Hunting & Fishing

The Prairie Enthusiasts is neutral on the subjects of hunting and fishing. We neither promote nor discriminate against hunting or fishing.

 

Pond at Shea Prairie by Joshua Mayer

Hunting & Fishing

Pond at Shea Prairie by Joshua Mayer

The Prairie Enthusiasts is neutral on the subjects of hunting and fishing. We neither promote nor discriminate against hunting or fishing.

All of The Prairie Enthusiasts properties in Wisconsin are open to fishing when it is done in compliance with State regulations and licensing requirements. For information on properties in Illinois, check with the Illinois chapter.

The Prairie Enthusiasts recognizes the value of hunting as a useful management tool, and therefore we permit its use on our lands where we deem it is necessary to control overabundant or problem species. The Prairie Enthusiasts also allows hunting where we deem it not to be in conflict with the goals and uses of a given property. There are a number of conditions that must be adhered to before hunting may occur on any The Prairie Enthusiasts property. View The Prairie Enthusiasts’s complete policy on hunting and fishing. Hunting on The Prairie Enthusiasts lands is restricted to only certain properties, and the type of hunting that is allowed varies from site to site. A permit or reservation system may be required to hunt on some sites for some species. See below for a listing of sites where hunting is allowed, for what species, and under what conditions.

Note: the allowed use of dogs in hunting is NOT uniform across all sites on which hunting is allowed.  For example, some sites may allow dogs for pheasant hunting but not for rabbit or coyote hunting.

Where Can You Hunt on a Site Owned by The Prairie Enthusiasts?

Click the sites on the left or find a location near you using the map.

Alexander Oak Savanna 

Location: Pierce County, Wisconsin, Town of River Falls
Habitat: Oak savanna and woodland
Species that may be hunted: All legal species
Permit Details: no permit or reservation required

Butenhoff Prairie 

Location: Green County, Wisconsin, T1N/R12E
Habitat: Grassland and brush
Species that may be hunted: All legal species
Permit Details: No permit or reservation is required

Erbe Grassland 

Location: Dane County, Wisconsin, T6N/R6E
Habitat: Grassland, cropland, brushland, and woods (Site Map)
Species that may be hunted: All legal species
Permit Details: No permit or reservation is required

Handrick Grassland 

Location: Dane County, Wisconsin
Habitat: Grassland (Site Map)
Species that may be hunted: All legal species
Permit Details: No permit or reservation is required

Kalscheur Oak Savanna 

Location: Iowa County, Wisconsin, T4N/R5E
Habitat: Open woods, brush, and grassland (Site Map)
Species that may be hunted: All legal species
Permit Details: 

  • White-Tailed Deer: Gun Season: Permit & Reservation Required. Hunting application deadline: September 19. Complete the application HERE.
  • White-Tailed Deer: Bow, Crossbow and Muzzleloader Seasons; No permit or reservation required
  • Wild Turkey: spring seeason only; no perrmit or reservation required

Contact: Kristin Westad by email or by phone 608-341-6713

Parrish Oak Savanna 

Location: Dane County, Wisconsin, T7N/R6E, Sec 29
Habitat: Mostly wooded
Species that may be hunted: All legal species
Permit Details: 

  • White-tailed deer: all seasons, permit and reservation required.
    • Deadline to apply is September 19
  • All other legal species: all legal seasons; no permit or reservation required

Contact: Kristin Westad by email or by phone 608-341-6713.

Smith-Reiner Drumlin Prairies 

Location: Dane County, Wisconsin, Christiana Township 
Habitat: Grassland
Species that may be hunted: Ring-necked pheasant, white-tailed deer
Permit Details: All legal seasons; no permit or reservation is required

Sylvan Road 

Location: Iowa County, Wisconsin
Habitat: Oak woods, wet grassland and brush (Site Map)
Species that may be hunted: All legal species
Permit Details: Registration required. TPE requires the WDNR Customer ID Number and hunter’s vehicle identity and license plate number.

Contact: Tom Hunt by email or 608-630-0099

Borah Creek Prairie 

Location: Grant County, Wisconsin, T5N/R3W
Habitat: Mostly grassland and cropland with some woods and brush
Species that may be hunted: All legal species
Permit Details: No permit or reservation required

Double Oak Savanna 

Location: Grant County, Wisconsin, Town of Millville
Habitat: Grassland, oak savanna and woodland
Species that may be hunted: All legal species
Permit Details: No permit or reservation is required

Feist Prairie 

Location: Grant County, Wisconsin, Section 27 
Habitat: Grassland
Species that may be hunted: All legal species
Permit Details: no permit or reservation required

Hauser Road Prairie 

Location: Dane County, Wisconsin, 3 miles north of Waunakee, on Hauser Road off Madigan Rd
Habitat: Grassland
Species that may be hunted: All legal species
Permit Details: no permit or reservation required

Mounds View Grassland (Shea Property*, A-Z Farm, Schurch-Thomson Property, and Hanley Farm**)

Location: Iowa County, Wisconsin
Habitat: Grassland, cropland, brushland, wetlands and woods
Species that may be hunted: 
Permit Details: 

  • White tailed deer: bow, crossbow and muzzleloader seasons; no permit required
  • White-tailed deer: Rifle and shotgun seasons; permit required
  • Ring-necked Pheasant: All legal seasons; no permit required
  • Wild Turkey: All legal seasons; no permit required
  • Waterfowl: All legal seasons; no permit required
  • Rabbit, squirrel and racoon (at Shea Prairie only): All legal seasons; no permit required

To apply for permits:

Contact: Kristin Westad by email or 608-341-6713

Pleasant Valley Conservancy 

Location: Dane County, Wisconsin, T7N/R6E
Habitat: Oak woodlands, savanna, grassland and wetland (Site Map)
Species that may be hunted: White-tailed deer
Permit Details: Bow season and all gun seasons; permission required

Contact: Kathie Brock by email or 608-238-5050

Thomas Tract 

Location: Iowa County, Wisconsin, T6N/R5E, Sec 8
Habitat: Open farmland (Site Map)
Species that may be hunted: All legal species
Permit Details: No permit or reservation is required

Briggs Wetland 

Location: Rock County, Wisconsin, T1N/R12E
Habitat: Grassland, wetland, and brush
Species that may be hunted: All legal species
Permit Details: No permit or reservation required

Eldred Prairie 

Location: Grant County, Wisconsin, T4N/R2W
Habitat: Grassland, woodland, and brushland
Species that may be hunted: All legal species
Permit Details: No permit or reservation is required

Foxglove Savanna 

Location: Sauk County, Wisconsin, T8N/R5E
Habitat: Oak savanna/woodland
Species that may be hunted: Turkey, white-tailed deer
Permit Details: 

  • White-tailed deer: bow season, all gun seasons; permission required
  • Wild Turkey: spring season only; permission required

 

Contact: Info@ThePrairieEnthusiasts.org to request permission

Iltis Savanna 

Location: Green County, Wisconsin, T3N/R8E
Habitat: Oak savanna and woodland
Species that may be hunted: All legal species
Permit Details: No permit or reservation is required

Muralt Bluff Prairie 

Location: Green County, Wisconsin 
Habitat: Grassland and oak woodland
Species that may be hunted: All legal species
Permit Details: no permit or reservation required

Rattlesnake Ridge 

Location: Iowa County, Wisconsin
Habitat: Grassland and oak woodland (Site Map)
Species that may be hunted: All legal species
Permit Details: No permit or reservation is required

Swenson Bluff Prairie 

Location: Iowa County, Wisconsin
Habitat: Mostly grassland with some woods and brush
Species that may be hunted: All legal species
Permit Details: No permit or reservation is required

Thomas Wet Prairie 

Location: Grant County, Wisconsin, T7N/R1W
Habitat: Grassland and wetland
Species that may be hunted: All legal species
Permit Details: No permit or reservation is required

Sugar River Savanna 

Location: Dane County, Wisconsin, T6N/R8E
Habitat: Oak savanna/woodland and wetland
Species that may be hunted: Wild Turkey, white-tailed deer
Permit Details: 

  • Wild Turkey: Spring season only; permission required
  • White-tailed deer: bow season; permission required
  • White-tailed deer: all gun seasons: permission required

Contact: Info@ThePrairieEnthusiasts.org to request permission.

Hear from Ben Siebers who hunted at Hanley Savanna:

 

I wanted to take a moment to thank you so much for the opportunity to hunt Hanley Farm this season.  Myself, along with my hunting partners, had a truly special experience. Hunting the grassland was an amazing experience for my group.  For us, the chance to enjoy a gun season together in this place was so special.  Not being landowners, it was unique for us to be able to enjoy the solitude of the open prairie and to prepare for a hunt to transpire according to our own plan. It was also a unique experience to hunt such open country in the Midwest—an experience typically reserved only for those who travel west. I will certainly never forget watching my buck appear in the open grasses, as if conjured from thin air.   The open vistas of golden grasses and endless stars in the pre-dawn hours will be forever imprinted on my mind, as will the sun rises – complete with wild pheasants crowing, and sunsets accompanied by turkeys roosting in the oaks nearby.  Watching the prairie go to sleep for the winter under a blanket of snow has been equally as spectacular. Thank you for the important work you do in protecting and restoring such a beautiful ecosystem.