Metro Sub-Unit 115, Wisconsin

DMU 115 covers roughly 858 square miles of northern Wisconsin big-woods terrain within portions of Price, Rusk, Sawyer, and Taylor counties. Topography is gently rolling to moderately hilly with elevations generally ranging from 1,200 to 1,700 feet. Land cover is dominated by mixed hardwood-conifer forest featuring aspen, red maple, northern red oak, white birch, balsam fir, and white spruce, interspersed with lowland alder thickets, sphagnum bogs, and tamarack swamps. Numerous small lakes, flowages, and streams including Chippewa River headwaters and tributaries of the Flambeau and Jump rivers provide water sources and natural travel corridors. Upland forest edges adjacent to logged-over stands and regenerating aspen cuts are prime deer habitat throughout the unit.

Pressure is low by Wisconsin standards. DMU 115 is classic big-woods habitat with no major population centers within the unit, and deer densities are lower than the agricultural farmland zones to the south. The nine-day gun season draws an influx of hunters from the Fox Valley, Twin Cities, and Milwaukee metro areas seeking the northern experience, with camp roads and forest lanes busy opening weekend. However, the sheer volume of public land means solitude is achievable with moderate effort. Archery and muzzleloader seasons see very light pressure overall. Overall rating: moderate during the nine-day gun season, low during all other seasons.

Every licensed Wisconsin deer hunter receives one any-deer harvest authorization valid statewide including this Northern Forest Zone unit. Bonus antlerless authorizations for DMU 115 are available for purchase starting August 17 at $12 for Wisconsin residents and $20 for nonresidents, with 1,000 public-land permits and 5,000 private-land permits allocated for 2026. There is no earn-a-buck requirement in effect — Wisconsin ended that program legislatively. Farmland antlerless authorizations are NOT valid in DMU 115; a Forest Zone-specific bonus antlerless tag is required for any antlerless deer beyond the authorization included with the base license. No free metro sub-unit antlerless tags apply to this unit.

Deer archery and crossbow season runs September 13 through January 4 (2025-2026 season dates). Youth deer hunt is October 11-12. The nine-day gun deer season opens November 22 and closes November 30. Muzzleloader season follows December 1-10, with a statewide antlerless-only season December 11-14. Wild turkey hunting is available in spring (April-May) with DNR zone draw permits required; fall turkey seasons also exist. Black bear hunting is a notable draw in the northern counties of this unit, with season running early September through mid-October under a separate license and quota system. Ruffed grouse and woodcock hunting is excellent in regenerating aspen habitat throughout the unit. Wood duck, mallard, teal, and diving duck hunting is available on the numerous lakes and flowages. CWD has not been detected in the Northern Forest Zone, making this unit attractive to hunters concerned about chronic wasting disease.

DMU 115 delivers a genuine north-woods deer hunting experience with unmatched public land access, minimal crowding outside of gun season, and deer that have seen comparatively little pressure compared to southern Wisconsin farmland units. The combination of Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, county forests across Price, Rusk, Sawyer, and Taylor counties, and scattered MFL-open parcels gives hunters enormous flexibility to explore without trespassing concerns. The unit's position within Wisconsin's primary bear range makes it one of the few places where a hunter can realistically combine a deer trip with bear, grouse, and waterfowl in the same week. Trophy buck potential is modest by Wisconsin standards — mature bucks exist but are difficult to pattern in dense continuous forest. Best strategy is to target fresh rubs and scrapes near aspen regeneration cuts and hardwood ridges during the November rut. Access tip: use the Wisconsin DNR public land viewer and mapping apps such as onX to identify MFL-open parcels, which are often overlooked and hold deer pushed from adjacent national forest by opening-day pressure.