Metro Sub-Unit 110, Wisconsin

Metro Sub-Unit 110 sits within Waukesha County, part of Wisconsin''s Southeast Glacial Plains ecological landscape. The terrain is rolling and glacially shaped, characterized by kames, kettle holes, eskers, and outwash plains formed by the ancient Green Bay and Lake Michigan ice lobes. The prominent Kettle Moraine ridge runs through the county from north to south, creating the roughest topography in the sub-unit with elevation changes of 100 to 200 feet between kettle depressions and moraine highs. Surrounding the moraine, the landscape flattens into intensely farmed glacial till plains. Land cover is dominated by agricultural cropland at roughly 58 percent, with deciduous woodlots of maple, basswood, oak, and lowland hardwoods making up around 11 percent. Wetlands are extensive at 12 percent of the landscape, including marshes, sedge meadows, and forested lowlands along the Fox River, Bark River, and Mukwonago River corridors. Suburban sprawl and residential development are significant throughout the county, fragmenting habitat into small woodlot patches bordered by subdivisions, golf courses, and agricultural fields.

Hunting pressure in Metro Sub-Unit 110 is moderate to high, reflecting the dense human population of Waukesha County and its proximity to the Milwaukee metropolitan area. Public land parcels such as Kettle Moraine Southern Unit see concentrated pressure from bowhunters during the archery season and firearm hunters during the nine-day gun season, with popular parking areas filling early on opening weekend. Private land within the sub-unit tends to receive less pressure due to limited access, but well-managed private farms along the moraine edges attract dedicated local hunters. The suburban nature of much of the unit means many hunters operate on small woodlots of 5 to 40 acres, often with strict noise and safety constraints. Hunter density increases during the November rut and the nine-day gun season. Late-season archery hunting through January 31 sees lighter pressure on remaining public parcels. Overall this is not a wilderness-style low-pressure unit; expect other hunters on public land and plan accordingly.

Metro Sub-Unit 110 falls within the Southern Farmland Zone, so antlerless deer harvest authorizations operate on a county-based farmland system rather than the numbered-unit drawing system used in forest zones. Hunters can obtain antlerless tags through several routes: (1) free Farmland Zone Antlerless Deer Harvest Authorizations valid throughout the entire Waukesha County DMU including the metro sub-unit, available upon license purchase; (2) bonus antlerless authorizations for Waukesha County at $12 resident, $20 nonresident, $5 youth, purchasable through GoWild when available; (3) free Metro Sub-Unit Antlerless Deer Harvest Authorizations specific to Waukesha County metro sub-units when quotas allow, also through GoWild. A standard deer hunting license allows harvest of one antlered buck statewide. There is no earn-a-buck requirement in Waukesha County. Antlerless authorization availability varies by year based on population goals; check dnr.wi.gov or GoWild before the season for current quota status. CWD carcass transport restrictions apply as Waukesha County is a CWD-affected county with approximately 1.3 percent positivity rate as of 2026 testing data.

White-tailed deer is the primary game species. For the 2026 season, archery and crossbow runs September 12 through January 3, 2027 statewide, with the extended metro sub-unit archery season running through January 31, 2027. Youth and disabled gun season is October 10-11. The nine-day general firearm season runs November 21-29. Muzzleloader season runs November 30 through December 9. A 4-day December antlerless hunt runs December 10-13, and the holiday antlerless hunt runs December 24 through January 1, 2027. All firearm hunting within the metro sub-unit is subject to local municipal ordinances; many suburban parcels restrict firearms entirely, making bowhunting the dominant method. Wild turkey hunting is available in Waukesha County during spring and fall seasons. Waterfowl hunting is available along the Fox River, Bark River, and associated wetland complexes. Ring-necked pheasant and ruffed grouse are present in low numbers in brushy edge habitat. CWD-positive deer have been detected in Waukesha County; hunters are required to have harvested deer tested if hunting in affected zones and must comply with carcass transport restrictions.

Metro Sub-Unit 110 offers an underrated hunting opportunity for Milwaukee-area hunters who lack the time or resources to travel to more rural parts of the state. The Kettle Moraine Southern Unit provides 22,000 acres of diverse glacial terrain with excellent deer habitat at the intersection of hardwood ridges, wetland corridors, and agricultural edge — classic whitetail country. The sub-unit''s dense deer population, driven by abundant suburban food sources including agricultural fields, ornamental plantings, and food plots on private land, produces large-bodied deer and an occasional mature buck that has evaded hunting pressure by living in semi-suburban woodlots. The extended archery season through January 31 is a genuine advantage not available in most parts of the state, giving bowhunters nearly five months of legal opportunity. The holiday antlerless hunt from December 24 to January 1 is a unique late-season firearm opportunity. Access to private land through written permission or lease can yield excellent hunting on lightly pressured parcels. Hunters willing to put in scouting time using aerial imagery and the Waukesha County hunting lands GIS portal can identify overlooked public parcels and pinch points along the Kettle Moraine that funnel deer movement. Trophy buck potential is modest compared to Buffalo or Dane counties but genuine mature bucks do exist in the sub-unit''s larger woodlot complexes.