Metro Sub-Unit 105, Wisconsin

Madeline Island sits in Lake Superior''s Chequamegon Bay at the base of the Apostle Islands archipelago, covering 22.9 square miles at low elevation (roughly 600-700 feet above sea level) with gently rolling to moderately steep terrain. The island is dominated by northern hardwood forest — sugar maple, yellow birch, red oak, paper birch, and aspen make up the primary canopy, with scattered hemlock and occasional white pine throughout. Cedar and hemlock swamps occupy low-lying areas particularly in the north end of the island. Wet boggy pockets are common, especially on north-facing slopes and in the interior. Much of the present forest regenerated after a major slash fire in 1910, producing a mix of mature second-growth timber and younger stands. The Lake Superior shoreline provides miles of edge habitat. No significant rivers cross the island, though numerous small wetland drainages feed toward the lake.

Hunting pressure on Madeline Island is among the lowest of any Wisconsin deer unit, inherently limited by the ferry crossing requirement and the island''s small permanent population (approximately 430 year-round residents). The nine-day gun season draws modest numbers — hunters must coordinate ferry schedules, bring all gear across the water, and arrange lodging or camping on the island. Big Bay State Park''s campground provides a base for hunters willing to plan ahead. The preserve''s no-motorized-vehicle rule means still-hunting on foot is the only option on those lands. Overall, the island sees a fraction of the pressure typical of comparable northern Wisconsin mainland units, and encounters with other hunters are uncommon outside the immediate La Pointe village area.

DMU 105 operates independently from Ashland County for antlerless permit purposes. For the 2026 season, the WDNR allocated 60 bonus antlerless harvest authorizations for public land and 60 for private land, with permits going on sale August 17, 2026 at 10 a.m. through GoWild. Permits cost $12 for residents, $20 for nonresidents, and $5 for hunters under age 12. Notably, DMU 105 maintained its antlerless permit allocation even for the 2024 season when Ashland County proper went to bucks-only following a string of deep-snow winters that suppressed mainland deer numbers — suggesting the island herd is managed on its own trajectory. Any-deer buck tags are included with a standard Wisconsin deer license for the nine-day gun season. Bonus antlerless permits are sold on a first-come, first-served basis and are not drawn. Farmland antlerless authorizations are not applicable here as DMU 105 is a Northern Forest Zone unit.

Deer season dates for the 2025-2026 season: archery and crossbow September 13 to January 4, 2026; youth gun hunt October 11-12; general firearms November 22-30; muzzleloader December 1-10; antlerless-only (gun and bow) December 11-14. The Holiday Hunt (antlerless, December 24 to January 1) applies to select Farmland Zone counties and does not apply to DMU 105. Big Bay State Park allows archery deer hunting from October 15 through the Sunday nearest January 6. Wild turkeys are not established on Madeline Island and no turkey permits are issued for DMU 105. Black bear and ruffed grouse may technically occur on the island but bear hunting is prohibited on Madeline Island Wilderness Preserve lands and the island does not hold a meaningful bear or grouse hunting tradition. Waterfowl opportunities exist along the Lake Superior shoreline and wetland edges during early waterfowl seasons. The island has no CWD detection history as of the most recent WDNR surveillance data.

Madeline Island is one of Wisconsin''s most distinctive deer hunting settings — a Lake Superior island hunt that feels genuinely remote despite being reachable by a 25-minute ferry ride from the picturesque town of Bayfield. The combination of a self-contained island deer herd, consistent antlerless permit availability (60 public/60 private even in down years), minimal competition from other hunters, and spectacular north-country scenery makes this unit stand apart from anything else in the state. Hunters who plan around the ferry schedule and book Big Bay State Park camping early can run an archery or gun hunt with real solitude. The northern hardwood forest structure — mature maple-birch canopy over an open understory typical of older second-growth — creates excellent stand-hunting conditions when deer are working mast crops. Buck quality is an open question given the small population and limited antler aging data, but the low pressure environment means mature deer are less conditioned to hunting activity than on the mainland. The island''s winter isolation also means the post-rut and muzzleloader window can be highly productive as deer concentrate on limited food sources. Getting there is half the adventure: the ferry runs regular service through the fall season, and watching Lake Superior from the bow while hauling your gear to a deer camp is a memory worth the extra logistics.