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Iowa County, Wisconsin
Smith-Conley Creek State Habitat Area: the hunter's file
Deer unit Iowa, bear and turkey zones, closures, licenses and the nearest towns and services.
Photo: Aaron Volkening (CC BY 2.0)
Getting to Smith-Conley Creek State Habitat Area
Key facts for Smith-Conley Creek State Habitat Area
Smith-Conley Creek State Habitat Area is a DNR state wildlife area in Iowa County. The DNR files it under its South Central Region (south-central Wisconsin). Management sits with the Wisconsin DNR. Acreage: 10, which places it 275th of 285 state wildlife areas. The closest covered town is Blanchardville, around 10 miles off as the crow flies.
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 Smith-Conley Creek State Habitat Area
Smith-Conley Creek State Habitat Area by zone and unit
Deer: Southern Farmland zone, Iowa. 3,000 antlerless deer: the 2026 quota for the unit. Bear hunters here apply for Zone F: 764 applied for 2026 and 764 permits went out. In Zone 1 turkey hunters held 64,574 spring tags in 2025 (spring 2027 levels are not out yet). CWD-positive deer have been recorded in Iowa County; free testing is offered statewide. Baiting and feeding deer are banned in Iowa County.
DMU figures for Smith-Conley Creek State Habitat Area
| Unit | Deer zone | Quota | Public-access bonus | Private bonus | Farmland per license |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa | Southern Farmland | 3,000 | 650 | 2,000 | 1 |
Smith-Conley Creek State Habitat Area zone table
| Zone | Setting | Data | Also | Last season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bear zone F | No dogs | 50 target, 764 permits | 1 point | 27 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 | Southern | Oct 3–Oct 11 Oct 17–Dec 6 | ||
| Goose | Southern | Sep 16–Oct 11 Oct 17–Dec 6 Dec 19–Jan 2 | ||
| Wolf 6 | No hunt | Endangered status |
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.
Access, closures and licenses for Smith-Conley Creek State Habitat Area
Smith-Conley Creek State Habitat Area: open to whom, and how
Open to public hunting and trapping in state seasons with the right Wisconsin licenses. Posted refuges and closed areas are off limits, and the NR 45 state land rules apply.
Orange, stands and GameReg at Smith-Conley Creek State Habitat Area
Bowhunters too: when a gun deer season is on, 50% of the coat and hat must be orange or pink, unless you are hunting waterfowl. A ground blind on DNR property needs 144 sq in of orange or pink during gun deer seasons. South of Hwy. 64 every stand and blind leaves with you; north of it, two portable stands per county may stay out Sept. 1-Jan. 31. Use GameReg (online or 844-426-3734) before 5 p.m. the day after the harvest.
Tags and licenses for Smith-Conley Creek State Habitat Area
Licenses sell on Go Wild. On public land, antlerless deer need a public-access authorization for the unit.
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.
Which animals Smith-Conley Creek State Habitat Area lists
The agency names no particular game for Smith-Conley Creek State Habitat Area: all open seasons apply, within the property rules.
The Iowa County dates (39 rows) follow.
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.
Which seasons are open in Smith-Conley Creek State Habitat Area
Deer dates are statewide in Wisconsin; bear, turkey, grouse, cottontail and waterfowl dates follow zone lines, so only the rows for Smith-Conley Creek State Habitat Area are listed.
| Species | Season | Where it applies | Opens | Closes | Today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| Black bear | Bear, Class A draw | Bear Zone E/F | 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 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.
Smith-Conley Creek State Habitat Area: county harvest and CWD tests
Hunters registered 2,948 deer in the Iowa County unit in 2025: 1,578 bucks and 1,370 antlerless. High year on the chart: 2018 at 5,424; low year: 2025 at 2,948. Preliminary 2026 count to Oct. 19: 168 in Iowa. Iowa County CWD testing (2025): 170 positives out of 724 samples. Cumulative total 4,732 positives in 54,695 tests. Harvest and CWD figures cover Iowa County as a whole.
Iowa County deer by year
| Year | Buck | Antlerless | Deer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,578 | 1,370 | 2,948 |
| 2024 | 1,555 | 1,465 | 3,020 |
| 2023 | 1,879 | 1,654 | 3,533 |
| 2022 | 1,731 | 1,919 | 3,650 |
| 2021 | 1,780 | 1,963 | 3,743 |
| 2020 | 2,325 | 3,085 | 5,410 |
Testing for CWD, Iowa County
| Year | Deer tested | CWD positive |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (partial) | 34 | 12 |
| 2025 | 724 | 170 |
| 2024 | 694 | 175 |
| 2023 | 885 | 243 |
| 2022 | 934 | 264 |
| 2021 | 1,047 | 324 |
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.
Smith-Conley Creek State Habitat Area pinned among its neighbours
Map of Smith-Conley Creek State Habitat Area and the 10 nearest public places. That is 9,674 acres of public ground.
| Area | Category | Acreage | Distance | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ridgeway Pine Relict | State natural area | 542 | 6.1 mi | northwest |
| Military Ridge | State trail | 518 | 6.1 mi | northeast |
| Love & Strutt Creeks | Fishery area | 578 | 6.8 mi | northwest |
| Blue Mound | State park | 1,162 | 7.0 mi | northeast |
| Trout Creek (Iowa County) | Fishery area | 953 | 8.4 mi | north |
| York Prairie | State natural area | 145 | 10.0 mi | southeast |
| Pine Cliff | State natural area | 23 | 10 mi | northwest |
| Governor Dodge | State park | 5,278 | 11 mi | northwest |
| Cox Hollow Streambank Protection Area | Habitat area | 124 | 11 mi | northwest |
| Perry-Primrose Grasslands (Southwest Grassland and Stream Conservation Area) | Wildlife area | 351 | 11 mi | east |
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.
Towns, processors and DNR desks near Smith-Conley Creek State Habitat Area
Start with a town, then line up a cooler, a butcher and a mount.
| Town | County | Miles off | People | Public acres (10 mi) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blanchardville | Lafayette | 9.9 mi | 827 | 5,562 |
| Dodgeville | Iowa | 10 mi | 5,077 | 8,926 |
| Arena | Iowa | 15 mi | 894 | 13,858 |
| Mazomanie | Dane | 17 mi | 1,769 | 10,420 |
For the wider county picture: Iowa County.
Venison, mounts and ammo near Smith-Conley Creek State Habitat Area
Smith-Conley Creek State Habitat Area: agency contacts
County service center: DNR Fitchburg Service Center (608-275-3266).
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.
Smith-Conley Creek State Habitat Area: nearest ranges
Yellowstone Shooting Range in Lafayette County is the nearest DNR-map range, 13 miles out. Two nearby club ranges follow.
rifle, handgun, archery, shotgun on file
archery, 3D archery on file
trap, sporting clays, archery, 3D archery, shotgun on file
From the DNR public range map and its map layer, checked October 19, 2026.
First and last legal minute at Smith-Conley Creek State Habitat Area
Deer, bear, elk, small game and fall turkey: 30 minutes before sunrise until 20 minutes after sunset. Ducks, geese, doves and spring turkey: same start, done at sunset.
| Date | Season moment | Northern Area | Southern Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 12, 2026 | Bow, turkey, grouse opener | 6:03 a.m. to 7:35 p.m. | 6:05 a.m. to 7:34 p.m. |
| Oct 17, 2026 | Pheasant and duck dates | 6:47 a.m. to 6:29 p.m. | 6:46 a.m. to 6:32 p.m. |
| Nov 1, 2026 | Early November | 6:08 a.m. to 5:05 p.m. | 6:05 a.m. to 5:09 p.m. |
| Nov 21, 2026 | Gun deer opener | 6:36 a.m. to 4:42 p.m. | 6:31 a.m. to 4:48 p.m. |
| Dec 1, 2026 | Muzzleloader week | 6:48 a.m. to 4:36 p.m. | 6:43 a.m. to 4:43 p.m. |
| Dec 24, 2026 | Holiday Hunt opener | 7:07 a.m. to 4:38 p.m. | 7:01 a.m. to 4:46 p.m. |
| Jan 3, 2027 | Archery close (most units) | 7:09 a.m. to 4:47 p.m. | 7:03 a.m. to 4:54 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 C offset of 8 minutes for longitude 89.93 W, checked October 19, 2026. Shooting hours for every county.
Questions hunters raise about Smith-Conley Creek State Habitat Area
Which bear permit zone holds Smith-Conley Creek State Habitat Area?
F. You need a Class A license from the drawing.
How many turkey permits go to the Smith-Conley Creek State Habitat Area zone?
Turkey Zone 1. 64,574 spring tags were issued there in 2025.
What waterfowl dates apply at Smith-Conley Creek State Habitat Area?
Duck zone: Southern; goose zone: Southern. Southern Zone ducks open Oct 3, 2026-27.
Can I put out corn for deer at Smith-Conley Creek State Habitat Area?
Not here: Iowa County is under the ban. CWD has been found in wild deer in Iowa County.
How much orange do I wear at Smith-Conley Creek State Habitat Area?
During any firearm deer season: 50% of your outer clothing above the waist and 50% of any cap, blaze orange or pink. Waterfowl hunters are exempt.
When must I register a turkey from Smith-Conley Creek State Habitat Area?
Deer: online, phone or station by 5 p.m. next day. Turkeys: online or phone only.
Which tags work on Smith-Conley Creek State Habitat Area?
No special permit for most of it; buy the license on Go Wild and carry public-access antlerless tags.
Is there other public ground around Smith-Conley Creek State Habitat Area?
By straight-line distance: Ridgeway Pine Relict State Natural Area (6 miles), Military Ridge State Trail (6 miles) and Love & Strutt Creeks (7 miles).
What type of property is Smith-Conley Creek State Habitat Area on the record?
It is a DNR state wildlife area, managed by the Wisconsin DNR.
What size is Smith-Conley Creek State Habitat Area on the record?
About 10 acres.
What is the nearest town to Smith-Conley Creek State Habitat Area?
Base in Blanchardville, 10 miles away; the ground is in Iowa County.
Which species are allowed at Smith-Conley Creek State Habitat Area?
There is no species list. Any season open in the county works here within the rules.
What is the antlerless quota at Smith-Conley Creek State Habitat Area?
Iowa, part of the Southern Farmland zone. Antlerless goal for 2026: 3,000.
Smith-Conley Creek State Habitat Area: one more look before the drive
Signs on the ground beat any web page. Read the posted boundaries at Smith-Conley Creek State Habitat Area when you arrive.
Sources for this page: DNR GIS; regulations from the Fall 2026-Spring 2027 Wisconsin hunting regulations. Checked October 19, 2026.
Other photos on this page: Fort McCoy (Public Domain Mark 1.0); USFWS/Southeast (CC BY 2.0).