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Oden Wildlife Area hunting guide
Everything we could verify about Oden Wildlife Area: acreage, zones, property rules, harvest around it and nearby ground.
Photo: aarongunnar (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Getting to Oden Wildlife Area
Parking, trailheads and gates near Oden Wildlife Area
- Parking areaParking · 2.2 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.3 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.2 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.
The short version on Oden Wildlife Area
In St. Croix County you will find Oden Wildlife Area, a DNR habitat area. On the DNR map it belongs to the West Central Region. The managing body is the Wisconsin DNR. At 250 acres it sits 20th by area in a field of 58 habitat areas. About 9 miles northwest of Emerald.
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 Oden Wildlife Area
Oden Wildlife Area, as the managers tell it
Word for word from the property page.
Oden Wildlife Area is a 242-acre property located in northeastern St. Croix County. Acquisition of the property started in 1997, with additional acres acquired in the following years, including a generous donation from the Kinnickinnic Chapter of Pheasants Forever. The property is managed as part of the Western Prairie Habitat Restoration Area, a landscape-scale wetland and grassland restoration project. The area is located about 7 miles east of New Richmond. Follow Highway 64 east out of New Richmond, then turn north on 200th Street. for approximately 1.5 miles.
The property is located on the east side of 200th Street, where a parking lot provides easy access.
What the Oden Wildlife Area page says about hunting
- The property is managed to provide opportunities for public hunting, trapping, wildlife observation and other nature-based outdoor recreation.
- Hunting (noted for pheasant, waterfowl, deer, turkey and small game)
Quoted from the property page, retrieved 2026-10-19; checked October 19, 2026.
Oden Wildlife Area: what is allowed
How access works on Oden Wildlife Area
Check the DNR public access lands map: the open parcels of this habitat land can be hunted and trapped in season.
Oden Wildlife Area: rules from the regulations
From the October youth hunt through the Holiday Hunt, blaze orange or pink covers half of your upper clothing and cap. Mark a ground blind with 144 square inches of blaze orange or pink while firearm deer seasons run. Tree stands: no tree damage, ID on unattended stands, overnight only north of Hwy. 64 during Sept. 1-Jan. 31. Register deer, turkeys and bears through GameReg by 5 p.m. the day after recovery.
What Oden Wildlife Area costs in licenses
Buy through Go Wild; the free Farmland tags and bonus tags are marked public-access or private-land, and only public-access ones work here.
Posted closures at Oden Wildlife Area
1 row of closures apply to Oden Wildlife Area. Exception: Except trapping and deer hunting per NR 10.01(3), retrieval of legally killed or crippled game.
| Closed area | Type | Period | Acres | Authority |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakridge Lake | Waterfowl closed area | No hunting from first day of waterfowl season to first Sat. in December | 197 | NR 11.11(1)(a) |
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.
Tags and zones for Oden Wildlife Area
For deer it lies in the Central Farmland zone (St Croix). This season the unit quota is 3,500 antlerless deer. Zone D bear permits took 2 preference points in 2026; the target is 1,100 bears. The 2025 spring level for Turkey Zone 4 was 34,997 authorizations; 8,472 birds were registered. No deer bait or feed: St. Croix County is a ban county.
Oden Wildlife Area: antlerless quota and bonus tags
| Deer unit | Zone | 2026 quota | Public bonus left | Private bonus left | Free farmland tags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Croix | Central Farmland | 3,500 | 494 | 1,496 | 2 |
Every other zone Oden Wildlife Area touches
| Zone | Detail | Figures | Points or note | Taken |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black bear D | Hounds legal | 1,100 target, 3,855 permits | 2 points | 931 bears in 2025 |
| Turkey zone 4 | 34,997 spring tags (2025) | 24% success | 8,472 gobblers | 1,500 fall bonus |
| Grouse A | Sep 12–Jan 3 | 5 a day | ||
| Duck zone | Northern | Sep 26–Nov 24 | ||
| Goose zone | Northern | Sep 16–Dec 16 | ||
| Gray wolf zone 6 | No season | Federally listed |
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.
Quarry and limits, Oden Wildlife Area
The list for Oden Wildlife Area reads: whitetails, wild turkeys, ducks and geese, pheasants, squirrels, cottontails and hares and raccoons, foxes and coyotes.
White-tailed deer
Wild turkey
Ducks and geese
Pheasant
Small game
Furbearers
The list is what the agency names, not a limit: other St. Croix County seasons apply under the same rules.
Species from the property record (species named by the source); bag limits from the DNR regulations. Checked October 19, 2026.
Oden Wildlife Area season calendar, 2026-27
Archery, the nine-day gun hunt, muzzleloader, bear, turkey, upland birds, rabbits, furbearers and the duck and goose splits for Oden Wildlife Area.
| Game | Hunt | Zone | First day | Last day | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Metro sub-unit gun | Metro sub-unit: Hudson | Nov 21, 2026 | Dec 9, 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: St. Croix | 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 D | Sep 9, 2026 | Sep 15, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Bear, Class A draw | Bear Zone E | Sep 9, 2026 | Oct 13, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Bear, Class A draw | Bear Zone D | Sep 16, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Bear, Class A draw | Bear Zone D | Oct 7, 2026 | Oct 13, 2026 | |
| Wild turkey | Fall turkey | Turkey Zone 4 | Sep 12, 2026 | Jan 3, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring youth turkey hunt | Turkey Zone 4 | Apr 17, 2027 | Apr 18, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period A | Turkey Zone 4 | Apr 21, 2027 | Apr 27, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period B | Turkey Zone 4 | Apr 28, 2027 | May 4, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period C | Turkey Zone 4 | May 5, 2027 | May 11, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period D | Turkey Zone 4 | May 12, 2027 | May 18, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period E | Turkey Zone 4 | May 19, 2027 | May 25, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period F | Turkey Zone 4 | 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 | Northern Duck Zone | Sep 26, 2026 | Nov 24, 2026 | |
| Teal | Early teal | Statewide | Sep 1, 2026 | Sep 9, 2026 | |
| Geese | Regular goose | Northern Goose Zone | Sep 16, 2026 | Dec 16, 2026 | |
| 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.
Nearest public ground to Oden Wildlife Area, mapped
10 more properties lie close to Oden Wildlife Area, shown with smaller pins. Acres across them: 5,212.
| Neighbour | Type | Acres | Miles off | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer Park | WPA | 351 | 2.0 mi | north |
| Cylon | State natural area | 155 | 2.8 mi | northeast |
| Kostka | WPA | 350 | 3.4 mi | north |
| Deer Park | Habitat area | 213 | 3.5 mi | north |
| Cylon | Wildlife area | 2,795 | 3.5 mi | east |
| Boe | WPA | 48 | 4.1 mi | north |
| Oak Ridge State Habitat Area-Western Prairie Habitat Restoration Area | Habitat area | 196 | 4.2 mi | northwest |
| Stanton Prairie | WPA | 353 | 4.4 mi | west |
| Oak Ridge Waterfowl Production Area/Hanten | WPA | 119 | 4.5 mi | northwest |
| Oak Ridge | WPA | 632 | 4.6 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.
Registered deer and bears near Oden Wildlife Area
The 2025 registered deer total for the St. Croix County unit was 4,858 (2,261 antlered). 2025 was the busiest year shown (4,858 deer) and 2019 the leanest (3,825). 132 samples, 0 positive: that is St. Croix County in CWD year 2025. All years combined: 0 of 1,431. 31 bears came out of St. Croix County in 2025. These numbers describe the county around Oden Wildlife Area, not the property alone.
Deer registered near Oden Wildlife Area
| Year | Bucks registered | Antlerless registered | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,261 | 2,597 | 4,858 |
| 2024 | 1,922 | 2,280 | 4,202 |
| 2023 | 1,762 | 2,338 | 4,100 |
| 2022 | 2,051 | 2,604 | 4,655 |
| 2021 | 1,970 | 2,257 | 4,227 |
| 2020 | 2,083 | 2,632 | 4,715 |
St. Croix County CWD by year
| CWD year | Samples | Positives |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (partial) | 7 | 0 |
| 2025 | 132 | 0 |
| 2024 | 119 | 0 |
| 2023 | 78 | 0 |
| 2022 | 94 | 0 |
| 2021 | 80 | 0 |
St. Croix County bear harvest
| Year | Bear harvest | Males | Females |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 20 | 14 | 6 |
| 2025 | 31 | 22 | 9 |
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.
Oden Wildlife Area: nearest ranges
About 20 miles separates Oden Wildlife Area from Boyceville Shooting Range, the nearest public map range. Closer club options sit beside it.
rifle, handgun, archery, trap, shotgun on file
trap, rifle, archery, 3D archery, shotgun on file
sporting clays, shotgun on file
From the DNR public range map and its map layer, checked October 19, 2026.
Towns, offices and services around Oden Wildlife Area
Towns, then services in this county and the next one over.
| Town | County | Distance | People | Public acres, 10 mi |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emerald | St. Croix | 8.8 mi | — | 4,756 |
| Clear Lake | Polk | 8.9 mi | 1,103 | 7,120 |
| Somerset | St. Croix | 14 mi | 3,382 | 12,025 |
| Osceola | Polk | 18 mi | 2,880 | 5,877 |
Our county write-ups: St. Croix County.
Butchers, mounts and gun counters near Oden Wildlife Area
Service centers near Oden Wildlife Area
For St. Croix County, the DNR points to its DNR Eau Claire 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.
When the shooting day opens and closes at Oden Wildlife Area
The DNR tables are worked out for Zone A in the east; Oden Wildlife Area lies in longitude Zone F, so add 20 minutes to each table time.
| Day | Reason | Northern table | Southern table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 12, 2026 | Bow, turkey, grouse opener | 6:15 a.m. to 7:47 p.m. | 6:17 a.m. to 7:46 p.m. |
| Oct 17, 2026 | Pheasant and duck dates | 6:59 a.m. to 6:41 p.m. | 6:58 a.m. to 6:44 p.m. |
| Nov 1, 2026 | Early November | 6:20 a.m. to 5:17 p.m. | 6:17 a.m. to 5:21 p.m. |
| Nov 21, 2026 | Gun deer opener | 6:48 a.m. to 4:54 p.m. | 6:43 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. |
| Dec 1, 2026 | Muzzleloader week | 7:00 a.m. to 4:48 p.m. | 6:55 a.m. to 4:55 p.m. |
| Dec 24, 2026 | Holiday Hunt opener | 7:19 a.m. to 4:50 p.m. | 7:13 a.m. to 4:58 p.m. |
| Jan 3, 2027 | Archery close (most units) | 7:21 a.m. to 4:59 p.m. | 7:15 a.m. to 5:06 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 F offset of 20 minutes for longitude 92.40 W, checked October 19, 2026. Shooting hours for every county.
Oden Wildlife Area in questions and answers
How far is the drive from Emerald to Oden Wildlife Area?
St. Croix County, roughly 9 miles out of Emerald.
How large is Oden Wildlife Area, in acres?
Acreage on record: 250.
Is Oden Wildlife Area forest or farmland deer country?
St Croix in the Central Farmland zone. The unit quota stands at 3,500 antlerless deer this year.
Which game does Oden Wildlife Area list?
The source lists whitetails, wild turkeys, ducks and geese, pheasants, squirrels, cottontails and hares and raccoons, foxes and coyotes. Other open seasons apply too, within the property rules.
Is Oden Wildlife Area good turkey ground?
Apply for Zone 4; spring periods A-F run in 2027 from April 21.
Are hounds allowed for bear at Oden Wildlife Area?
Bear Zone D: 3,855 permits drawn for 2026.
What are the CWD and bait rules for Oden Wildlife Area?
Deer bait is illegal in St. Croix County. The county has no CWD positives.
Is Oden Wildlife Area in the northern or southern duck zone?
Northern duck zone and Northern goose zone. First regular duck day in the Northern Zone: Sep 26.
How fast must I register a kill on Oden Wildlife Area?
GameReg by 5 p.m. the day after you recover the animal.
Can pink replace orange at Oden Wildlife Area?
Yes while gun deer seasons are open; half your upper clothing and hat in orange or fluorescent pink.
What parts of Oden Wildlife Area are posted closed?
1 posted restrictions apply; check the table above.
Is a permit required for Oden Wildlife Area?
Your Wisconsin license is enough; residents pay $24 for gun deer, $18 for small game.
Who is the land manager for Oden Wildlife Area?
The Wisconsin DNR manages it; the land is a DNR habitat area.
Oden Wildlife Area, final notes
Print the Oden Wildlife Area map, carry your tags, and check the manager page the week you go.
Sources for this page: DNR: Oden · 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: Yellowstone National Park (Public domain); seabamirum (CC BY 2.0).