Metro Sub-Unit 206, Wisconsin

Metro Sub-Unit 206 sits on a predominantly flat to gently rolling glacial outwash plain in Juneau County at elevations of roughly 900 to 1,100 feet above sea level. Sandy soils support a mixed forest canopy of jack pine and red pine (approximately 48 percent of Juneau County Forest), scrub and northern red oak (23 percent), aspen (13 percent), and oak-hickory stands on better-drained uplands, with brush, grass, and wetland vegetation filling the remaining cover. Extensive lowland wetlands, tamarack swamps, and cranberry bog impoundments occupy drainage basins throughout the unit. The Lemonweir River and Yellow River and their tributaries drain the area, creating riparian corridors of bottomland hardwoods and willow-alder thickets. Specialty crop agriculture and scattered row crops appear on the southern and western fringes, creating forest-to-field edge habitat that holds deer year-round.

Hunting pressure is moderate to low relative to southern Wisconsin units, reflecting the unit's forested and rural character. The Necedah NWR trailheads and county forest road access points draw the most concentrated activity on opening weekend of the nine-day November gun season, but the large public land blocks distribute pressure effectively across the unit. Weekday hunting and interior areas more than a half-mile from roads see little competition throughout the season. Archery season from September through January is largely quiet on public land away from agricultural edges. Pressure increases near field edges in the southern and western portions of the unit during the November rut, particularly on private agricultural parcels. Overall, this unit offers a noticeably less crowded experience than the farmland units to the south or the well-known northern forest counties.

Metro Sub-Unit 206 operates under the Central Forest Zone antlerless harvest structure. The WDNR allocates 300 public-land bonus antlerless harvest authorizations and 1,250 private-land bonus antlerless harvest authorizations for this unit, available for purchase starting August 17 at 10 a.m. through GoWild online or at licensed sales agents, on a first-come first-served basis at one authorization per person per day until the quota is exhausted or the season ends. Cost is $12 for Wisconsin residents, $20 for nonresidents, and $5 for youth under age 12. Authorizations are unit-specific and land-type-specific and must be designated as public or private land at the time of purchase. A standard Wisconsin deer license includes one any-deer harvest authorization valid for gun season. No earn-a-buck requirement or drawing process applies. Juneau County is not among the counties currently offering free Metro Sub-unit Antlerless Harvest Authorizations, so hunters planning antlerless harvest should purchase a bonus authorization before the season opens.

White-tailed deer are the primary species. Archery and crossbow season runs September 12 through January 3, 2027, with a possible extension through January 31 in areas formally designated as metro sub-units for the season; confirm the annual WDNR season order for this unit each fall. Youth gun hunt runs October 10-11. The nine-day gun season runs November 21-29. Muzzleloader season follows November 30 through December 9. A four-day antlerless-only firearm hunt runs December 10-13 and a holiday antlerless hunt covers December 24 through January 1. Wild turkey are present countywide; spring turkey seasons run mid-April through late May and a fall archery turkey season is available. Ruffed grouse and American woodcock hunting is productive in aspen and brush habitats throughout the county forest from September through December. Waterfowl hunting is available on the Lemonweir River, Yellow River, and cranberry bog impoundments with a state and federal license. CWD testing is available and strongly encouraged for all deer harvested in central Wisconsin; consult current WDNR CWD zone maps for carcass transport rules before moving a deer out of Juneau County.

Metro Sub-Unit 206 covers 261.5 square miles of Juneau County pine-oak-aspen country anchored by the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge and the 18,751-acre Juneau County Forest, together offering one of the more accessible public-land deer hunting setups in central Wisconsin with over-the-counter antlerless tags and no drawing required. Deer in this forest zone relate tightly to forest edges, aspen clearcut regeneration, and natural mast browse rather than row crops, making stand placement near oak trees, regenerating clearcuts, and river corridor funnels most productive. The rut peaks in early to mid-November, falling squarely within the nine-day gun season and giving firearm hunters genuine big-timber encounters with cruising bucks. The Necedah NWR wetland and upland mosaic creates excellent early archery setups on food plot edges and marsh fringe. Spring turkey hunting in the pine stands and marsh edges of the Necedah area can be exceptional, with toms roosting in towering pines adjacent to open wetlands. Hunters new to the unit should scout transition zones between young aspen clearcuts and mature pine stands in early fall and target Lemonweir River corridor funnels through the November rut.