DMU Lincoln, Wisconsin

Lincoln County sits in north-central Wisconsin's Northern Highland, a glaciated landscape of gently rolling terrain dominated by northern hardwood, aspen, lowland conifers, and brush. The county is 73% forested — roughly 422,000 of its 580,000 acres carry tree cover — making it one of Wisconsin's most heavily wooded counties. Elevations range from about 1,400 to 1,600 feet, with glacial drift shaping the topography into forested uplands, river corridors, and wetland pockets. The Tomahawk River and Wisconsin River systems cut through the county, creating classic edge habitat where hardwood ridges drop into lowland alder and spruce bogs. Managed aspen clear-cuts on county forest lands provide critical early-successional cover for deer and grouse alike. This is big-woods hunting country in every sense.

Moderate pressure overall, with noticeable crowding near road-accessible county forest tracts and logging road heads during the nine-day gun deer opener in late November. The large county forest block disperses hunters enough that interior areas see far less activity than road edges. Archery season draws committed bowhunters but pressure is spread thin across the vast landscape. The dense aspen and lowland cover discourages hunters from pushing far from roads, so areas more than a half-mile from any maintained road see light-to-low pressure throughout all seasons. Established wolf packs in northern Lincoln County heighten deer wariness; pressured deer go nocturnal and push into thick cover faster than in lower-wolf-density areas of the state.

As of 2025, Northern Forest zone DMUs have been converted from county-based names to numbered habitat units, and hunters must verify their specific numbered DMU on the DNR's online map before purchasing tags. Forest-zone portions of Lincoln County are generally buck-only during gun season without a separately purchased antlerless harvest authorization. Bonus antlerless authorizations go on sale August 18 each year through the DNR's GoWild licensing portal, with the first day of sales reserved for Forest Zone hunters. Public land antlerless availability is limited — 2026 DNR data showed zero public land bonus authorizations for the Lincoln area, with 1,900 private land authorizations available under the county's Central Farmland DMU portion. Each base deer license includes one any-deer tag valid for antlered deer; harvesting a doe requires a separately purchased authorization. Wisconsin has no earn-a-buck requirement.

Deer seasons: archery and crossbow September 13 through January 4; nine-day gun season November 22–30; muzzleloader December 1–10; statewide antlerless-only hunt December 11–14. Lincoln County is designated a Ruffed Grouse management zone with actively managed aspen clear-cuts to sustain grouse habitat, making it one of the better grouse counties in northern Wisconsin. Wild turkey seasons run spring (mid-April through May) and fall (September–October). Black bear are present across the county and available by DNR drawing. Waterfowl hunting applies along the Tomahawk and Wisconsin river corridors and the county's numerous wetland basins. Snowshoe hare and cottontail rabbit round out small game options in the dense lowland cover.

Lincoln County's 101,000-acre county forest is the defining asset — substantial contiguous public land in a 73%-forested county that sees nowhere near the pressure found in farmland-zone DMUs to the south. Managed aspen stands create high-quality edge habitat that concentrates deer at dawn and dusk, and mature northern Wisconsin bucks carry heavy body mass from surviving harsh winters. The Tomahawk and Wisconsin river corridors funnel deer movement predictably during the November rut, making river-bottom stand setups highly productive for hunters who locate funnels pre-season. Hunters willing to hike a half-mile or more beyond the nearest logging road encounter virtually zero competition. The county's ruffed grouse designation also makes it a natural multi-species trip — grouse in the morning timber, deer on stand at last light. Note that established wolf packs are present in the county; deer density is moderate rather than high, and fresh sign can disappear quickly in pack-activity zones.