Metro Sub-Unit 126, Wisconsin

DMU 126 occupies roughly 1,348 square miles of the Northern Forest Zone across portions of Forest, Langlade, Marinette, and Oconto counties in northeastern Wisconsin. Elevation is low-relief, generally ranging from 1,000 to 1,700 feet above sea level across gently rolling glaciated terrain shaped by moraines, eskers, and kettle lakes. Dominant land cover is mature mixed northern forest -- sugar maple, basswood, and yellow birch on mesic upland ridges, transitioning to aspen and paper birch on slopes, with extensive conifer swamps of balsam fir, spruce, tamarack, and northern white cedar in poorly drained lowlands. The unit is laced with waterways including the upper Peshtigo River, Oconto River headwaters, and Wisconsin River tributaries, along with hundreds of lakes, peat bogs, and alder swales. Scattered logging cuts and second-growth aspen regeneration break the continuous canopy and provide critical edge habitat. Agricultural land is essentially nonexistent; deer rely on natural browse, mast crops, and aspen regeneration for forage.

Hunting pressure in DMU 126 is low to moderate overall, concentrated sharply along main forest roads and near established access points during the nine-day gun season. The sheer size of the unit -- 1,348 square miles of mostly public land -- absorbs hunters readily, and anyone willing to hike even a half mile from a road finds effectively zero competition in the interior. Road hunting from trucks is the dominant strategy during gun season, which means interior clearcuts, cedar swamps, and areas accessible only on foot or by ATV trail receive almost no pressure through the season. Archery and muzzleloader seasons see very light overall participation. CWD has been detected at lower levels in the northeastern forest zone compared to south-central Wisconsin, which attracts hunters from more heavily CWD-affected areas seeking cleaner northern deer.

Antlerless authorizations in DMU 126 are purchased as bonus harvest authorizations rather than included with the base deer hunting license. For the 2026 season, WDNR made 1,735 public land authorizations and 3,180 private land authorizations available for sale beginning August 17 at 10 a.m. Cost is $12 for residents and $20 for nonresidents ($5 for hunters under age 12). There is no drawing requirement -- authorizations are sold first-come, first-served until the supply is exhausted or the season ends. Public land authorizations are valid only on designated public lands within the unit; private land authorizations cover eligible private lands. No earn-a-buck requirement applies. Any-deer tags are available to all license holders; buck tags come with the standard deer hunting license.

Deer seasons in DMU 126 follow the Northern Forest Zone calendar: archery and crossbow opens September 12 through January 3; the youth gun hunt runs October 10-11; the nine-day gun season is November 22-30; muzzleloader runs December 1-10; and a statewide antlerless-only hunt follows December 11-14. All hunters with a valid antlerless harvest authorization may take antlerless deer during any of these seasons. Beyond deer, DMU 126 supports excellent multi-species hunting. Wild turkey spring seasons follow WDNR Zone 3 structure; fall turkey is available through archery. Ruffed grouse and American woodcock seasons overlap archery deer season from mid-September through December. Black bear seasons overlap with early archery (a separate bear license required). River corridors and lakes through the unit support waterfowl hunting during October and November teal and duck seasons. CWD surveillance is ongoing but the unit remains largely free of detected CWD compared to south-central Wisconsin.

The greatest draw of DMU 126 is the sheer expanse of contiguous public land available to hunters at no extra cost beyond a license and antlerless authorization. The Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest (Nicolet side) covers over 660,000 acres, and county forests in all four counties add hundreds of thousands more -- creating a rare opportunity for a genuine wilderness deer hunt in the Midwest. Road hunters concentrate on the main corridors, so pushing even a half mile into any interior marsh, ridge, or cedar swamp means hunting deer that rarely see a person. The 2025 habitat-based DMU restructuring placed DMU 126 on an improved management footing, and the proportion of bucks aged 2.5 years and older has been gradually improving as more hunters pass on yearlings. Combining archery deer season with ruffed grouse and woodcock hunting in the same trip is a legitimate multi-species value that few Great Lakes units can match. Access tip: download the WDNR Public Access Lands layer into a mapping app before your trip -- much of the best interior habitat sits on county forest two-tracks that do not appear on standard road maps.