Burnett County, Wisconsin · 30,000 acres
Crex Meadows Wildlife Area Hunting 2026: Species & Access
Crex Meadows Wildlife Area covers 30,000 acres near Grantsburg in Burnett County. A sandy glacial-lakebed landscape of wetlands, pine/oak barrens and brush prairie — the bed of ancient Glacial Lake Grantsburg — including two state natural areas (Crex Sand Prairie, Reed Lake Meadow) and marshes of sedge meadow and emergent wild rice. More than 100,000 visitors a year make it Wisconsin's most-visited wildlife area.
01 — What you can hunt here
| Species | Notes |
|---|---|
| Waterfowl | Draws heavily on the emergent marsh and wild rice habitat. |
| Deer, bear and turkey | All present and huntable across the 27,600 acres open to hunting. |
| Small game | General small-game hunting across the open portion of the property. |
| Furbearers | Trapping covers nearly every furbearer species found in Wisconsin. |
02 — Access rules specific to this WMA
- A standard Wisconsin hunting license covers hunting here — no separate Crex Meadows permit.
- 27,600 of the property's 30,000 acres are open to hunting and trapping under statewide rules.
- Two accessible deer hunter blinds and one accessible waterfowl blind are available for hunters with disabilities.
03 — Where this WMA differs from the statewide rules
- A 2,400-acre refuge is closed to the public year-round for any activity — not seasonal, permanent.
04 — Facilities
Camping: Seasonal only, Sept. 1–Dec. 31, at the rest area — first-come first-served, no hookups, no designated sites. No shooting range on-site.
A Wildlife Education and Visitor Center anchors the property (sales, exhibits, classrooms, library), plus a 20-target archery walk-through course, an 80-acre dog-training area, three named overlooks (Riegel, Malmquist, Wallen), and a trail network including a boardwalk section on the Hay Creek trail.
05 — Where to go next
Crex Meadows is Wisconsin's biggest wildlife area and by visitor count its most popular, but the permanent 2,400-acre refuge — closed to literally everyone, not just hunters — is the boundary to know before scouting: it's not a seasonal waterfowl-rest closure like some other states run, it's off-limits year-round. Outside that refuge, 27,600 acres run under ordinary Wisconsin license rules with no extra area permit, which is part of why it draws over 100,000 visitors a year across hunting, birding and paddling alike.
Wisconsin hunting license costs and permits →
Verified · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources · Last verified 2026-08-09
Publisher's note. Read from Wisconsin DNR, retrieved 2026-08-09. Review due 2027-08-01. WMA-specific rules and closures can change between seasons — confirm before you hunt.