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Tom Lawin Wildlife Area

Tom Lawin Wildlife Area is a 3,156-acre property located 2 miles southeast of Jim Falls. Its boundaries lie within the towns of Anson and Arthur. There are access points on Highways K and S. The property is surrounded by private lands, so it is important that users know and respect the property boundaries.

The area consists of marsh, farmland, uplands and forest. The property lies in the transition zone between two ecological landscapes: the Forest Transition and the North Central Forest. Ground flora show characteristics of both northern and southern Wisconsin as this ecological landscape lies along the tension zone.

History

Originally called the Jim Falls Wildlife Area, the DNR leased hunting rights on 5,000 acres of private lands beginning in the 1950s. In 1991, the DNR began purchasing property in the area, establishing the Tom Lawin Wildlife Area. Since then, 2,388 acres have been purchased, and the department still leases 769 acres of private lands. In the recent past, 271 acres of wetlands on the state owned land have been restored. Agricultural fields have also been slowly removed from a sharecropping program and converted into warm season grasses and forbs. A total of 212 acres of grasslands have been restored so far. The overall objective is to establish a 4,520-acre wildlife area.

Management objective

Tom Lawin is a designated hen-rooster hunting area. Special leg tags are no longer required for hen-rooster hunting areas; hunters will still need a small game license and current Pheasant Stamp (required statewide). Hen and rooster pheasants are stocked weekly beginning the week before opening weekend through November.

DNR staff periodically mow and use controlled burning to maintain grassland habitat at Tom Lawin Wildlife Area for waterfowl nesting cover and a number of other upland birds.

For more information on master planning for this and other wildlife areas around the state, visit the property planning page.

Recreation

The Tom Lawin Wildlife Area offers many recreational opportunities:

  • Birding;
  • Cross-country skiing (no designated trail);
  • Hiking (no designated trail);
  • Horseback riding (on designated trail);
  • Hunting (especially noted for deer, waterfowl, turkey, pheasant [hen and rooster area] and small game);
  • Trapping;
  • Wild edibles/gathering; and
  • Wildlife viewing.

Maps

Download [PDF] a map of this property.

If you are interested in exploring this property further, you can access an interactive map.

Adopt a Fish or Wildlife Area

Find out more about how to adopt this wildlife area.