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Prairie Flats – North Waterfowl Production Area for Wisconsin hunters
A hunter's summary of Prairie Flats – North Waterfowl Production Area in St. Croix County: zones and quota, rules, CWD numbers and local help.
Photo: aarongunnar (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Getting to Prairie Flats – North Waterfowl Production Area
Parking, trailheads and gates near Prairie Flats – North Waterfowl Production Area
- Boat rampBoat ramp · 2.3 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.5 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.0 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.0 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.4 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.5 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.5 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.6 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.
Prairie Flats North Waterfowl Production Area: record card
Prairie Flats – North Waterfowl Production Area: a federal waterfowl production area, located in St. Croix County. Region on record: the DNR West Central Region. The Fish and Wildlife Service writes the rules on the ground. The 219 acres on record put it 35th of the 103 waterfowl production areas we list. Base town: Somerset, some 5 miles away. St. Croix Wetland Management District is the larger unit around it.
From the source page (FWS Realty GIS acres (SUM_GISACRES) for the unit); region from the DNR county layer. Checked October 19, 2026.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around Prairie Flats – North Waterfowl Production Area
Prairie Flats North Waterfowl Production Area deer unit, quota and game zones
The deer unit is St Croix, in the Central Farmland zone. The 2026 antlerless quota for that unit is 3,500. For black bear this is Zone D, where hounds are legal; 3,855 permits for 2026. Turkey hunting falls under Zone 4, which had 34,997 spring permits in 2025. St. Croix County sits under the DNR deer baiting and feeding ban.
The deer unit around Prairie Flats North Waterfowl Production Area
| DMU | Deer zone | Antlerless quota | Public-land bonus | Private-land bonus | Free tags per license |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Croix | Central Farmland | 3,500 | 494 | 1,496 | 2 |
Bear, turkey and bird zones at Prairie Flats North Waterfowl Production Area
| Zone | Rule | Numbers | Extra | 2025 result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bear D | With hounds | 1,100 target, 3,855 permits | 2 points | 931 bears in 2025 |
| Wild turkey 4 | 34,997 spring tags (2025) | 24% success | 8,472 gobblers | 1,500 fall bonus |
| Grouse zone A | Sep 12–Jan 3 | 5 a day | ||
| Ducks | Northern | Sep 26–Nov 24 | ||
| Geese | Northern | Sep 16–Dec 16 | ||
| Wolf zone 6 | Closed | Federally endangered |
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.
Rules on the ground at Prairie Flats North Waterfowl Production Area
Entry terms for Prairie Flats North Waterfowl Production Area
Hunt waterfowl, upland game and big game here under state seasons, unless posted; remove all equipment at day's end. Oak Ridge WPA (420 acres) is deer-only in fall; posted parts of St. Croix Prairie and Prairie Flats-South WPAs are closed.
Wisconsin rules that follow you to Prairie Flats North Waterfowl Production Area
During any firearm deer season, everyone hunting except waterfowlers wears blaze orange or fluorescent pink on at least half the clothing above the waist, and on half of any cap. GameReg registration is due by 5 p.m. the day after you recover the animal.
Prairie Flats North Waterfowl Production Area: licenses and tags
Go Wild carries every license. For antlerless deer on public ground, use a public-access tag for the right DMU.
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.
Game and bag limits at Prairie Flats North Waterfowl Production Area
Ducks and geese, whitetails, wild turkeys, pheasants, squirrels, cottontails and hares and raccoons, foxes and coyotes, per the property record.
Ducks and geese
White-tailed deer
Wild turkey
Pheasant
Small game
Furbearers
Other legal game follows the St. Croix County season table below.
Species from the property record (species named by the source); bag limits from the DNR regulations. Checked October 19, 2026.
Every Prairie Flats North Waterfowl Production Area season on one table
Private and public land share these dates. A state park, refuge or Fort McCoy can close sooner, so read the property page before you go.
| Animal | Segment | Scope | Starts | Ends | Open 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 | 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.
Prairie Flats North Waterfowl Production Area and the land it belongs with
Parent property: St. Croix Wetland Management District, which has 46 listed parts.
The rest of St. Croix Wetland Management District
| Page | Type | County | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rock Creek | WPA | Dunn | 672 |
| Oak Ridge | WPA | St. Croix | 632 |
| Ten Mile | WPA | St. Croix | 516 |
| Prairie Flats – South | WPA | St. Croix | 501 |
| Betterly | WPA | St. Croix | 485 |
| Erickson | WPA | St. Croix | 476 |
| Bass Lake | WPA | St. Croix | 423 |
| Stanton Prairie | WPA | St. Croix | 353 |
| Deer Park | WPA | St. Croix | 351 |
| Kostka | WPA | St. Croix | 350 |
| Red Cedar | WPA | Dunn | 336 |
| Star Prairie | WPA | St. Croix | 312 |
| Bierbrauer | WPA | St. Croix, Polk | 275 |
| Three Lakes | WPA | St. Croix | 249 |
| Clapp | WPA | St. Croix | 239 |
Harvest numbers for the country around Prairie Flats North Waterfowl Production Area
2025 in St. Croix County: 2,261 bucks, 2,597 antlerless, 4,858 in all. Range since 2016: 3,825 to 4,858 deer a year. The DNR sampled 132 deer from St. Croix County in 2025; 0 had CWD. 0 positives overall, from 1,431 deer. In 2025, St. Croix County produced 31 registered bears. Figures are for the whole county unit, not Prairie Flats North Waterfowl Production Area alone; the DNR does not report harvest by property.
St. Croix County unit harvest
| Season | Bucks | Does and fawns | Registered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
CWD samples, St. Croix County
| Year | Tested | Positive |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (partial) | 7 | 0 |
| 2025 | 132 | 0 |
| 2024 | 119 | 0 |
| 2023 | 78 | 0 |
| 2022 | 94 | 0 |
| 2021 | 80 | 0 |
Bears registered in St. Croix County
| Season | Bears | Boars | Sows |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
Bed, fuel and a butcher near Prairie Flats North Waterfowl Production Area
Where to sleep, where to buy shells, where to drop off a deer.
| Town | County | Miles | Population | Public land nearby |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Somerset | St. Croix | 5.5 mi | 3,382 | 12,025 |
| Osceola | Polk | 9.0 mi | 2,880 | 5,877 |
| Houlton | St. Croix | 12 mi | — | 6,454 |
| St. Croix Falls | Polk | 15 mi | 2,310 | 3,497 |
Season and zone pages by county: St. Croix County.
Who processes a deer from Prairie Flats North Waterfowl Production Area
Where to ask about Prairie Flats North Waterfowl Production Area
Licenses and questions for St. Croix County go through the 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.
Prairie Flats North Waterfowl Production Area and nearby public ground
Prairie Flats North Waterfowl Production Area at the big pin; the nearest 10 public places around it. Combined, 2,926 acres are on record.
| Public land | Type | Acres | Distance | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple River Canyon | State natural area | 183 | 5.7 mi | southwest |
| New Richmond | Habitat area | 77 | 6.1 mi | southeast |
| St. Croix Islands | Wildlife area | 1,244 | 6.3 mi | southwest |
| St. Croix Islands | State natural area | 852 | 6.4 mi | southwest |
| Star Prairie Seed Farm | Habitat area | 58 | 6.9 mi | east |
| Bierbrauer | Habitat area | 69 | 7.0 mi | east |
| Oak Ridge State Habitat Area-Western Prairie Habitat Restoration Area | Habitat area | 196 | 7.4 mi | east |
| Wagon Landing Statewide Spring Pond | Fishery area | 69 | 7.5 mi | northeast |
| Spring Meadow State Habitat Area-Western Prairie Habitat Restoration Area | Habitat area | 169 | 8.4 mi | east |
| Osceola Creek | Wildlife area | 9 | 9.1 mi | northwest |
Points from the DNR managed lands, SNA, county forest, FWS realty, USFS, NPS and DoD layers (FWS National Realty FWSInterest_Simplified_Authoritative (unit centroid) (polygon centroid)). Straight-line distances. Statewide public land map.
Shooting-hour table for Prairie Flats North Waterfowl Production Area
Two tables cover the state, one for the Northern Area and one for the Southern Area, each for Zone A. West of 88 degrees you add 4 minutes per degree of longitude.
| Date | Why it matters | Northern Area | Southern Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 92.63 W, checked October 19, 2026. Shooting hours for every county.
Shooting ranges near Prairie Flats – North Waterfowl Production Area
The DNR-map range closest to Prairie Flats – North Waterfowl Production Area is Hudson Rod Gun and Archery Club (15 miles). Club ranges within 30 miles are included.
rifle, handgun, archery, trap, skeet 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.
Before-the-trip answers for Prairie Flats North Waterfowl Production Area
Which public land sits closest to Prairie Flats North Waterfowl Production Area?
Apple River Canyon State Natural Area (6 miles), New Richmond Wildlife Area (6 miles) and St. Croix Islands Wildlife Area (6 miles), each with a page here.
What does Prairie Flats North Waterfowl Production Area belong to?
A piece of St. Croix Wetland Management District.
Is Prairie Flats North Waterfowl Production Area DNR, county or federal ground?
A federal waterfowl production area; the manager is the Fish and Wildlife Service.
Is Prairie Flats North Waterfowl Production Area a big property?
219 acres in the source data.
Which town works as a base for Prairie Flats North Waterfowl Production Area?
St. Croix County; Somerset, the nearest town we cover, is 5 miles away.
Which species does the record give for Prairie Flats North Waterfowl Production Area?
Ducks and geese, whitetails, wild turkeys, pheasants, squirrels, cottontails and hares and raccoons, foxes and coyotes, plus any other season open in the county.
What deer tags work on Prairie Flats North Waterfowl Production Area?
It is in St Croix (Central Farmland). This year the antlerless quota is 3,500.
How hard is a bear permit for Prairie Flats North Waterfowl Production Area?
Zone D; hounds may be used there.
Which zone do I apply for to hunt turkeys at Prairie Flats North Waterfowl Production Area?
Zone 4. Success in 2025 was 24%.
Which goose zone is Prairie Flats North Waterfowl Production Area in?
Ducks follow the Northern zone, Canada geese the Northern zone. Opening day for Northern Zone ducks is Sep 26.
Can I bait deer at Prairie Flats North Waterfowl Production Area?
No bait or feed in St. Croix County. No CWD-positive wild deer are on record for the county.
When does orange apply at Prairie Flats North Waterfowl Production Area?
Pink counts the same as orange: 50% above the waist in firearm deer seasons.
Does a Prairie Flats North Waterfowl Production Area deer go into GameReg?
By 5 p.m. the following day, through GameReg; bears also go to a station or online the same way.
Signing off on Prairie Flats North Waterfowl Production Area
Gates, refuges and open areas at Prairie Flats North Waterfowl Production Area are the manager's call; confirm them before opening day.
Sources for this page: FWS realty layer · USFWS: hunting · USFWS: st croix wetland management district · eCFR: section 32.68; regulations from the Fall 2026-Spring 2027 Wisconsin hunting regulations. Checked October 19, 2026.
Other photos on this page: USFWS Mountain-Prairie (CC BY 2.0); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Region (Public domain).