Cylon Wildlife Area
Cylon Wildlife Area is a 2,621-acre property located in St. Croix County and was established in 1975. The property consists of two separate units with the majority of the acreage on the southern unit. The northern unit consists of 228 acres owned by the DNR, with an additional 279 acres protected for public use under perpetual easements.
This property was chosen as a Wildlife area due to its uniqueness of being one of the last remaining large tract of wild land in St. Croix County. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources set an acreage goal for Cylon WA of 2,980 acres and is still working on reaching this goal by purchasing land from willing sellers. The public land forming the project's nucleus is at the confluence of the North Fork of the Willow River and Black Brook stream, eight miles of the river along with one mile of stream flow through the property. The Cylon Wildlife Area is located in the Western Prairie Ecological landscape and is part of the Prairie Pothole Conservation Opportunity Area in the Wisconsin Wildlife Action Plan.
The property provides great opportunities for hunting deer, bear, grouse, turkey and other small game. There are also many trapping opportunities as well as fishing, hiking, and wildlife viewing.
North Unit: Find it from State Highway 46 (Deer Park) and go East on 222nd Ave for one mile. This will be the NW corner of the Cylon Wildlife Area and is marked with a wooden kiosk.
South Unit: Find it from State Highway 46 (Deer Park): Go east on County Road H for 2.5 miles, then head north on 235th Street for 0.5 miles, then east again on 235th Avenue, which is a dead-end road to the parking area.
Management Objectives
The property is managed to provide opportunities for public hunting, trapping, wildlife observation and other nature-based outdoor recreation. Management objectives include restoring temporary and seasonal wetlands, protection of the ecological gradient from lowlands to uplands along the floodplain corridor, perpetuation of the aspen type through timber sales and control of invasive species.
Recreation
The Cylon Wildlife Area offers many recreational opportunities.
- Birding
- Cross-country skiing (no designated trail)
- Falconry (by permit)
- Fishing (minimal)
- Hiking (no designated trail)
- Hunting (noted for deer, turkey, grouse, bear, waterfowl, pheasant and small game)
- Snowshoeing
- Trapping
- Wild edibles/gathering
- Wildlife viewing
Amenities
- Bathroom - none.
- Parking lot - many parking areas are available on this property.
- Campground and size - none.
- Trails, Types and Lengths - non-designated only.
Maps
Download [PDF] a map of this property.
If you are interested in exploring this property further, you can access an interactive map.
Find out more about how to adopt this wildlife area.