi | — | 14,996 |
| Wyocena | Columbia | 8.6 mi | 732 | 15,185 |
| Portage | Columbia | 9.5 mi | 9,975 | 15,283 |
For the wider county picture: Columbia County.
Venison, mounts and ammo near Hinkson Creek Fishery Area
Hinkson Creek Fishery Area: agency contacts
County service center: DNR Fitchburg Service Center (608-275-3266).
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.
Hinkson Creek Fishery Area: nearest ranges
Columbia County Shooting Range in Columbia County is the nearest DNR-map range, 10 miles out. Two nearby club ranges follow.
rifle, shotgun on file
rifle, handgun, smallbore rimfire, muzzleloader, air gun 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 Hinkson Creek 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 | 6:03 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 89.43 W, checked October 19, 2026. Shooting hours for every county.
Questions hunters raise about Hinkson Creek Fishery Area
What size is Hinkson Creek Fishery Area on the record?
About 235 acres.
What is the nearest town to Hinkson Creek Fishery Area?
Base in Poynette, 2 miles away; the ground is in Columbia County.
Which game is named for Hinkson Creek Fishery Area?
The property record lists whitetails, ducks and geese, pheasants, ruffed grouse, squirrels, cottontails and hares and raccoons, foxes and coyotes.
What is the antlerless quota at Hinkson Creek Fishery Area?
Columbia, part of the Southern Farmland zone. Antlerless goal for 2026: 8,800.
Which bear permit zone holds Hinkson Creek Fishery Area?
F. You need a Class A license from the drawing.
How many turkey permits go to the Hinkson Creek Fishery Area zone?
Turkey Zone 3. 55,612 spring tags were issued there in 2025.
What waterfowl dates apply at Hinkson Creek Fishery Area?
Duck zone: Southern; goose zone: Southern. Southern Zone ducks open Oct 3, 2026-27.
Can I put out corn for deer at Hinkson Creek Fishery Area?
Not here: Columbia County is under the ban. CWD has been found in wild deer in Columbia County.
How much orange do I wear at Hinkson Creek 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 Hinkson Creek Fishery Area?
Deer: online, phone or station by 5 p.m. next day. Turkeys: online or phone only.
Which tags work on Hinkson Creek Fishery Area?
No special permit for most of it; buy the license on Go Wild and carry public-access antlerless tags.
Is there other public ground around Hinkson Creek Fishery Area?
By straight-line distance: Hinkson Creek Waterfowl Production Area (2 miles), Rowan Creek Fishery Area (2 miles) and Rocky Run Oak Savanna State Natural Area (5 miles).
What type of property is Hinkson Creek Fishery Area on the record?
It is a DNR fishery area that is open to hunting, managed by the Wisconsin DNR.
Hinkson Creek Fishery Area: one more look before the drive
Signs on the ground beat any web page. Read the posted boundaries at Hinkson Creek Fishery Area when you arrive.
Sources for this page: DNR: 1116hinksoncreek · DNR GIS · DNR: county; regulations from the Fall 2026-Spring 2027 Wisconsin hunting regulations. Checked October 19, 2026.
Other photos on this page: hedera.baltica (CC BY-SA 2.0); Intermountain Region US Forest Service (Public domain).