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Hunting at Mud Lake Wildlife Area (Door County)
Mud Lake Wildlife Area (Door County), 2,434 acres in Door County: whitetails, wild turkeys, ducks and geese and pheasants, zones and tags, property rules, county harvest and the land nearby.
Photo: Aaron Volkening (CC BY 2.0)
Getting to Mud Lake Wildlife Area (Door County)
Parking, trailheads and gates near Mud Lake Wildlife Area (Door County)
- Parking areaParking · 1.5 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 1.6 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.3 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.4 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.8 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.8 mi from the centreDirections
- Bues Point Boat LaunchBoat ramp · 2.8 mi from the centreDirections
- Cana Island Lighthouse ParkingParking · 3.0 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.0 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.3 mi from the centreDirections
- Boat rampBoat ramp · 3.4 mi from the centreDirections
- Boat rampBoat ramp · 3.4 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.
Mud Lake Wildlife Area (Door County) on one card
Hunters reach Mud Lake Wildlife Area (Door County) in Door County; it is a DNR state wildlife area. This is northeast Wisconsin, in the DNR Northeast Region. Day-to-day it is in the hands of the Wisconsin DNR. Measured at 2,434 acres, it comes in 65th of 285 state wildlife areas. Baileys Harbor is the nearest town with a guide on this site, about 4 miles away; the land lies northeast of it. Below are the 1 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 Mud Lake Wildlife Area (Door County)
Zones that take in Mud Lake Wildlife Area (Door County)
Mud Lake Wildlife Area (Door County) is Central Farmland deer country, unit Door. Antlerless quota, 2026: 4,000. The Zone F bear quota for 2026 is 50, spread over 764 drawn permits. Zone 2 turkey numbers for 2025: 51,056 spring tags, 22% success. Door County is one of the 12 counties without a baiting ban.
Antlerless tags near Mud Lake Wildlife Area (Door County)
| Unit | Zone | Quota 2026 | Bonus, public | Bonus, private | Farmland tags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Door | Central Farmland | 4,000 | 246 | 746 | 5 |
Mud Lake Wildlife Area (Door County): other game zones
| Zone | Detail | Numbers | More | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bear zone F | No hounds | 50 target, 764 permits | 1 point | 27 bears in 2025 |
| Turkey 2 | 51,056 spring tags (2025) | 22% success | 11,024 gobblers | 2,500 fall bonus |
| Ruffed grouse A | Sep 12–Jan 3 | 5 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 Mud Lake Wildlife Area (Door County)
The managing agency's own text.
Mud Lake Wildlife Area is approximately 4,500-acres and lies to the southwest of Reeseville or northwest of Watertown. From Watertown, travel west on Highway 19 and turn north on County Q. Turning west on County QQ, the property is accessible on Garden Road. Continuing north on County Q, there are two access roads to enter the property located on Pit Road and Ranch Road. Also from Highway 19, turn north on County G and there are access signs and access parking lots along County G and also by turning east on Mud Lake Road.
You will find a diversity of habitat types at Mud Lake Wildlife Area. The Beaver Dam River runs through the heart of the property where it joins the Crawfish River at the southern portion. There are two large lakes, Mud and Chub lakes. There is a mixture of forested bottomland hardwoods, forested upland hardwoods, grasslands and marsh. These habitats provide for both game and non game species including deer, turkeys, waterfowl, pheasants, mourning doves. rabbits, squirrels, muskrats, otter, beaver, sandhill cranes and woodland and grassland songbirds.
The property provides for waterfowl, deer, turkey and other small game hunting opportunities.
Hunting notes printed for Mud Lake Wildlife Area (Door County)
- Although you may encounter a wild pheasant, this property is stocked during the fall with pheasants raised at our State Game Farm in Poynette and also by conservation clubs enrolled in the Day Old Chick Program .
- Hunting (especially noted for deer [Unit 76A], turkey [Zone 2], pheasant [12 p.m.
Quoted from the property page, retrieved 2026-10-19; checked October 19, 2026.
What Mud Lake Wildlife Area (Door County) requires of hunters
Mud Lake Wildlife Area (Door County) 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 Mud Lake Wildlife Area (Door County)
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 Mud Lake Wildlife Area (Door County)
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.
The parts of Mud Lake Wildlife Area (Door County)
1 units sit inside Mud Lake Wildlife Area (Door County), 2,317 acres in total.
| Name | Kind | Counties | Acres | Species |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mud Lake | State natural area | Door | 2,317 | deer |
What hunters pursue at Mud Lake Wildlife Area (Door County)
Species the agency lists here: whitetails, wild turkeys, ducks and geese, pheasants, mourning doves, squirrels, cottontails and hares, raccoons, foxes and coyotes and ruffed grouse.
White-tailed deer
Wild turkey
Ducks and geese
Pheasant
Mourning dove
Small game
Furbearers
Ruffed grouse
Unlisted species follow the Door 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.
Mud Lake Wildlife Area (Door County): opening and closing days
From bear baiting in September to the last spring turkey period, 42 season segments apply to Mud Lake Wildlife Area (Door County).
| 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: Door | 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 F | Sep 9, 2026 | Oct 13, 2026 | |
| Wild turkey | Fall turkey | Turkey Zone 2 | Sep 12, 2026 | Jan 3, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring youth turkey hunt | Turkey Zone 2 | Apr 17, 2027 | Apr 18, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period A | Turkey Zone 2 | Apr 21, 2027 | Apr 27, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period B | Turkey Zone 2 | Apr 28, 2027 | May 4, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period C | Turkey Zone 2 | May 5, 2027 | May 11, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period D | Turkey Zone 2 | May 12, 2027 | May 18, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period E | Turkey Zone 2 | May 19, 2027 | May 25, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period F | Turkey Zone 2 | 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 | Northern cottontail zone | Sep 12, 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 | Open Water Zone | Oct 17, 2026 | Dec 15, 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.
Door County harvest near Mud Lake Wildlife Area (Door County)
Deer registered in the Door County unit, 2025: 4,302. The decade peaked at 5,264 in 2017 and bottomed at 3,793 in 2023. Through Oct. 19, 2026: 145 antlered and 263 antlerless in Door (preliminary). CWD year 2025 brought 32 Door County samples and 0 positives. Running total since 1999: 1,120 tested. No harvest is published for Mud Lake Wildlife Area (Door County) itself, so the county unit is the finest level.
Registered deer in the Mud Lake Wildlife Area (Door County) county unit
| Year | Antlered | Antlerless | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,979 | 2,323 | 4,302 |
| 2024 | 1,957 | 2,268 | 4,225 |
| 2023 | 1,727 | 2,066 | 3,793 |
| 2022 | 1,736 | 2,110 | 3,846 |
| 2021 | 1,766 | 2,174 | 3,940 |
| 2020 | 1,704 | 2,462 | 4,166 |
CWD tests in Door County
| CWD year | Wild deer sampled | Positive |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (partial) | 4 | 0 |
| 2025 | 32 | 0 |
| 2024 | 36 | 0 |
| 2023 | 48 | 0 |
| 2022 | 40 | 0 |
| 2021 | 45 | 0 |
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 Mud Lake Wildlife Area (Door County): more places to hunt
The big marker is Mud Lake Wildlife Area (Door County). Smaller ones are its 10 closest neighbours. The neighbours add 5,387 acres between them.
| Nearby | Kind | Acres | Miles | Heading |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baileys Harbor Boreal Forest and Wetlands | State natural area | 828 | 2.3 mi | east |
| Moonlight Bay Bedrock Beach | State natural area | 102 | 2.4 mi | southeast |
| North Bay | State natural area | 4 | 2.4 mi | northeast |
| Baileys Harbor Boreal Forest & Wetlands Jonathan Ela Unit | DNR property | 210 | 2.5 mi | east |
| Peninsula Park Beech Forest | State natural area | 82 | 5.5 mi | northwest |
| Peninsula | State park | 3,702 | 6.1 mi | northwest |
| Peninsula Park White Cedar Forest | State natural area | 130 | 6.5 mi | west |
| Peninsula Niagara Escarpment | State natural area | 242 | 6.5 mi | northwest |
| Thorp Pond | State natural area | 81 | 6.9 mi | southwest |
| Sister Islands Habitat Presv | Wildlife area | 6 | 8.0 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) (polygon centroid)). Straight-line distances. Statewide public land map.
Mud Lake Wildlife Area (Door County): nearby towns and businesses
Town pages first, then shops, processors and DNR desks.
| Base town | County | Away | Residents | Public acres near |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baileys Harbor | Door | 3.5 mi | — | 8,791 |
| Sister Bay | Door | 5.2 mi | 1,170 | 11,898 |
| Sturgeon Bay | Door | 24 mi | 9,940 | 1,932 |
| Marinette | Marinette | 26 mi | 11,139 | 9,005 |
County-level hunting pages: Door County.
Shops a short drive from Mud Lake Wildlife Area (Door County)
DNR desks closest to Mud Lake Wildlife Area (Door County)
Service center for Door County business: DNR Green Bay 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.
Mud Lake Wildlife Area: nearest ranges
About 22 miles separates Mud Lake Wildlife Area from Door County Rod & Gun Club, the nearest public map range. Nearby rod and gun clubs round out the list.
rifle, handgun, archery, trap, sporting clays on file
trap, skeet, rifle, handgun, smallbore rimfire on file
shotgun, rifle, handgun, smallbore rimfire, action pistol on file
From the DNR public range map and its map layer, checked October 19, 2026.
Shooting light at Mud Lake Wildlife Area (Door County) by date
At Mud Lake Wildlife Area (Door County) the offset is 0 minutes (Zone A). 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 | 5:55 a.m. to 7:27 p.m. | 5:57 a.m. to 7:26 p.m. |
| Oct 17, 2026 | Pheasant and duck dates | 6:39 a.m. to 6:21 p.m. | 6:38 a.m. to 6:24 p.m. |
| Nov 1, 2026 | Early November | 6:00 a.m. to 4:57 p.m. | 5:57 a.m. to 5:01 p.m. |
| Nov 21, 2026 | Gun deer opener | 6:28 a.m. to 4:34 p.m. | 6:23 a.m. to 4:40 p.m. |
| Dec 1, 2026 | Muzzleloader week | 6:40 a.m. to 4:28 p.m. | 6:35 a.m. to 4:35 p.m. |
| Dec 24, 2026 | Holiday Hunt opener | 6:59 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. | 6:53 a.m. to 4:38 p.m. |
| Jan 3, 2027 | Archery close (most units) | 7:01 a.m. to 4:39 p.m. | 6:55 a.m. to 4:46 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 A offset of 0 minutes for longitude 87.10 W, checked October 19, 2026. Shooting hours for every county.
What people ask about hunting Mud Lake Wildlife Area (Door County)
If Mud Lake Wildlife Area (Door County) is full, where next?
Within a short drive: Baileys Harbor Boreal Forest and Wetlands State Natural Area (2 miles), Moonlight Bay Bedrock Beach State Natural Area (2 miles) and North Bay State Natural Area (2 miles).
Which Wisconsin license covers Mud Lake Wildlife Area (Door County)?
Go Wild sells everything needed; antlerless tags on public land must be public-access tags.
Which agency sets the rules on Mud Lake Wildlife Area (Door County)?
The Wisconsin DNR treats it as a DNR state wildlife area.
What is inside Mud Lake Wildlife Area (Door County)?
1 part, each linked above.
Where do Mud Lake Wildlife Area (Door County) hunters spend the night?
Start from Baileys Harbor; the land is 4 miles off, in Door County.
What acreage is listed for Mud Lake Wildlife Area (Door County)?
Roughly 2,434 acres.
Which DMU takes in Mud Lake Wildlife Area (Door County)?
Deer unit Door; zone Central Farmland. The 2026 antlerless quota is 4,000 (Door); use a public-access antlerless tag here.
Which species are hunted on Mud Lake Wildlife Area (Door County)?
Listed: whitetails, wild turkeys, ducks and geese, pheasants, mourning doves, squirrels, cottontails and hares, raccoons, foxes and coyotes and ruffed grouse.
Which turkey zone is Mud Lake Wildlife Area (Door County) in?
Zone 2, one bird per spring authorization.
Which bear management zone holds Mud Lake Wildlife Area (Door County)?
Bear Zone F. Zone F took 1 preference point in 2026.
Is deer baiting legal near Mud Lake Wildlife Area (Door County)?
Baiting is allowed in this county within the 2-gallon limit. The county is not on the CWD list.
What are the waterfowl zones for Mud Lake Wildlife Area (Door County)?
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 Mud Lake Wildlife Area (Door County)?
Through GameReg (online, phone or a station) by 5 p.m. the day after recovery.
Check Mud Lake Wildlife Area (Door County) once more
Refuges, closed areas and park windows at Mud Lake Wildlife Area (Door County) can shift mid-season; the property page and the DNR map have the current picture.
Sources for this page: DNR: Mud · DNR GIS · DNR: alpha · DNR: mudlk; regulations from the Fall 2026-Spring 2027 Wisconsin hunting regulations. Checked October 19, 2026.
Other photos on this page: AcrylicArtist (CC BY 2.0); Dave Williss (CC BY 2.0).