Metro Sub-Unit 109, Wisconsin

DMU 109 occupies roughly 775 square miles of Northern Wisconsin forest spanning Rusk, Sawyer, and Washburn counties. Elevations are generally modest, ranging from around 1,000 to 1,600 feet, with glacially sculpted topography of rolling hills, kettles, drumlins, and glacial lake basins. The land cover is dominated by northern mixed forest — aspen, birch, red maple, sugar maple, yellow birch, and scattered jack pine and spruce lowlands. Extensive alder and tag-alder swamps line the numerous river drainages including the Flambeau River system. The Flambeau River itself cuts through the unit, creating bottleneck travel corridors favored by deer. Interspersed agricultural clearings and logging cuts in the county forest provide critical early-season browse and edge habitat that concentrate deer movement.

Hunting pressure in DMU 109 is low to moderate — well below Wisconsin''s agricultural-zone benchmarks. The sheer size of public land relative to hunter numbers means it is easy to find solitude, especially midweek or on days with marginal weather. Gun season brings an influx of cabin-country hunters in November, creating a traditional Northwoods camp culture around the nine-day season, but the forest absorbs the pressure well and mature bucks routinely survive multiple seasons here. Archery season is notably uncrowded. The remote interiors of the Flambeau River State Forest and large county forest blocks see the lightest pressure. Hunting near road-accessible logging roads draws more hunters but pushes deer deeper into mature timber, rewarding those willing to hike in.

DMU 109 falls under the Northern Forest Zone antlerless tag framework. For 2026, bonus antlerless harvest authorizations are available for purchase in DMU 109 (bonus antlerless were available in all units except DMU 116 statewide). Forest Zone bonus antlerless sales open August 18 at a cost of $12 for residents and $20 for nonresidents, available one per person per day via the GoWild licensing system until sold out. Public land and private land authorizations are tracked separately with distinct quotas; DMU 109 had 3,200 public land and 6,000 private land bonus authorizations available in 2026. Antlerless quota levels are set annually by the local Citizen Deer Advisory Council (CDAC) and can shift year to year based on population objectives — check GoWild before the season for current availability. Resident deer hunting licenses include antlerless authorizations for Farmland Zone units; Forest Zone hunters typically rely on purchased bonus tags for antlerless harvest.

Deer seasons for DMU 109 follow the statewide Forest Zone calendar. Archery and crossbow runs September 12 through January 3, 2027, with an extended archery opportunity through January 31 in select areas. The youth and disabled gun hunt is October 10-11. The nine-day gun deer season opens November 21-29. Muzzleloader season follows November 30 through December 9. A four-day antlerless-only hunt runs December 10-13 in qualifying units. The holiday hunt (December 24 through January 1) is available in select Farmland Zone counties but not standard for Forest Zone units. Wild turkey hunting is available in the spring season (late April through May) with fall turkey hunting in designated units. Black bear hunting is a significant draw in this part of Wisconsin, with the unit encompassing prime bear habitat. Ruffed grouse populations fluctuate with aspen stand age cycles but can be excellent in years of high numbers. Waterfowl hunting is available on the Flambeau River system and scattered lakes and flowages throughout the unit.

DMU 109 delivers one of Wisconsin''s best combinations of vast public land, low hunting pressure, and genuine mature buck potential. The three-county footprint means it is nearly impossible to run out of fresh ground — hunters can walk into thousands of acres of untracked county and state forest that sees only a handful of boots per season. The Flambeau River corridor is a standout feature: mature bucks use river crossings and the dense floodplain timber as sanctuary, making morning setups on river-adjacent benches and pinch points highly productive during the rut. Early archery hunters targeting agricultural edges near county forest blocks find good deer movement before the November pressure begins. The unit is not a high-harvest numbers unit — antlerless quotas are managed conservatively compared to southern farmland zones — but the buck-to-doe ratio tends to be healthier and age structure older than in heavily pressured units. Hunters willing to commit to a two- or three-day backpack hunt in the Flambeau River State Forest interior or the deep Washburn County forest blocks stand a realistic chance at a 3.5-plus-year-old buck. Turkey hunters can combine a spring hunt with scouting for the fall deer season. Budget for black bears if eligible — the northern forest is prime habitat.