DMU Kenosha, Wisconsin

Kenosha County sits within the Southeast Glacial Plains ecological landscape in far southeastern Wisconsin, bordering Illinois and Lake Michigan. The terrain is gently rolling to flat glacial till plains with scattered kettle depressions and low moraines from Wisconsin-age glaciation, with elevations roughly 600 to 900 feet above sea level. Row-crop agriculture — primarily corn and soybeans on productive glacial soils — dominates roughly 58% of the landscape. Woodlots are small and fragmented, consisting mainly of oak woodland, oak savanna, and lowland hardwoods along creek corridors. Wetlands (about 12% of the landscape) include shallow marshes, sedge meadows, and shrub-carr concentrated along the Fox River and Pike River drainages. The county's eastern edge near Lake Michigan features wooded ravines and bluffs. Deer concentrate in woodlot corners, fencerow strips, creek bottoms, and wherever row crops meet timber.

Moderate to high pressure countywide, with public land receiving intense hunting effort relative to its limited size given the county's proximity to the Chicago and Milwaukee metro areas. Forum accounts describe public parcels like New Munster WA as heavily hunted during archery season, with hunters competing for stand locations even on weekdays. Richard Bong SRA sees consistent traffic throughout archery and gun seasons. Weekday hunting noticeably reduces crowding versus weekends. Private farmland sees far lower pressure — landowner-access hunters experience more solitude and typically encounter older deer with less exposure to hunting than those on the public parcels. Patience and thorough scouting are essential on public ground.

Kenosha County falls within the Southern Farmland Zone; hunters automatically receive one free antlerless harvest authorization (AHA) included with each deer license — no earn-a-buck requirement applies. Bonus antlerless tags are sold first-come, first-served through the GoWild licensing system beginning in mid-August; for 2026 the county offered 100 public-land and 265 private-land bonus permits at $12 (resident) or $20 (non-resident). The Kenosha Metro Subunit carries an additional 150 public and 150 private bonus permits. No drawing is required for antlerless tags. Antlered bucks may be taken on any valid deer license. Baiting and feeding deer is prohibited in Kenosha County under CWD Affected Zone regulations.

Deer seasons 2025-26: archery and crossbow September 13, 2025 through January 4, 2026 (extended through January 31 in the Metro Subunit); nine-day gun season November 22-30, 2025; muzzleloader December 1-10, 2025; antlerless-only four-day hunt December 11-14; holiday antlerless hunt December 24 through January 1, 2026 in select Farmland Zone counties. Note: gun deer shooting hours at Richard Bong SRA close at 2 p.m. Kenosha County is in the CWD Affected Zone — baiting and feeding prohibited, carcass-part transport restrictions apply, and free testing is offered at DNR sites. Spring turkey is available by permit (southern Wisconsin draw, April-May). Pheasant hunting at New Munster WA (rooster only, noon closing). Ruffed grouse are sparse in this part of the state. Waterfowl hunting available in marshes and river corridors. Palmer Creek at New Munster is a Class III trout stream stocked with brown and rainbow trout.

Kenosha DMU rewards hunters willing to work agricultural edge habitat — healthy deer numbers are fueled by surrounding cornfields and soybeans, with genuine trophy potential on private ground where pressure stays low. Richard Bong SRA (4,515 acres) is the county's largest public hunting block and offers an accessible hunting blind; plan around the 2 p.m. gun cutoff. The Metro Subunit archery extension through January 31 gives bowhunters an extra late-season window when deer lock onto standing crops. Securing private farmland permission is the key differentiator: even a 40- to 100-acre parcel with a woodlot-to-field edge, creek bottom, or wetland fringe can hold 3.5-plus year-old bucks that rarely see hunting pressure. New Munster WA's Palmer Creek corridor and marsh edges are worth scouting for early archery season. Test all harvested deer for CWD and follow carcass transport rules.