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Crawford County · State natural area
Hunting at Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural Area
Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural Area, 635 acres in Crawford County: zones and tags, property rules, county harvest and the land nearby.
Photo: chief_huddleston (CC BY 2.0)
Getting to Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural Area
Parking, trailheads and gates near Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural Area
- Boat rampBoat ramp · 0.5 mi from the centreDirections
- Wauzeka Boat LandingBoat ramp · 2.1 mi from the centreDirections
- Boat rampBoat ramp · 2.4 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.4 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.
Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural Area on one card
Hunters reach Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural Area in Crawford County; it is a DNR-owned State Natural Area. This is west-central Wisconsin, in the DNR West Central Region. Day-to-day it is in the hands of the Wisconsin DNR. Measured at 635 acres, it comes in 91st of 449 state natural areas. SNA number: 570. Location by survey: T7N-R4W, Sections 5, 6, 7. T7N-R5W, Section 1. T8N-R4W, Section 31. T8N-R5W, Section 36. Wauzeka is the nearest town with a guide on this site, about 2 miles away; the land lies north of it. It sits within Kickapoo River Wildlife Area – Wauzeka Unit.
From the source page (WI DNR SNA parcel ownership GIS OWNER_ACRE_AMT, WDNR-owned parcels); region from the DNR county layer. Checked October 19, 2026.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural Area
Zones that take in Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural Area
Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural Area is Southern Farmland deer country, unit Crawford. Antlerless quota, 2026: 4,000. The Zone E bear quota for 2026 is 185, spread over 2,628 drawn permits. Zone 1 turkey numbers for 2025: 64,574 spring tags, 21% success. Wild deer with CWD have been confirmed in Crawford County. Leave the corn at home; Crawford County bans deer baiting.
Antlerless tags near Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural Area
| Unit | Zone | Quota 2026 | Bonus, public | Bonus, private | Farmland tags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crawford | Southern Farmland | 4,000 | 350 | 1,000 | 3 |
Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural Area: other game zones
| Zone | Detail | Numbers | More | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bear zone E | No hounds | 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 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 Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural Area
The managing agency's own text.
Kickapoo Wild Woods supports a diverse forest ranging from bur and white oak dry forest to sugar maple mesic woodland. Much of the site diversity is due to the extensive topography lending to a great variety of slope aspects. A relatively level ridgetop is surrounded by hillsides that descend 350 feet to the Kickapoo River. This site contains one of the largest blocks of old forest remaining in the Driftless Area. Large-diameter white oak, red oak, and sugar maple are found in the uplands while silver maple, hackberry, and cottonwood dominate the floodplain forest.
The course is abundant woody debris covering the forest floor. The understory is also diverse with species such as white baneberry, putty-root orchid, blue cohosh, spring-beauty, false mermaid, round-lobed hepatica, woodland phlox, Jacob's-ladder, and bellwort. The woods also provide critical habitat for nearly every southern Wisconsin forested bird Species of Greatest Conservation Need. Birds include red-headed woodpecker, tufted titmouse, wood thrush, Northern parula, Magnolia warbler, ovenbird, and scarlet tanager. Kickapoo Wild Woods is owned by the DNR and was designated a State Natural Area in 2008.
Quoted from the property page, retrieved 2026-10-19; checked October 19, 2026.
What Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural Area requires of hunters
Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural Area access terms
On DNR-owned natural area land you may hunt and trap unless signs say otherwise; NR 45 bars camping, vehicles, drones and plant collecting.
The rule book on Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural 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 Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural Area
A gun deer or archery license comes with a buck authorization; antlerless deer on this land need a public-access authorization.
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.
Where Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural Area sits in the larger property
Kickapoo River Wildlife Area – Wauzeka Unit takes in Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural Area and 0 other units.
What hunters pursue at Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural Area
Nothing narrows the game at Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural Area; all open seasons apply as long as the property rules are followed.
The Crawford County season table below has 43 dated rows for that reason.
Species from the property record (No species list published for this property; open seasons follow statewide/zone regulations where hunting is allowed.); bag limits from the DNR regulations. Checked October 19, 2026.
Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural Area: opening and closing days
From bear baiting in September to the last spring turkey period, 43 season segments apply to Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural 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: Crawford | 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 | Sep 9, 2026 | Oct 13, 2026 | |
| Wild turkey | Fall turkey | Turkey Zone 1 | Sep 12, 2026 | Jan 3, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring youth turkey hunt | Turkey Zone 1 | Apr 17, 2027 | Apr 18, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period A | Turkey Zone 1 | Apr 21, 2027 | Apr 27, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period B | Turkey Zone 1 | Apr 28, 2027 | May 4, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period C | Turkey Zone 1 | May 5, 2027 | May 11, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period D | Turkey Zone 1 | May 12, 2027 | May 18, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period E | Turkey Zone 1 | May 19, 2027 | May 25, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period F | Turkey Zone 1 | 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 1) | Mississippi River Zone | Oct 3, 2026 | Oct 11, 2026 | |
| Geese | Regular goose (split 2) | Southern Goose Zone | Oct 17, 2026 | Dec 6, 2026 | |
| Geese | Regular goose (split 2) | Mississippi River Zone | Oct 17, 2026 | Jan 5, 2027 | |
| 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.
Crawford County harvest near Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural Area
Deer registered in the Crawford County unit, 2025: 5,420. The decade peaked at 5,420 in 2025 and bottomed at 4,054 in 2019. Through Oct. 19, 2026: 77 antlered and 168 antlerless in Crawford (preliminary). CWD year 2025 brought 623 Crawford County samples and 82 positives. Running total since 1999: 5,216 tested. No harvest is published for Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural Area itself, so the county unit is the finest level.
Registered deer in the Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural Area county unit
| Year | Antlered | Antlerless | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,278 | 3,142 | 5,420 |
| 2024 | 2,312 | 2,755 | 5,067 |
| 2023 | 2,308 | 2,759 | 5,067 |
| 2022 | 2,163 | 2,665 | 4,828 |
| 2021 | 2,027 | 2,300 | 4,327 |
| 2020 | 2,126 | 2,809 | 4,935 |
CWD tests in Crawford County
| CWD year | Wild deer sampled | Positive |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (partial) | 21 | 4 |
| 2025 | 623 | 82 |
| 2024 | 539 | 60 |
| 2023 | 498 | 37 |
| 2022 | 438 | 28 |
| 2021 | 413 | 23 |
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 Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural Area: more places to hunt
The big marker is Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural Area. Smaller ones are its 10 closest neighbours. The neighbours add 4,774 acres between them.
| Nearby | Kind | Acres | Miles | Heading |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wauzeka Bottoms | State natural area | 879 | 2.9 mi | southeast |
| Adiantum Woods | State natural area | 273 | 3.1 mi | south |
| Millville Oak Woodlands | State natural area | 1,267 | 4.2 mi | south |
| Woodman Lake Sand Prairie and Dead Lake | State natural area | 286 | 5.4 mi | east |
| Mount Hope Rearing Station | Fishery area | 200 | 6.3 mi | southeast |
| Douglas Hallock Demonstration Forest | Demonstration forest | 452 | 7.0 mi | southwest |
| Hogback Prairie | State natural area | 1,182 | 7.5 mi | north |
| Big Green River (Remnant) | Fishery area | 2 | 10 mi | southeast |
| Limery Ridge Savanna | State natural area | 205 | 11 mi | west |
| Gordon's Bay Landing Public Acces | Fishery area | 28 | 12 mi | northwest |
Points from the DNR managed lands, SNA, county forest, FWS realty, USFS, NPS and DoD layers (WI DNR State Natural Areas parcel ownership GIS (centroid of WDNR-owned parcels) (point inside polygon (centroid falls outside))). Straight-line distances. Statewide public land map.
Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural Area: nearby towns and businesses
Town pages first, then shops, processors and DNR desks.
| Base town | County | Away | Residents | Public acres near |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wauzeka | Crawford | 1.6 mi | 620 | 20,549 |
| Eastman | Crawford | 7.5 mi | 341 | 17,036 |
| Boscobel | Grant | 10 mi | 3,265 | 19,396 |
| Prairie du Chien | Crawford | 13 mi | 5,472 | 16,036 |
County-level hunting pages: Crawford County.
Shops a short drive from Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural Area
DNR desks closest to Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural Area
Service center for Crawford County business: DNR La Crosse 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.
Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural Area: nearest ranges
About 29 miles separates Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural Area from Viola Sportsman's Club, the nearest public map range. Nearby rod and gun clubs round out the list.
rifle, trap, shotgun, air gun, smallbore rimfire on file
trap, rifle, handgun, smallbore rimfire, muzzleloader on file
trap, shotgun on file
From the DNR public range map and its map layer, checked October 19, 2026.
Shooting light at Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural Area by date
At Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural Area the offset is 12 minutes (Zone D). 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 | 6:07 a.m. to 7:39 p.m. | 6:09 a.m. to 7:38 p.m. |
| Oct 17, 2026 | Pheasant and duck dates | 6:51 a.m. to 6:33 p.m. | 6:50 a.m. to 6:36 p.m. |
| Nov 1, 2026 | Early November | 6:12 a.m. to 5:09 p.m. | 6:09 a.m. to 5:13 p.m. |
| Nov 21, 2026 | Gun deer opener | 6:40 a.m. to 4:46 p.m. | 6:35 a.m. to 4:52 p.m. |
| Dec 1, 2026 | Muzzleloader week | 6:52 a.m. to 4:40 p.m. | 6:47 a.m. to 4:47 p.m. |
| Dec 24, 2026 | Holiday Hunt opener | 7:11 a.m. to 4:42 p.m. | 7:05 a.m. to 4:50 p.m. |
| Jan 3, 2027 | Archery close (most units) | 7:13 a.m. to 4:51 p.m. | 7:07 a.m. to 4:58 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 D offset of 12 minutes for longitude 90.90 W, checked October 19, 2026. Shooting hours for every county.
What people ask about hunting Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural Area
If Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural Area is full, where next?
Within a short drive: Wauzeka Bottoms State Natural Area (3 miles), Adiantum Woods State Natural Area (3 miles) and Millville Oak Woodlands State Natural Area (4 miles).
Which Wisconsin license covers Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural Area?
Go Wild sells everything needed; antlerless tags on public land must be public-access tags.
Which agency sets the rules on Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural Area?
The Wisconsin DNR treats it as a DNR-owned State Natural Area.
Which property holds Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural Area?
The parent is Kickapoo River Wildlife Area – Wauzeka Unit.
Where do Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural Area hunters spend the night?
Start from Wauzeka; the land is 2 miles off, in Crawford County.
What acreage is listed for Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural Area?
Roughly 635 acres.
Which DMU takes in Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural Area?
Deer unit Crawford; zone Southern Farmland. The 2026 antlerless quota is 4,000 (Crawford); use a public-access antlerless tag here.
What game is legal on Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural Area?
Any species in an open season, as long as you follow the property rules.
Which turkey zone is Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural Area in?
Zone 1, one bird per spring authorization.
Which bear management zone holds Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural Area?
Bear Zone E. Zone E took 1 preference point in 2026.
Is deer baiting legal near Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural Area?
No: Crawford County bans deer baiting and feeding. Wild deer with CWD are documented in Crawford County.
What are the waterfowl zones for Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural 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 Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural Area?
Through GameReg (online, phone or a station) by 5 p.m. the day after recovery.
Check Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural Area once more
Refuges, closed areas and park windows at Kickapoo Wild Woods State Natural Area can shift mid-season; the property page and the DNR map have the current picture.
Sources for this page: DNR: KickapooWildWoods · DNR GIS · DNR: StateNaturalAreas; regulations from the Fall 2026-Spring 2027 Wisconsin hunting regulations. Checked October 19, 2026.
Other photos on this page: Tom Shockey (CC BY 2.0); Flappy Pigeon (CC BY-SA 4.0).