Wildlife Areas
Wildlife Management Project Areas
- Central WI Grasslands Conservation Area
- SW WI Grassland & Stream Conservation Area
- Glacial Habitat
Restoration Areas - Western Prairie Habitat Restoration Area
Other Recreation Lands
- State Parks
- State Fisheries Areas
- State Natural Areas
- State Trails
- State Forests
- Forest Legacy Program
- County Parks and Forests
- State Parks & Trails Hunting Opportunities
- Wild Rivers
- Voluntary Public Access Program
- Interactive Map Viewer
Statewide Recreation Opportunities
Mud Lake Wildlife Area
Mud Lake Wildlife Area is approximately 4,500 acres and lies to the SW of Reeseville or NW of Watertown. From Watertown, travel west on Hwy 19, turn north on County Q. Turning west on County QQ and the property is accessible on Garden Road. Continuing north on County Q there are two access roads to enter the property located on Pit Road and Ranch Rd. Also from Hwy 19, turn north on County G and there are access signs and access parking lots along County G and also by turning east on Mud Lake Road.
You will find a diversity of habitat types at Mud Lake Wildlife Area. The Beaver Dam River runs through the heart of the property where it joins the Crawfish River at the southern portion. There are two large lakes, Mud and Chub Lakes. There is a mixture of forested bottomland hardwoods, forested upland hardwoods, grasslands and marsh.
These habitats provide for both game and non game species including deer, turkeys, waterfowl, pheasants, mourning doves. rabbits, squirrels, muskrats, otter, beaver, sandhill cranes, and woodland and grassland songbirds. The property provides for waterfowl, deer, turkey and other small game hunting opportunities. Wildlife watching opportunities are plentiful and can be accessed from any of the parking lots on the property.
Although you may encounter a wild pheasant, this property is stocked during the fall with pheasants raised at our state game farm in Poynette and also by conservation clubs enrolled in the Day Old Chick Program.
Management
Management Objective
Mud Lake Wildlife Area is a shallow wetland basin that was formed by the Wisconsin Glacier. First acquisition of this property as a wildlife area began in the late 1950’s.
As funding allows staff have been active in eliminating brush and trees that have encroached or taken over grasslands and wetlands. Recreating on the property you are likely to see large paths that have been mowed in the grasslands and that change annually. These are firebreaks that allow staff to conduct prescribed burns in a safe manner to encourage desired native vegetation and rejuvenate the grasslands.
For a complete list of resource management, development, and protection objectives, as well as public use management and development objectives, see Appendix D in the recently approved Glacial Heritage Area Feasibility Study, Master Plan and Environmental Impact Statement.
Recreation
The following recreational opportunities exist at Mud Lake Wildlife Area:
- Hunting - deer (Deer Management Unit 76A, turkey (Management Zone 2), pheasant (2pm closure rules apply), squirrel, rabbit, waterfowl.
- Trapping
- Hiking
- Pets (Note)
- Cross country skiing
- Bird watching
- Wildlife viewing
- Fishing
- Motorboating - There are two boat launches maintained on the property located at Garden and Ranch Rd Access sites.
- Canoeing
- Firewood Permits - We are trying to remove box elder along the roads/fencelines. There are also timber harvests scheduled in the future that leave tops. Contact the manager if you have an interest in obtaining permits. These are issued annually when available and on a first come, first serve basis.
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Map
Download [PDF 332KB] a map of this property.
Useful Links
For more information on Mud Lake Wildlife Area contact the property manager.
Questions for Wildlife Management
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