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Rat River Wildlife Area

Rat River Wildlife Area

The state manages and owns the nearly 4,000-acre Rat River Wildlife Area is in Winnebago County. It is an extended, narrow property comprising two large segments and several smaller ones scattered along the Rat River, eventually flowing into the Wolf River.

Historically, the area was comprised of sedge meadows and marshes, and this area was important to local businesses, which cut the sedges annually to make "wiregrass" rugs, packing material, and livestock bedding. Today, much of the property is dominated by canary grass with a dense population of cattails. Some lowland forest types are found in the wildlife area, as are a few upland fields.

The Rat River WA was originally established as a Fishery Management property in 1963 and became a Wildlife property in 1978. Past management focused on waterfowl habitat, creating potholes, managing cattails to increase diversity, planting nesting cover in upland fields and cutting marsh hay to control woody encroachment.

Current management emphasizes maintaining swamp hardwoods and maintaining or restoring sedge meadows, marshes, and shrub swamps. Some hay cutting still occurs by permit and is used as a management tool for brush control and to provide migratory stopover habitat for waterfowl and shorebirds. 

You can find Rat River Wildlife Area north of Highways II and 110 between Winchester and Zittau. Parking areas are on North Loop Road, County Highway M, Hillcrest Road and Shady Lane.

Management Objectives

The Rat River Wildlife Area is managed to provide opportunities for public hunting, fishing, trapping and other outdoor recreation while protecting the qualities of the native communities and associated species found on the property. Current management objectives include maintaining the bottomland hardwood and swamp hardwood types and maintaining or restoring sedge meadow, emergent marsh and shrub-carr. Upland management objectives include maintaining and improving the grassland type on all sites and expanding grasslands using native grass and forbs. 

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

Recreation

The Rat River Wildlife Area offers many recreational opportunities.

  • Birding
  • Canoeing
  • Cross-country skiing (no designated trail)
  • Hiking (no designated trail)
  • Hunting (noted for deer, turkey and small game)
  • Kayaking
  • Snowmobiling trail
  • Trapping
  • Wild edibles/gathering
  • Wildlife viewing

Amenities

  • Bathroom - none.
  • Parking lot - there are eight parking areas throughout the property.
  • Campground and size - none.
  • Trails, Types and Lengths - non-designated only.
  • Other: approximately 1.3 miles of snowmobile trail traverse a portion of the property.

Maps

Download [PDF] a map of this property.

If you want to explore this property further, you can access an interactive map.

 

The Winnebago County Sheriff's Office has adopted this wildlife area.