Metro Sub-Unit 114, Wisconsin

Metro Sub-Unit 114 occupies Rock County in south-central Wisconsin within the Southern Farmland Zone, covering roughly 437 square miles of glacially sculpted landscape. Elevations range from about 731 feet along the Rock River at the Illinois border to approximately 1,080 feet in the glaciated moraines of the northwest, with most of the county averaging near 873 feet. The northern third features rolling hills, kettles, and glacial moraines deposited by the last ice age; the southern portions flatten into outwash plains and gently rolling terrain. The Rock River bisects the county north to south and is the dominant water feature, with lakes and ponds concentrated in the glaciated north. Land cover is a mosaic of row-crop agriculture dominated by corn and soybeans, urban and suburban development around Janesville and Beloit, riparian hardwood corridors along the Rock River and Turtle Creek, scattered wetland pockets in glacial depressions, and remnant woodlots. This fragmented agricultural and urban landscape is classic Southern Farmland Zone whitetail habitat supporting dense deer populations year-round.

Hunting pressure in Metro Sub-Unit 114 is moderate to high overall, with significant variation by land type and season. Urban and suburban fringe parcels around Janesville and Beloit draw concentrated bowhunter activity during early archery season as hunters work backyard woodlots and agricultural edges close to population centers. Nine-day gun season pressure is partly constrained by municipal firearms discharge ordinances within city and village limits, which push hunters toward rural agricultural edges and public WMAs. Lima Marsh-Storrs Lake WMA and Avon WMA see the heaviest foot traffic during the November gun season. Bowhunters who secure private landowner permission on agricultural boundaries or target less-traveled WMA corners find comparatively light pressure. The extended late-season archery opportunity through January 31 draws additional hunters on high-density suburban parcels after gun season ends.

Metro Sub-Unit 114 falls within Wisconsin's Southern Farmland Zone in Rock County. For 2026, Rock County metro sub-unit hunters receive 5 free metro antlerless harvest authorizations included with each deer hunting license; bonus private land authorizations (300 total pool) and public land authorizations (100 total pool) are available for purchase at $12 resident or $20 non-resident, with Southern Farmland Zone bonus sales beginning August 19. Farmland Zone antlerless authorizations issued with a standard license are valid throughout the entire DMU including the metro sub-unit. No earn-a-buck requirement applies; hunters may take an antlered buck without first harvesting an antlerless deer. Any-deer hunting is permitted during archery and gun seasons with appropriate tags. CWD is confirmed in Rock County wild deer and on captive deer farms in the county; mandatory deer harvest reporting is required and whole carcass transport outside the CWD Management Zone is restricted. Voluntary CWD testing is strongly encouraged.

Deer season in Metro Sub-Unit 114 for 2025: archery and crossbow September 13 through January 4, 2026, with the metro sub-unit extended archery season continuing through January 31, 2026; youth deer hunt October 11-12; nine-day gun season November 22-30; muzzleloader December 1-10; statewide antlerless-only hunt December 11-14; holiday antlerless hunt December 24-January 1, 2026 in select farmland counties. For fall 2026: archery September 12 through January 3, 2027 (extended to January 31, 2027 in metro sub-units); gun November 21-29; muzzleloader November 30-December 9; metro sub-unit gun season runs through December 9. Wild turkey is available with spring seasons (periods A through F, April through May) and a fall statewide season September 13-November 21. Ring-necked pheasant season opens October 18, with DNR stocking at select WMAs including Lima Marsh; wild pheasant populations are sparse in urbanized Rock County. Waterfowl hunting on the Rock River and wetland pockets includes ducks (Southern Zone: October through December) and Canada geese, which are abundant year-round; regular goose season runs September 16-December 16. Cottontail rabbit, gray squirrel, and other small game seasons run through late winter. CWD mandatory check stations operate during gun and muzzleloader seasons.

Metro Sub-Unit 114 offers a unique bowhunting opportunity driven by extremely dense suburban deer populations that see relatively light early-season archery pressure. Urban corridor bucks along the Janesville and Beloit residential fringe receive minimal hunting pressure because most hunters lack access to prime suburban parcels; hunters who secure landowner permission on agricultural-residential boundaries can encounter some of the best trophy whitetail opportunity in southern Wisconsin. The Rock River and Turtle Creek riparian corridors are natural rut funnel highways, concentrating buck movement in November. Five free antlerless authorizations per license make this an outstanding unit for hunters focused on filling the freezer. Lima Marsh-Storrs Lake WMA (2,864 acres) is the top public-land option for bowhunters, offering marsh edges, prairie strips, and hardwood timber adjacent to row-crop agriculture. The extended metro archery season through January 31 provides meaningful added opportunity after gun pressure pushes deer into heavy cover. CWD is confirmed in Rock County; hunters should voluntarily submit harvested deer for testing and observe carcass transport restrictions out of the CWD zone.