DMU Fort McCoy, Wisconsin

Fort McCoy covers 60,000 acres in Monroe County near Sparta in the Central Farmland zone, sitting at roughly 800–1,100 feet elevation on a sandy glacial outwash plain. The terrain is predominantly flat to gently rolling with the installation occupying a sandy bowl surrounded by sandstone hills. Land cover is a mosaic of oak barrens and savanna (the largest and best-maintained oak barrens complex in the upper Midwest, roughly 10,000 acres), jack pine and scrub oak forest, northern red oak and red pine stands, aspen, red maple, and paper birch. Open sandy prairie with scattered black, bur, Hill''s, and white oaks is common across the training areas. Wetland corridors include spring-fed headwater streams, shallow marshes, sedge meadows, and willow thickets. The installation holds 10 lakes and impoundments and approximately 71.2 miles of coldwater streams, the majority of which are Class I trout water with naturally reproducing brook and brown trout. Major drainages include Clear Creek and Silver Creek.

Moderate to moderately high during the nine-day gun deer season, with approximately 1,364 permits purchased for the 2025 season out of 1,800 available (permit quota fills to roughly 75-96% most years). With nearly 46,000 huntable acres spread across 82 training areas, hunters generally have room to spread out, and pressure is far lighter than many popular public-land options in Wisconsin. Archery season draws around 800 permits annually and feels uncrowded given the acreage. The controlled permit system and required daily check-in help distribute hunters and prevent overcrowding at specific spots. Military training activity is the primary wild card — areas can close mid-season on short notice, which can concentrate hunters in open zones during affected periods.

Fort McCoy operates entirely outside the Wisconsin DNR permit system — standard GoWild-purchased deer licenses and antlerless harvest authorizations are not valid on the installation. All tags must be purchased through Fort McCoy''s iSportsman system. For gun deer season, a Fort McCoy gun-deer permit ($21 in 2025) covers one antlered or antlerless deer; bonus antlerless harvest authorizations (450 total in 2025) are distributed via lottery and cost nothing extra once drawn — but sell out fast. The 2025 bonus antlerless draw issued all 450 tags with 244 actually purchased, suggesting solid but not overwhelming demand. For archery, a Fort McCoy archery permit ($17) allows harvest of either sex; an additional 200 bonus antlerless archery authorizations were available via lottery in 2024. There is no earn-a-buck requirement. Non-resident and resident pricing differs only on the state license side. First-time hunters, youth, and Purple Heart recipients receive discounted Fort McCoy permit pricing.

Deer archery season runs September 12 through November 19, then resumes November 30 through January 31 (excluded during nine-day gun season). The nine-day gun deer season mirrors the Wisconsin statewide season, running in late November (Nov. 21-29 in 2026 per iSportsman calendar). Youth gun deer hunt is held October 10-11 for ages 10-15 by lottery. Hunters with disabilities season also runs October 10-11 (Class A-D Wisconsin disability permit required, lottery). Cantonment Area archery is a separate lottery permit with slightly different dates. Spring turkey is drawn by lottery across six periods (weekdays only, April 15 through May 22 in 2026). Fall turkey runs September 12 through November 19 and resumes November 30 through January 3. Small game season is open September 1 through November 19, then November 30 through February 28. Trapping runs October 17 through late March. Fort McCoy''s coldwater streams offer exceptional Class I trout fishing. CWD has been detected in Monroe County with isolated confirmed cases on the installation (one positive from 2024 archery season); all harvested deer are subject to voluntary CWD sampling at the South Post collection point. No EHD cases were reported in 2025.

Fort McCoy is one of Wisconsin''s best-kept public-land deer hunting secrets — 45,000-plus huntable acres that most Wisconsin hunters overlook because it requires a separate military installation permit. The oak barrens and savanna complex is genuinely exceptional habitat: mast-producing oaks, dense pine and scrub-oak bedding cover, and coldwater creek corridors create ideal conditions for holding and growing mature bucks. The wildlife biologist has noted on record that ''there''s always some big bucks at Fort McCoy,'' and the data backs it up — several large bucks are taken each gun season even as overall harvest numbers run modest (313 in 2025, 400 in 2024). The controlled permit system keeps pressure manageable relative to acreage. For archery hunters, 800 permits across 46,000 acres is an exceptionally low-pressure public-land opportunity. Key tips: apply for the gun-deer lottery early (applications due July 31 for fall seasons), lock in a bonus antlerless tag through the Fort McCoy lottery before they sell out, scout via satellite imagery beforehand since in-person scouting requires a valid access pass, check area status daily via the game line, and prioritize creek-bottom funnels and oak mast areas in the northern training areas where barrens habitat transitions to heavier timber.