DMU Dunn, Wisconsin

Dunn County sits in west-central Wisconsin at roughly 900–1,200 feet elevation, with gently rolling to moderately hilly terrain carved by the Red Cedar and Chippewa rivers. The county is a classic farmland-forest transition zone: the eastern two-thirds is a patchwork of corn and soybean fields broken by hardwood woodlots and brushy fencerows, while the western edge drops into the broad Chippewa River valley with its steep bluffs, sandy river terraces, floodplain forest, backwater sloughs, and oak savanna. The Red Cedar River runs north to south through the center of the county. Wetlands and sedge meadows are prominent, particularly around Muddy Creek near Elk Mound and the Dunnville bottoms near the Chippewa confluence. Mixed hardwoods — oak, maple, aspen, and basswood — dominate the upland forest cover, with scattered white pine stands. This blend of agricultural edge, river-bottom cover, and upland timber creates strong year-round deer habitat.

Public hunting land in Dunn County is moderate in total acreage but well-distributed. The Dunnville Wildlife Area (4,200 acres) is the flagship property, located along the Chippewa River between Menomonie and Durand, with four parking areas off Highway Y and boat access from the river — it features river-bottom floodplain forest, steep hardwood bluffs, oak savanna, and restored prairie. The Muddy Creek Wildlife Area (4,100 acres) near Elk Mound off I-94 exit 52 offers marshland, sedge meadow, and wooded islands with multiple parking lots along county and town roads. Elk Creek Fishery Area spans 330 fee-title acres (plus 10.8 miles of stream easements) straddling the Dunn-Chippewa county line, with deer, grouse, and turkey hunting allowed. Sand Creek Fishery Area covers the Dunn-Chippewa border northeast of the county. The DNR also manages four Voluntary Public Access (VPA) parcels totaling 436 acres, ranging from 50 to 198 acres of forest and agricultural land in Dunn Township, Spring Brook Township, Otter Creek Township, and Hay River Township. Managed Forest Law (MFL-Open) parcels add thousands of additional huntable acres accessible through the DNR''s public lands mapping tool or the Hunt Wild Wisconsin app. Private land is abundant and accessible to hunters willing to knock doors on the farmland parcels.

Hunting pressure in Dunn County is moderate to moderately high, reflecting its accessible location near Eau Claire and the Twin Cities metro. The county sits along I-94 and Highway 29, making it a convenient drive-in destination during the nine-day gun season. Dunnville Wildlife Area and Muddy Creek WMA see consistent boot traffic during opening weekend, but the sheer size of those properties and the county''s mix of private and MFL land disperses hunters reasonably well. Agricultural parcels on private land carry less pressure than many southern Wisconsin counties. Archery season is comparatively quiet — the county''s mix of farmland and river-bottom cover rewards patient stand hunters willing to put in scouting time. Gun season opener in November draws the largest crowds, particularly near established WMA parking areas, but hunters willing to walk away from parking lots or access less-publicized MFL parcels find much less competition.

Deer hunting in Dunn County uses the standard Wisconsin license structure. A base license includes one antlered or any-deer tag valid statewide; in the Central Forest zone, an antlerless harvest authorization is not automatically bundled with the license the way it is in the Southern Farmland zone. Bonus antlerless harvest authorizations are available for purchase starting in mid-August on a first-come, first-served basis — in 2025, bonus public land tags for Dunn County were set at 500 and private land bonus tags at 3,000, with a 2026 sale date of August 18 at 10 a.m. Tags are $12 for residents and $20 for nonresidents per authorization, with hunters limited to one purchase per day until the unit sells out or the season ends. No earn-a-buck requirement applies. Dunn County is not a draw-only unit — tags are available over the counter as long as the quota holds. Archery and crossbow hunters use the same any-deer tag structure with additional antlerless authorizations available through the bonus system. The county''s generous bonus antlerless quota reflects a healthy deer population and a management goal of maintaining huntable numbers without overpopulation.

Deer archery and crossbow season runs September 13 through January 4, with a pause during the nine-day gun season. The nine-day gun deer season runs November 22–30. Muzzleloader season follows December 1–10. A statewide antlerless-only hunt runs December 11–14, and the Holiday Antlerless Hunt runs December 24–January 1 in qualifying Farmland zone units. Wild turkey spring season runs April–May with multiple zones; fall turkey season runs approximately October 15 through December 31. Dunn County supports good grouse and woodcock numbers in aspen and alder habitat along the river bottoms and creek drainages — the Red Cedar corridor and Dunnville uplands are notable. Waterfowl hunting is productive along the Chippewa and Red Cedar rivers and Muddy Creek marsh, with ducks and geese using these migration corridors. CWD has been confirmed in Dunn County — detections have been documented in the northwest corner of the county as of the 2025 season — and hunters are required to bone out or process deer before transporting carcasses out of the county. The statewide CWD testing program operates during each season, with drop-off locations in Menomonie and Elk Mound.

Dunn County''s greatest asset is the Chippewa River corridor — the Dunnville Wildlife Area delivers a legitimate wilderness experience in western Wisconsin, with steep hardwood bluffs dropping to river-bottom floodplain that funnels deer movement predictably during the rut. Bucks use the bluff-top oak flats as staging areas and the river bottom as travel lanes, making treestand setups on pinch points between agricultural fields and the timber genuinely productive. The county led the nine-county northwest Wisconsin region in total deer harvest during the 2024 gun season with approximately 4,900 deer registered — the county punches above its weight for a Central Forest zone unit. Trophy buck potential is solid but below flagship counties like Buffalo or Trempealeau to the south; mature 3.5-year-old bucks scoring in the 130–150 inch range are achievable for hunters who pass on younger deer. The agricultural east side of the county — corn and soybean fields bordered by creek drainages — produces consistent action during early archery season and the rut. Hunters should prioritize the MFL-Open parcels on the WDNR''s public land mapper, which scatter throughout the county and see far less pressure than the named WMAs. The Red Cedar State Trail corridor also provides walk-in access to river-bottom cover. For first-time visitors, Dunnville''s Highway Y parking areas are the easiest entry point, but the steep bluff terrain demands physical fitness and good boot gear.