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Polk County · Habitat area
Hunting at Parker Creek Fishery Area
Parker Creek Fishery Area, 587 acres in Polk County: ducks and geese, pheasants, ruffed grouse and raccoons, foxes and coyotes, zones and tags, property rules, county harvest and the land nearby.
Photo: aarongunnar (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Getting to Parker Creek Fishery Area
Parker Creek Fishery Area on one card
Hunters reach Parker Creek Fishery Area in Polk County; it is a DNR habitat area. This is the Northwoods, in the DNR Northern Region. Day-to-day it is in the hands of the Wisconsin DNR. Measured at 587 acres, it comes in 12th of 58 habitat areas. Clear Lake is the nearest town with a guide on this site, about 7 miles away; the land lies west of it.
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 Parker Creek Fishery Area
Zones that take in Parker Creek Fishery Area
Parker Creek Fishery Area is Central Farmland deer country, unit Polk. Antlerless quota, 2026: 11,200. The Zone D bear quota for 2026 is 1,100, spread over 3,855 drawn permits. Zone 4 turkey numbers for 2025: 34,997 spring tags, 24% success. Wild deer with CWD have been confirmed in Polk County. Leave the corn at home; Polk County bans deer baiting.
Antlerless tags near Parker Creek Fishery Area
| Unit | Zone | Quota 2026 | Bonus, public | Bonus, private | Farmland tags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polk Central Farmland | Central Farmland | 11,200 | 987 | 5,191 | 2 |
Parker Creek Fishery Area: other game zones
| Zone | Detail | Numbers | More | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bear zone D | Hounds allowed | 1,100 target, 3,855 permits | 2 points | 931 bears in 2025 |
| Turkey 4 | 34,997 spring tags (2025) | 24% success | 8,472 gobblers | 1,500 fall bonus |
| Ruffed grouse A | Sep 12–Jan 3 | 5 a day | ||
| Duck zone | Northern | Sep 26–Nov 24 | ||
| Canada goose | Northern | Sep 16–Dec 16 | ||
| 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 Parker Creek Fishery Area
The managing agency's own text.
Parker Creek Fishery Area is located in south-central Polk County, three miles southwest of Amery. The site which is now Parker Creek Fishery Area was at one time impounded by a dam on the Apple River at Little Falls. When the dam was removed in the early 1950s, Parker Creek and its surroundings were established as a fishery area. The Parker Creek Fishery Area has limited fishery resources. Parker Creek, a Class III trout stream, presently has a poor fishery.
Although water quality in Parker Creek and the associated spring pond is excellent, other habitat conditions for trout are fair to poor. Game and furbearer species common to the fishery area include white-tailed deer, cottontail rabbits, squirrels, muskrats, mink, raccoons, red foxes, otters, and beavers. Bird species that have management potential include ring-necked pheasants, ruffed grouse, woodcocks, wood ducks, mallards, and blue-winged teal. Directions: The Parker Creek Fishery Area is 3 miles southwest of Amery. From County Hwy C turn east, or from State Hwy 46 turn west on 35th Street.
There is a parking lot off 35th Street on the north end of the property.
Quoted from the property page, retrieved 2026-10-19; checked October 19, 2026.
What Parker Creek Fishery Area requires of hunters
Parker Creek Fishery Area access terms
Where the managed-lands map marks it open, this habitat land takes hunters and trappers in season (NR 45).
The rule book on Parker Creek Fishery 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 Parker Creek Fishery Area
A gun deer or archery license comes with a buck authorization; antlerless deer on this land need a public-access authorization.
Restricted parts of Parker Creek Fishery Area
The DNR closed-areas layer lists 1 zone on Parker Creek Fishery Area. Exception printed most often: Except trapping and deer hunting per NR 10.01(3), retrieval of legally killed or crippled game.
| Area | What applies | Dates | Size | NR rule |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
What hunters pursue at Parker Creek Fishery Area
Species the agency lists here: ducks and geese, pheasants, ruffed grouse and raccoons, foxes and coyotes.
Ducks and geese
Pheasant
Ruffed grouse
Furbearers
Unlisted species follow the Polk 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.
Parker Creek Fishery Area: opening and closing days
From bear baiting in September to the last spring turkey period, 40 season segments apply to Parker Creek Fishery 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, Polk | 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 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.
Polk County harvest near Parker Creek Fishery Area
Deer registered in the Polk County unit, 2025: 8,091. The decade peaked at 9,066 in 2016 and bottomed at 7,275 in 2023. Through Oct. 19, 2026: 316 antlered and 447 antlerless in Polk Central Farmland (preliminary). CWD year 2025 brought 340 Polk County samples and 2 positives. Running total since 1999: 3,006 tested. The 2025 bear count for Polk County was 149. No harvest is published for Parker Creek Fishery Area itself, so the county unit is the finest level.
Registered deer in the Parker Creek Fishery Area county unit
| Year | Antlered | Antlerless | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3,702 | 4,389 | 8,091 |
| 2024 | 3,564 | 4,408 | 7,972 |
| 2023 | 3,266 | 4,009 | 7,275 |
| 2022 | 3,874 | 5,155 | 9,029 |
| 2021 | 3,584 | 4,434 | 8,018 |
| 2020 | 3,759 | 5,074 | 8,833 |
CWD tests in Polk County
| CWD year | Wild deer sampled | Positive |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (partial) | 32 | 0 |
| 2025 | 340 | 2 |
| 2024 | 265 | 2 |
| 2023 | 252 | 1 |
| 2022 | 174 | 0 |
| 2021 | 170 | 0 |
Bear numbers near Parker Creek Fishery Area
| Year | Total | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 187 | 84 | 103 |
| 2025 | 149 | 91 | 58 |
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 Parker Creek Fishery Area: more places to hunt
The big marker is Parker Creek Fishery Area. Smaller ones are its 10 closest neighbours. The neighbours add 852 acres between them.
| Nearby | Kind | Acres | Miles | Heading |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meadowlark | WPA | 22 | 0.2 mi | southeast |
| Parker Creek | WPA | 38 | 0.6 mi | west |
| Houghdahl-North | WPA | 92 | 1.0 mi | southeast |
| Houghdahl – South | WPA | 59 | 1.2 mi | south |
| Apple River (Remnant) | Fishery area | 27 | 1.6 mi | north |
| Spring Meadow State Habitat Area-Western Prairie Habitat Restoration Area | Habitat area | 169 | 2.6 mi | west |
| Suckut | WPA | 49 | 2.8 mi | southwest |
| Boe | WPA | 48 | 3.1 mi | southeast |
| Kobernick | WPA | 135 | 3.1 mi | east |
| Deer Park | Habitat area | 213 | 3.2 mi | south |
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.
Parker Creek Fishery Area: nearby towns and businesses
Town pages first, then shops, processors and DNR desks.
| Base town | County | Away | Residents | Public acres near |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clear Lake | Polk | 7.1 mi | 1,103 | 7,120 |
| Emerald | St. Croix | 14 mi | — | 4,756 |
| Osceola | Polk | 14 mi | 2,880 | 5,877 |
| Balsam Lake | Polk | 15 mi | 954 | 3,736 |
County-level hunting pages: Polk County.
Shops a short drive from Parker Creek Fishery Area
DNR desks closest to Parker Creek Fishery Area
Service center for Polk County business: DNR Spooner 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.
Parker Creek Fishery Area: nearest ranges
About 21 miles separates Parker Creek Fishery Area from Owen-Anderson Rifle Range, the nearest public map range. Nearby rod and gun clubs round out the list.
rifle on file
trap, rifle, archery, 3D archery, shotgun on file
trap, handgun, smallbore rimfire, archery, shotgun on file
From the DNR public range map and its map layer, checked October 19, 2026.
Shooting light at Parker Creek Fishery Area by date
At Parker Creek Fishery Area the offset is 20 minutes (Zone F). 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 | 6:15 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 92.41 W, checked October 19, 2026. Shooting hours for every county.
What people ask about hunting Parker Creek Fishery Area
Which DMU takes in Parker Creek Fishery Area?
Deer unit Polk; zone Central Farmland. The 2026 antlerless quota is 11,200 (Polk Central Farmland); use a public-access antlerless tag here.
Which species are hunted on Parker Creek Fishery Area?
Listed: ducks and geese, pheasants, ruffed grouse and raccoons, foxes and coyotes.
Which turkey zone is Parker Creek Fishery Area in?
Zone 4, one bird per spring authorization.
Which bear management zone holds Parker Creek Fishery Area?
Bear Zone D. Zone D took 2 preference points in 2026.
Is deer baiting legal near Parker Creek Fishery Area?
No: Polk County bans deer baiting and feeding. Wild deer with CWD are documented in Polk County.
What are the waterfowl zones for Parker Creek Fishery Area?
It sits in the Northern duck and Northern goose zones. In the Northern Zone the regular duck split begins Sep 26.
How do I register a deer from Parker Creek Fishery Area?
Through GameReg (online, phone or a station) by 5 p.m. the day after recovery.
Do I need blaze orange at Parker Creek Fishery Area?
In any open firearm deer season, wear blaze orange or pink on at least half your coat and cap.
Is all of Parker Creek Fishery Area open to hunting?
Yes, 1 of them, shown in the rules section.
Which Wisconsin license covers Parker Creek Fishery Area?
Go Wild sells everything needed; antlerless tags on public land must be public-access tags.
Which agency sets the rules on Parker Creek Fishery Area?
The Wisconsin DNR treats it as a DNR habitat area.
If Parker Creek Fishery Area is full, where next?
Within a short drive: Meadowlark Waterfowl Production Area (0 miles), Parker Creek Waterfowl Production Area (1 mile) and Houghdahl-North Waterfowl Production Area (1 mile).
Where do Parker Creek Fishery Area hunters spend the night?
Start from Clear Lake; the land is 7 miles off, in Polk County.
Check Parker Creek Fishery Area once more
Refuges, closed areas and park windows at Parker Creek Fishery Area can shift mid-season; the property page and the DNR map have the current picture.
Sources for this page: DNR: 1865parkercreek · DNR GIS · DNR: county · DNR GIS; regulations from the Fall 2026-Spring 2027 Wisconsin hunting regulations. Checked October 19, 2026.
Other photos on this page: USFWS Midwest Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0); Virginia State Parks staff (CC BY 2.0).