Metro Sub-Unit 124, Wisconsin

DMU 124 encompasses roughly 775 square miles of classic Northern Forest terrain across portions of Florence, Forest, Oneida, and Vilas counties in Wisconsin's upper Northwoods. Elevation ranges from about 1,400 to 1,900 feet across gently rolling glacial topography sculpted by the last ice age. The landscape is dominated by mixed northern hardwood forests of sugar maple, yellow birch, and basswood interspersed with hemlock and white pine stands on uplands, transitioning to aspen, jack pine, and alder in lowlands. Wetlands, sphagnum bogs, and sedge meadows are abundant throughout. The unit is laced with lakes — Vilas County alone has more than 1,300 named lakes — and threaded by rivers including the Wisconsin, Pine, Brule, and Popple, all of which create classic travel corridors for whitetails moving between hardwood ridges and marshy lowlands.

Hunting pressure in DMU 124 is low to moderate overall, spiking sharply during Wisconsin's nine-day gun deer season in mid-November when deer camps fill across all four counties. The vast interior of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest and the deep county forests absorb hunters well, and anyone willing to walk more than a half mile from a forest road will find genuinely light competition. Archery season is very quiet — bowhunters in the northern forest zone are rare and the woods feel empty from September through October. Muzzleloader and late seasons also see low pressure. The gun season itself brings the traditional Wisconsin deer camp crowd with family groups anchoring known stands on forest openings year after year. Public land road-hunters and remote backpacking bowhunters co-exist without much conflict, and wilderness-level solitude is within easy reach for anyone willing to put in the legwork.

DMU 124 operates under the Wisconsin Northern Forest Zone tag system, which means no free antlerless authorizations are included with your base deer hunting license. Hunters must purchase bonus antlerless deer harvest authorizations specific to this unit. For the 2026 season, the WDNR has set a quota of 650 public land antlerless authorizations and 800 private land antlerless authorizations available for purchase beginning August 17, 2026 through the GoWild system or licensed sales agents. Buck harvest requires only the base deer hunting license and is available statewide without a separate tag — any buck may be taken with a valid license during the applicable season. No earn-a-buck requirement applies. Antlerless quota availability has varied year to year as the Citizen Deer Advisory Councils for Oneida and Vilas counties have periodically adjusted doe harvest recommendations in response to population surveys and hunter input, with some recent seasons tightening quotas in sub-areas showing lower-than-desired population trends.

Deer archery and crossbow season opens September 12 and runs through January 3. The nine-day gun deer season runs November 21 through November 29. Youth and mentored hunt weekends occur in early October. Muzzleloader season follows the nine-day gun season in December. Beyond deer, DMU 124 is prime black bear territory — Forest, Florence, and Oneida counties consistently produce large bears and quota-based bear tags are available through the WDNR drawing system. Ruffed grouse hunting is outstanding in the aspen regeneration stands and alder thickets throughout all four counties, with the season running September 13 through January 31. Wild turkey inhabits the hardwood ridges with spring and fall seasons. Snowshoe hare are present throughout the boreal fringe areas. Waterfowl hunting on the numerous lakes and rivers can be excellent. No CWD (chronic wasting disease) has been documented in Florence or Vilas counties, and Forest and Oneida counties are in zones with substantially lower CWD prevalence than southern Wisconsin, making this a genuinely low-risk area.

DMU 124 offers one of Wisconsin's most immersive public land deer hunting experiences — a contiguous multi-million-acre block combining Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, multiple county forest systems, and the Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest that is nearly unmatched in the upper Midwest for sheer walkable acreage. The unit is CWD-free or very low risk, preserving the tradition of full meat utilization without herd disease concerns. Trophy buck potential is real for patient hunters who commit to scouting remote ridges and river-bottom travel corridors — northern Wisconsin bucks grow large frames and older age classes emerge where pressure stays low. The lake country setting means the same trip can include exceptional grouse, bear, and waterfowl hunting alongside deer. Productive stand locations include forest openings near regenerating clear-cuts, lake-edge points adjacent to hardwood ridges, and river crossings used as natural travel corridors. For first-time visitors, downloading Vilas County public hunting unit maps and the Chequamegon-Nicolet MVUM before the trip is essential for navigating the extensive road network efficiently.