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Hunting at White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural Area
White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural Area, 748 acres in Green Lake County: zones and tags, property rules, county harvest and the land nearby.
Photo: wackybadger (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Getting to White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural Area
Parking, trailheads and gates near White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural Area
- Boat rampBoat ramp · 3.5 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.
White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural Area on one card
Hunters reach White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural Area in Green Lake County; it is a DNR-owned State Natural Area. This is northeast Wisconsin, in the DNR Northeast Region. Day-to-day it is in the hands of the Wisconsin DNR. Measured at 748 acres, it comes in 74th of 449 state natural areas. SNA number: 368. Location by survey: T17N-R11E, Sections 2, 11, 12, 13. Neshkoro is the nearest town with a guide on this site, about 3 miles away; the land lies east of it. It sits within White River Marsh Wildlife Area.
From the source page (WI DNR SNA parcel ownership GIS OWNER_ACRE_AMT, WDNR-owned parcels); region from the DNR county layer. Checked October 19, 2026.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural Area
Zones that take in White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural Area
White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural Area is Central Farmland deer country, unit Green Lake. Antlerless quota, 2026: 4,500. The Zone F bear quota for 2026 is 50, spread over 764 drawn permits. Zone 3 turkey numbers for 2025: 55,612 spring tags, 22% success. Wild deer with CWD have been confirmed in Green Lake County. Leave the corn at home; Green Lake County bans deer baiting.
Antlerless tags near White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural Area
| Unit | Zone | Quota 2026 | Bonus, public | Bonus, private | Farmland tags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green Lake | Central Farmland | 4,500 | 292 | 743 | 3 |
White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural Area: other game zones
| Zone | Detail | Numbers | More | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bear zone F | No hounds | 50 target, 764 permits | 1 point | 27 bears in 2025 |
| Turkey 3 | 55,612 spring tags (2025) | 22% success | 12,324 gobblers | 1,500 fall bonus |
| Ruffed grouse B | Oct 17–Dec 8 | 2 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 White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural Area
The managing agency's own text.
White River Prairie Tamaracks contains one of the largest tamarack bogs and one of the largest and least disturbed wet prairies remaining in Wisconsin. The tamarack bog contains a dense canopy of tamarack with an understory dominated by sphagnum moss with a sparse willow and dogwood component. Also present are paper birch and a small area of black spruce along the eastern edge of the site. Ground cover consists of many northern plant species such as yellow-blue bead lilies and three-leaved gold-thread.
Also present are marsh marigold, lake sedge, tussock sedge, bunchberry, bulbet water hemlock, marsh fern and round-leaved goldenrod. The low, wet prairie contains excellent flora with some fen aspects and is dominated by a great diversity of native species, none of which occupy more than 10% of any area. Some plants more typical of fens include sweet grass, shrubby cinquefoil and boneset. Grasses present are big blue-stem, blue-joint grass and prairie cord grass. Showy forbs include prairie blazing-star, Michigan lily, narrow-leaved loosestrife, wild bergamot, swamp milkweed, swamp saxifrage, spiderwort, culver's-root, golden alexanders, northern bedstraw and hoary vervain.
Quoted from the property page, retrieved 2026-10-19; checked October 19, 2026.
What White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural Area requires of hunters
White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural Area access terms
On DNR-owned natural area land you may hunt and trap unless signs say otherwise; NR 45 bars camping, vehicles, drones and plant collecting.
The rule book on White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural 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 White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural Area
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.
Where White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural Area sits in the larger property
White River Marsh Wildlife Area takes in White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural Area and 1 other unit.
Sibling pages of White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural Area
| Unit | Category | County | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| White River Sedge Meadow | State natural area | Green Lake | 3,103 |
What hunters pursue at White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural Area
Nothing narrows the game at White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural Area; all open seasons apply as long as the property rules are followed.
The Green Lake County season table below has 41 dated rows for that reason.
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.
White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural Area: opening and closing days
From bear baiting in September to the last spring turkey period, 41 season segments apply to White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural 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: Green Lake | 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 3/2 | Sep 12, 2026 | Jan 3, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring youth turkey hunt | Turkey Zone 3/2 | Apr 17, 2027 | Apr 18, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period A | Turkey Zone 3/2 | Apr 21, 2027 | Apr 27, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period B | Turkey Zone 3/2 | Apr 28, 2027 | May 4, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period C | Turkey Zone 3/2 | May 5, 2027 | May 11, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period D | Turkey Zone 3/2 | May 12, 2027 | May 18, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period E | Turkey Zone 3/2 | May 19, 2027 | May 25, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period F | Turkey Zone 3/2 | 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.
Green Lake County harvest near White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural Area
Deer registered in the Green Lake County unit, 2025: 4,589. The decade peaked at 4,690 in 2016 and bottomed at 3,790 in 2017. Through Oct. 19, 2026: 180 antlered and 168 antlerless in Green Lake (preliminary). CWD year 2025 brought 216 Green Lake County samples and 5 positives. Running total since 1999: 2,470 tested. No harvest is published for White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural Area itself, so the county unit is the finest level.
Registered deer in the White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural Area county unit
| Year | Antlered | Antlerless | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,948 | 2,641 | 4,589 |
| 2024 | 1,938 | 2,490 | 4,428 |
| 2023 | 1,780 | 2,301 | 4,081 |
| 2022 | 1,745 | 2,282 | 4,027 |
| 2021 | 1,696 | 2,263 | 3,959 |
| 2020 | 1,782 | 2,897 | 4,679 |
CWD tests in Green Lake County
| CWD year | Wild deer sampled | Positive |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (partial) | 16 | 1 |
| 2025 | 216 | 5 |
| 2024 | 263 | 11 |
| 2023 | 322 | 3 |
| 2022 | 304 | 0 |
| 2021 | 290 | 2 |
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 White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural Area: more places to hunt
The big marker is White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural Area. Smaller ones are its 10 closest neighbours. The neighbours add 4,560 acres between them.
| Nearby | Kind | Acres | Miles | Heading |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thorstead Creek (Remnant) | Fishery area | 12 | 6.9 mi | north |
| Princeton Prairie | State natural area | 131 | 7.1 mi | southeast |
| Bass Lake Fen | State natural area | 97 | 7.1 mi | northwest |
| Germania Marsh | Wildlife area | 2,413 | 7.2 mi | southwest |
| Puchyan Prairie | State natural area | 382 | 8.1 mi | southeast |
| Germania Wet Prairie | State natural area | 102 | 8.1 mi | southwest |
| Comstock Bog-Meadow | State natural area | 655 | 8.9 mi | southwest |
| Snake Creek Fen | State natural area | 18 | 9.0 mi | southeast |
| Mecan River Pine Oak Forest | State natural area | 142 | 9.5 mi | west |
| Lunch Creek Wetlands | State natural area | 608 | 9.6 mi | northwest |
Points from the DNR managed lands, SNA, county forest, FWS realty, USFS, NPS and DoD layers (WI DNR State Natural Areas parcel ownership GIS (centroid of WDNR-owned parcels) (polygon centroid)). Straight-line distances. Statewide public land map.
White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural Area: nearby towns and businesses
Town pages first, then shops, processors and DNR desks.
| Base town | County | Away | Residents | Public acres near |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neshkoro | Marquette | 3.2 mi | 410 | 23,536 |
| Princeton | Green Lake | 7.3 mi | 1,270 | 17,836 |
| Wautoma | Waushara | 10 mi | 2,371 | 15,214 |
| Green Lake | Green Lake | 13 mi | 1,043 | 9,769 |
County-level hunting pages: Green Lake County.
Shops a short drive from White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural Area
DNR desks closest to White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural Area
Service center for Green Lake County business: DNR Oshkosh 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.
Where to sight in near White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural Area
About 11 miles separates White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural Area from Berlin Conservation Club, the nearest public map range. Nearby rod and gun clubs round out the list.
rifle, handgun, trap, skeet, sporting clays on file
sporting clays, 5-stand, archery, 3D archery, muzzleloader on file
From the DNR public range map and its map layer, checked October 19, 2026.
Shooting light at White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural Area by date
At White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural Area the offset is 8 minutes (Zone C). 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 | 6:03 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 89.15 W, checked October 19, 2026. Shooting hours for every county.
What people ask about hunting White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural Area
Which turkey zone is White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural Area in?
Zone 3, one bird per spring authorization.
Which bear management zone holds White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural Area?
Bear Zone F. Zone F took 1 preference point in 2026.
Is deer baiting legal near White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural Area?
No: Green Lake County bans deer baiting and feeding. Wild deer with CWD are documented in Green Lake County.
What are the waterfowl zones for White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural Area?
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 White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural Area?
Through GameReg (online, phone or a station) by 5 p.m. the day after recovery.
Do I need blaze orange at White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural Area?
In any open firearm deer season, wear blaze orange or pink on at least half your coat and cap.
If White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural Area is full, where next?
Within a short drive: Thorstead Creek Fishery Area (Remnant) (7 miles), Princeton Prairie State Natural Area (7 miles) and Bass Lake Fen State Natural Area (7 miles).
Which Wisconsin license covers White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural Area?
Go Wild sells everything needed; antlerless tags on public land must be public-access tags.
Which agency sets the rules on White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural Area?
The Wisconsin DNR treats it as a DNR-owned State Natural Area.
Which property holds White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural Area?
The parent is White River Marsh Wildlife Area.
Where do White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural Area hunters spend the night?
Start from Neshkoro; the land is 3 miles off, in Green Lake County.
What acreage is listed for White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural Area?
Roughly 748 acres.
Which DMU takes in White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural Area?
Deer unit Green Lake; zone Central Farmland. The 2026 antlerless quota is 4,500 (Green Lake); use a public-access antlerless tag here.
Check White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural Area once more
Refuges, closed areas and park windows at White River Prairie/Tamaracks State Natural Area can shift mid-season; the property page and the DNR map have the current picture.
Sources for this page: DNR: WhiteRiverPrairieTamaracks · DNR GIS · DNR: StateNaturalAreas; regulations from the Fall 2026-Spring 2027 Wisconsin hunting regulations. Checked October 19, 2026.
Other photos on this page: fishhawk (CC BY 2.0); Viktor Rucký (CC0 1.0).