Metro Sub-Unit 101, Wisconsin

DMU 101 sits within the Superior Coastal Plain ecological landscape of Douglas County in far northwestern Wisconsin. Elevations across the unit are generally low and flat, ranging roughly from 600 to 1,000 feet above sea level, with the Lake Superior shoreline itself near 602 feet. The dominant cover is aspen-dominated boreal forest interspersed with stands of white spruce, balsam fir, and recovering conifers. Extensive red clay wetlands, bog complexes, and estuarine marshes characterize much of the lowland terrain, particularly along the St. Louis River estuary (a nationally designated National Estuarine Research Reserve), the Nemadji River corridor (with nearly 27,000 acres of wetland in its watershed alone), and the Lake Superior shoreline. Upland areas support mixed mesic hardwood forest on fertile, heavy clay soils that biologists note provide above-average nutrient availability for antler development. The 357.9-square-mile unit includes the city of Superior and its surrounding urban-suburban fringe, as well as large tracts of remote backcountry forest. Average annual snowfall runs 87 inches, with a short growing season of roughly 122 days.

Hunting pressure in DMU 101 is generally low to moderate by Wisconsin standards, reflecting the unit''s position in the remote Northern Forest Zone. The vast county forest and large MFL holdings spread hunters thin across the landscape, and backcountry parcels well off maintained roads see very little pressure even during the nine-day gun season. The city of Superior''s urban archery zone draws local bowhunters but operates under a permit system that controls numbers. The unit does not attract the same out-of-state traffic that southern Wisconsin farm country sees. Overall, a hunter willing to put in a mile or two on foot during gun season can find genuine solitude. Archery season pressure is lighter still, with the extended January 31 metro season drawing dedicated local bowhunters looking to target urban-edge deer through late winter.

DMU 101 is a Northern Forest Zone unit with limited antlerless opportunity compared to farmland units. For the 2026 season, the WDNR approved 180 bonus antlerless authorizations for public land and 120 for private land in DMU 101, available for purchase starting August 17 at $12 for residents and $20 for nonresidents. The adjacent Douglas-Superior Metro Subunit (the urban zone within and around the city of Superior) carries its own separate allocation of 200 public-land and 100 private-land bonus antlerless authorizations, also going on sale August 17. Hunters in the metro subunit may also request a free metro sub-unit antlerless harvest authorization if available in Douglas County. Any-deer tags (buck or antlerless) require purchasing one of these bonus authorizations; a base deer hunting license alone authorizes harvest of one antlered buck. There is no earn-a-buck requirement. Northern Forest Zone antlerless quotas reflect conservative population management given the lower deer density and harsh winters in this part of the state.

Deer seasons for 2025-2026: archery/crossbow September 13 through January 4 statewide, with the metro sub-unit extension running through January 31; youth gun hunt October 11-12; nine-day gun season November 22-30; muzzleloader December 1-10; statewide antlerless-only season December 11-14; antlerless-only Holiday Hunt December 24 through January 1. The 2026 season dates follow approximately the same framework (gun season opening November 21, 2026). Turkey hunting is available in Douglas County for both spring and fall seasons — spring turkey runs mid-April through late May with zone-specific permit drawing, and fall turkey runs concurrent with archery deer season from mid-September through early January. Ruffed grouse hunting is a notable draw in DMU 101: Douglas County maintains three designated Special Grouse Management Areas enrolled in the Ruffed Grouse Society''s program, including the 17,668-acre Spruce River GMA. Grouse season runs mid-September through late January in the Northern Zone. Waterfowl hunting for ducks and geese is available along the Lake Superior shoreline, St. Louis River estuary, and Nemadji River wetlands; the Northern Zone duck season typically opens in late September. Bear hunting is available in northern Wisconsin by drawing permit. Bear hunting is prohibited within the city limits of Superior. No CWD-positive wild deer have been detected in northwestern Wisconsin as of recent data, making this one of the few remaining CWD-free corners of the state.

DMU 101''s greatest asset is the sheer volume of accessible public land — 278,000 acres of county forest plus tens of thousands of MFL acres give hunters legitimate wilderness-style hunting within driving distance of the Twin Cities (about 2.5 hours) and Duluth. The fertile clay soils of the Superior Coastal Plain produce deer with above-average antler development relative to the northern forest norm, and the remote interior of the county forest holds mature bucks that rarely encounter hunting pressure. The St. Louis River bottomlands and Nemadji River corridor are particularly productive, concentrating deer movement along terrain pinches between river bends and wetland edges. Bowhunters enjoy the longest effective season of any hunters in the unit thanks to the metro sub-unit January 31 extension, which offers late-season opportunities on cold-stressed deer using agricultural edges and suburban feeders on the south side of Superior. The unit is also one of Wisconsin''s top grouse destinations, making it practical to combine a deer camp with exceptional upland bird hunting. No CWD has been detected in the area, so hunters face no mandatory testing, carcass transport restrictions, or baiting bans that complicate hunting in southern Wisconsin units.