Home › Wisconsin › Counties › Sawyer County
The Northwoods
Sawyer County Hunting
What the DNR sets for Sawyer County: deer zone and units, antlerless quota and Farmland tags, baiting status, bear zone A/D, turkey zone 6, plus harvest history and public ground.
Photo: aarongunnar (CC BY-SA 2.0)
The Census measures Sawyer County at 1,258 square miles of land; Hayward is the county seat. About 18,835 people lived there in 2024, 4.2% more than the 2020 base. Every acre falls in the Northern Forest Zone; 6 DMUs cover it. Licenses and questions go to the DNR Spooner Service Center (Spooner), about 37 miles away. The land list holds 39 properties with ground in Sawyer County, led by Great Divide Ranger District (Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest) at 376,517 acres.
Census 2024 Gazetteer and Vintage 2024 estimates (population), DNR region from the DNR staff pages, deer zones from the DNR deer zone layer, service centers from DNR office locations. Checked October 19, 2026.
2026-27 deer units for Sawyer County
Across the 6 quota units touching Sawyer County, the 2026 antlerless quotas add to 7,920 deer (whole units, not just the county share). Forest units (DMU 107, DMU 109, DMU 111, DMU 112, DMU 113 and DMU 115) include no free antlerless tags; antlerless hunting there runs on bonus authorizations. Bonus tags: $12 resident, $20 nonresident, first come first served at one per day.
| Unit | Zone | 2026 antlerless quota | Bonus, public | Bonus, private | Left Oct 19 (pub/priv) | Free Farmland tags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DMU 107 | Northern Forest | 2,155 | 5,650 | 3,400 | 4,503 / 2,891 | — |
| DMU 109 | Northern Forest | 1,870 | 3,200 | 6,000 | 2,715 / 5,713 | — |
| DMU 111 | Northern Forest | 685 | 750 | 2,500 | 576 / 2,184 | — |
| DMU 112 | Northern Forest | 625 | 1,760 | 1,735 | 1,437 / 1,333 | — |
| DMU 113 | Northern Forest | 1,155 | 1,900 | 2,750 | 1,369 / 2,244 | — |
| DMU 115 | Northern Forest | 1,430 | 1,000 | 5,000 | 637 / 3,517 | — |
Forest units
The Holiday Hunt and extended archery are Farmland Zone seasons; forest units do not get them.
Gun deer opener
The nine-day gun deer season runs Nov 21 to Nov 29, 2026, followed by muzzleloader Nov 30 to Dec 9, 2026 and the statewide antlerless-only hunt Dec 10 to Dec 13, 2026.
Quotas and initial bonus counts from the DNR 2026 antlerless quota and initial permit availability (approved June 24, 2026); unsold counts and free Farmland tags from the bonus availability page as of Oct. 19, 2026; Holiday Hunt and extended archery from the 2026 season map; dates from the deer regulations. Checked October 19, 2026.
Deer harvest in Sawyer County
Sawyer County has no county-named deer unit, so the DNR publishes no county harvest series. The forest DMUs below are 2025 figures for whole units, which cross county lines.
Forest units: 2025 deer
| Unit | Buck | Antlerless | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| DMU 107 | 1,429 | 977 | 2,406 |
| DMU 109 | 1,590 | 1,091 | 2,681 |
| DMU 111 | 779 | 587 | 1,366 |
| DMU 112 | 813 | 585 | 1,398 |
| DMU 113 | 990 | 786 | 1,776 |
| DMU 115 | 1,549 | 1,464 | 3,013 |
Preliminary 2026 registrations
| DNR row | Bucks | Antlerless | All |
|---|---|---|---|
| DMU 107 | 98 | 119 | 217 |
| DMU 109 | 111 | 111 | 222 |
| DMU 111 | 61 | 79 | 140 |
| DMU 112 | 54 | 55 | 109 |
| DMU 113 | 100 | 76 | 140 |
| DMU 115 | 136 | 152 | 288 |
DNR Deer Metrics harvest history (registered deer, all seasons and weapons; values read from the DNR chart), 2025 forest DMU figures from the same source, and the DNR 2026 total harvest to date (preliminary). Checked October 19, 2026.
Sawyer County chronic wasting disease results
CWD has not been detected in wild deer from Sawyer County across 1,917 samples. Sawyer County is unshaded on the DNR ban map, so limited deer baiting is legal. Donation rule: no test needed.
| Year | Deer sampled | Positives |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (partial) | 4 | 0 |
| 2025 | 60 | 0 |
| 2024 | 57 | 0 |
| 2023 | 95 | 0 |
| 2022 | 81 | 0 |
| 2021 | 74 | 0 |
| 2020 | 87 | 0 |
| 2019 | 183 | 0 |
| 2018 | 36 | 0 |
| 2017 | 20 | 0 |
| 2016 | 5 | 0 |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 |
CWD rules and kiosks · Which counties ban bait
CWD sampling from the DNR CWD summary by county (wild deer, data released through Oct. 18, 2026; CWD year runs April 1-March 31, 2026 partial); baiting from the DNR baiting and feeding page and its map; donation testing from the Deer Donation Program. Checked October 19, 2026.
Sawyer County: bears, gobblers and birds
Black bear
Black bear hunting here falls under zone A (79%) and D (21%), drawn by preference points, with dogs allowed in A/D. Bear registrations in Sawyer County: 241 in 2025, 296 the year before.
| Zone | Target | Drawn 2026 | Points | Applied | 2025 state harvest | Dogs allowed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone A | 1,100 | 1,675 | 11 | 11,648 | 1,161 | Yes |
| Zone D | 1,100 | 3,855 | 2 | 6,847 | 906 | Yes |
| Season | Harvest | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 241 | 134 | 107 |
| 2024 | 296 | 133 | 163 |
Turkey authorizations
The DNR turkey map places Sawyer County in zone 6. Levels below are 2025, the latest published. 2025 spring authorization total for zone 6: 6,001.
| Turkey zone | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Success 2025 | Birds 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 6 | 5,390 | 5,402 | 6,001 | 6,004 | 6,001 | 23% | 1,362 |
Elk zone
Sawyer County is elk country in the Northern Elk Management Zone; the 2026 season runs one stretch, Oct 17 to Dec 13, 2026, under a quota of 8 bulls, subject to 50% declaration by the Ojibwe tribes (ceded territory). The 2025 hunt there took 7 elk.
| Group | Quota |
|---|---|
| A (Unit 1) | 1 bull license |
| B (Unit 2) | CLOSED |
| C (Units 3, 4, 5) | 1 bull license |
| D (Units 6, 7) | 2 bull licenses |
Small game and birds
Ruffed grouse Zone A runs Sep 12, 2026 to Jan 3, 2027 with a daily bag of 5.
Bear zones from the DNR bear zone layer; targets, permits and points from the 2026 bear drawing summary; harvest from the DNR 2025 bear report and 2024 report; turkey levels from the DNR turkey reports (2025 levels; 2027 not yet published); elk from the DNR elk page; bird zones from the DNR zone layers. Checked October 19, 2026.
Sawyer County public properties with acreage
Sawyer County counts 39 public properties open to hunting; posted refuges and closed parcels inside them still apply. Sawyer County is one of 30 counties with a county forest, 115,196 acres as of July 2021. MFL open lands, private forests the public may hunt, cover 78,863 acres here.
- National forest ranger district (1 here)Great Divide Ranger District (Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest) (376,517 ac*)
- County forest (1 here)Sawyer County Forest (115,196 ac)
- State forest in the county (1)Flambeau River State Forest (89,772 ac*)
- Conservation easements (4)Lake of the Pines Conservation Easement (20,813 ac), Chippewa Flowage Conservation Easement (17,885 ac), Hungry Ham Lakes Woods Conservation Easement (311 ac), Chippewa River Conservation Easement Area (2 ac)
- State wildlife areas (12 here)Totogatic Wildlife Area (2,661 ac*), Weirgor Springs Wildlife Area (1,955 ac), Chief River Wildlife Area (1,186 ac), Kissick Swamp Wildlife Area (932 ac), Flat Creek Wildlife Area (370 ac*), Mosquito Brook State Habitat Area (226 ac), Hauer Springs State Habitat Area (130 ac), Whitefish Lake State Habitat Area (96 ac), Mud Callahan State Habitat Area (93 ac), Musky Bay State Habitat Area (71 ac), Town of Spider Lake State Habitat Area (42 ac), Little Weirgor Creek State Habitat Area (41 ac)
- Riverway or scenic waters area in the county (1)Chippewa Flowage (7,436 ac)
- State natural areas: 8Swamp Lake State Natural Area (1,042 ac), Bass Lake Peatlands State Natural Area (954 ac*), Lake Helane State Natural Area (391 ac), Hanson Lake Wetlands State Natural Area (302 ac), Oxbo Pines State Natural Area (287 ac*), Flambeau River Hardwood Forest State Natural Area (266 ac), Kissick Alkaline Bog State Natural Area (137 ac), Lake of the Pines Conifer-Hardwoods State Natural Area (53 ac)
- State fishery areas in the county (8)Bean Brook Fishery Area (1,600 ac*), Grindstone Creek Fishery Area (409 ac), Benson Creek Fishery Area (306 ac), Eddy Creek Fishery Area (281 ac), Beverly Lake Fishery Area (274 ac), McDermott Brook Fishery Area (148 ac), Dead Creek Springs Fishery Area (84 ac), Stress Springs State Spring Ponds (45 ac)
- State trail (1 here)Tuscobia State Trail (1,088 ac*)
- Demonstration forest, 1 listedUhrenholdt Memorial Timber Demonstration Forest (123 ac)
- State habitat area (1)Big Island on Nelson State Habitat Area (104 ac)
Larger units with ground here: DNR Small Public Access and Stream Bank Parcels Open to Hunting, DNR State-Owned Islands, Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway (Wisconsin).
Skip Namekagon River Fishery Area and Little Weirgor Creek Brook Trout Reserves Easement Area; DNR lists no hunting there.
Every public property · County forest list · About MFL open land
Public land from the DNR managed lands layer and property pages, DNR state natural area, county forest and federal records; county forest acres from the DNR county forest acreage report (July 1, 2021); MFL open acres from the DNR MFL report; leases from the DNR VPA-HIP and THAP lists. Acres within 10 miles of the county seat are a GIS measure. Checked October 19, 2026.
Every Sawyer County season on one table
Private and public land share these dates. A state park, refuge or Fort McCoy can close sooner, so read the property page before you go.
| Animal | Segment | Scope | Starts | Ends | Open now? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White-tailed deer | Archery and crossbow | Statewide | Sep 12, 2026 | Jan 3, 2027 | |
| White-tailed deer | Youth and disabled gun deer hunt | Statewide | Oct 10, 2026 | Oct 11, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Gun deer (9-day) | Statewide | Nov 21, 2026 | Nov 29, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Muzzleloader | Statewide | Nov 30, 2026 | Dec 9, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Statewide antlerless-only (December 4-day hunt) | Statewide | Dec 10, 2026 | Dec 13, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Bear (Class A license by drawing) | Bear Zone A/D | Sep 9, 2026 | Sep 15, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Bear (Class A license by drawing) | Bear Zone A/D | Sep 16, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Bear (Class A license by drawing) | Bear Zone A/D | Oct 7, 2026 | Oct 13, 2026 | |
| Elk | Elk (archery, crossbow and firearm) | Northern Elk Zone | Oct 17, 2026 | Dec 13, 2026 | |
| Wild turkey | Fall turkey | Turkey Zone 6 | Sep 12, 2026 | Jan 3, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring youth turkey hunt | Turkey Zone 6 | Apr 17, 2027 | Apr 18, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period A | Turkey Zone 6 | Apr 21, 2027 | Apr 27, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period B | Turkey Zone 6 | Apr 28, 2027 | May 4, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period C | Turkey Zone 6 | May 5, 2027 | May 11, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period D | Turkey Zone 6 | May 12, 2027 | May 18, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period E | Turkey Zone 6 | May 19, 2027 | May 25, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period F | Turkey Zone 6 | May 26, 2027 | Jun 1, 2027 | |
| Ruffed Grouse | Ruffed grouse | Grouse Zone A | Sep 12, 2026 | Jan 3, 2027 | |
| Pheasant | Pheasant | Statewide | Oct 17, 2026 | Jan 3, 2027 | |
| Bobwhite Quail | Bobwhite quail | Statewide | Oct 17, 2026 | Dec 9, 2026 | |
| Hungarian partridge | Hungarian partridge | Statewide | Oct 17, 2026 | Jan 3, 2027 | |
| Squirrel | Squirrel | Statewide | Sep 12, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Cottontail | Cottontail rabbit | Northern cottontail zone | Sep 12, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Snowshoe Hare | Snowshoe hare | Statewide | Year-round | Year-round | Year-round |
| American Crow | Crow | Statewide | Nov 21, 2026 | Mar 24, 2027 | |
| Ducks | Youth waterfowl hunt | Statewide | Sep 19, 2026 | Sep 20, 2026 | |
| Ducks | Regular duck | Northern Duck Zone | Sep 26, 2026 | Nov 24, 2026 | |
| Teal | Early teal | Statewide | Sep 1, 2026 | Sep 9, 2026 | |
| Geese | Regular goose | Northern Goose Zone | Sep 16, 2026 | Dec 16, 2026 | |
| Canada goose | Early Canada goose | Statewide | Sep 1, 2026 | Sep 15, 2026 | |
| Raccoon | Raccoon (resident) | Statewide | Oct 17, 2026 | Feb 15, 2027 | |
| Raccoon | Raccoon (nonresident) | Statewide | Oct 31, 2026 | Feb 15, 2027 | |
| Red and gray fox | Fox (red and gray) | Statewide | Oct 17, 2026 | Feb 15, 2027 | |
| Coyote | Coyote (hunting) | Statewide | Year-round | Year-round | Year-round |
| Bobcat | Bobcat Period 1 (hunting and trapping) | Northern Zone (State Hwy. 64 line) | Oct 17, 2026 | Dec 25, 2026 | |
| Bobcat | Bobcat Period 1 (hunting and trapping) | Southern Zone (State Hwy. 64 line) | Oct 17, 2026 | Dec 25, 2026 | |
| Bobcat | Bobcat Period 2 (hunting and trapping) | Northern Zone (State Hwy. 64 line) | Dec 26, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | |
| Bobcat | Bobcat Period 2 (hunting and trapping) | Southern Zone (State Hwy. 64 line) | Dec 26, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | |
| Unprotected species | Unprotected species (opossum, skunk, weasel, woodchuck, porcupine, starling, English sparrow, chukar, coturnix quail, etc.) | Statewide | Year-round | Year-round | Year-round |
From the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Fall 2026-Spring 2027 hunting regulations and season dates, checked October 19, 2026.
Towns of Sawyer County, then its neighbours
Public acres beside each Sawyer County town are a GIS total for a 10-mile circle, not a DNR figure.
- Haywardcourthouse town · 2,587 inhabitants · 64,530 public acres within 10 miles
- Chief Lake31,269 public acres within 10 miles
- Little Round Lake34,951 public acres within 10 miles
- New Post59,626 public acres within 10 miles
- Radisson273 inhabitants · 34,233 public acres within 10 miles
- Winter335 inhabitants · 80,670 public acres within 10 miles
Sawyer County borders 7 Wisconsin counties.
Towns: Census 2024 Gazetteer and Vintage 2024 estimates; adjacency from the Census county adjacency file.
Hunting hours for Sawyer County
Big game and small game hunters get 20 minutes after sunset in Wisconsin, not 30. Waterfowl and spring gobbler hunters quit at sunset.
| When | Event | North | South |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 12, 2026 | Archery, fall turkey and grouse opener | 6:11 a.m. to 7:43 p.m. | 6:13 a.m. to 7:42 p.m. |
| Oct 17, 2026 | Pheasant and duck dates | 6:55 a.m. to 6:37 p.m. | 6:54 a.m. to 6:40 p.m. |
| Nov 1, 2026 | Early November | 6:16 a.m. to 5:13 p.m. | 6:13 a.m. to 5:17 p.m. |
| Nov 21, 2026 | Gun deer opener | 6:44 a.m. to 4:50 p.m. | 6:39 a.m. to 4:56 p.m. |
| Dec 1, 2026 | Muzzleloader week | 6:56 a.m. to 4:44 p.m. | 6:51 a.m. to 4:51 p.m. |
| Dec 24, 2026 | Holiday Hunt opener | 7:15 a.m. to 4:46 p.m. | 7:09 a.m. to 4:54 p.m. |
| Jan 3, 2027 | Archery close (most units) | 7:17 a.m. to 4:55 p.m. | 7:11 a.m. to 5:02 p.m. |
Deer, bear, elk, small game and fall turkey table times from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources shooting hours tables, plus the Zone E offset of 16 minutes for longitude 91.15 W, checked October 19, 2026. Shooting hours for every county.
Fires, permits and bans around Sawyer County
Sawyer County status today: open the Wisconsin county list.
- Permit season: Within DNR forest fire protection areas, whenever the ground is not completely snow-covered.
- Counties outside DNR burning-permit authority (per DNR daily restrictions on 2026-10-27): Sawyer County is not on this list.
- Ban orders: The Wisconsin DNR, through daily county burning restrictions and permit suspensions within its forest fire protection areas (NR 30.05 emergency burning regulations; NR 45.07(3) emergency use and burning rules on DNR lands by posted notice).
- Fires on public land: DNR-managed lands (NR 45.07): no fire on the ground and no burning refuse except in designated fireplaces or fire rings.
Sawyer County gun ranges and clubs
Sawyer County shooters leave the county to shoot; S.L. Legacy Farms is nearest at 22 miles.
sporting clays, shotgun on file
trap, skeet, shotgun, sporting clays, handgun on file
rifle, handgun, archery on file
The closest DNR-map range is Cable Rod & Gun Club, 24 miles off in Bayfield County.
On the local calendar
| Day and event | Discipline | Enter |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1-2, 2027: Hayward Gun & Sports Show | Gun show | See listing |
Ranges from the DNR public range map and directory listings, checked October 19, 2026.
Butchers, mounts and stores near Sawyer County
Wisconsin publishes no list of licensed taxidermists or guides, so those rows come from DNR CWD partners and directories.
DNR counters and field offices
Weekday counter hours at DNR service centers run 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Processors nearby
Taxidermy shops
Guides nearby
Sporting goods
DNR service centers and field offices from DNR office locations; processors from the Deer Donation Program list, DNR CWD sampling station partners and directory listings; shops from the DNR license agent layer and directories. Checked October 19, 2026; call ahead. All Wisconsin hunting services.
Sawyer County on the Wisconsin events calendar
On file here: 1 upcoming event (NWTF banquet).
Scheduled
| On | Event | Where held | Sign-up | Found at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 19, 2027 | Namekagon River Gobblers NWTF Banquet / NWTF banquet | Hayward Sawyer Co. | Buy tickets | Source |
Sawyer County hunters often ask
Where do hunters in Sawyer County take deer for cutting?
Commonly D & E Custom Butchering & Smokehouse, Heritage Meats and Prime Cuts Meat Market; call ahead in November.
Is there elk hunting in Sawyer County?
Yes, by drawing, in the Northern Zone.
Does Sawyer County have more than one deer unit?
Yes: DMU 107, DMU 109, DMU 111, DMU 112, DMU 113 and DMU 115.
Where do I see the bonus tags left in Sawyer County?
On the DNR bonus availability page; this page shows the counts as of Oct. 19, 2026.
Why is there no deer history for Sawyer County?
The Northern Forest units were redrawn in 2025, and the DNR has no history for the new lines.
Is CWD testing free for deer from Sawyer County?
Yes. DNR testing is voluntary and free statewide, at kiosks, cooperating businesses or with a home kit.
Can I hunt over a food plot in Sawyer County?
Yes. Standing crops and food plots are legal, but you may not plant one on DNR land.
Can I hunt bears with hounds in Sawyer County?
Yes, in zone A/D.
Can turkeys be hunted in the fall in Sawyer County?
Yes: Sep 12, 2026 to Jan 3, 2027, using a fall authorization for the zone.
Where should I start on public land in Sawyer County?
Try the biggest first: Great Divide Ranger District (Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest), Sawyer County Forest and Flambeau River State Forest.
Answers from the DNR Fall 2026-Spring 2027 regulations, registration rules, blaze orange rules, DNR harvest and CWD data and the sources cited above. Checked October 19, 2026.
Heading to Sawyer County
Every date here is for the 2026-27 Wisconsin seasons; check the DNR site again before the trip.
Sources: DNR Fall 2026-Spring 2027 hunting regulations, season dates, Wisconsin DNR hunting, Census and the agencies linked in each section. Checked October 19, 2026.
Other photos on this page: wackybadger (CC BY-SA 2.0); YellowstoneNPS (Public domain); wackybadger (CC BY-SA 2.0); BobbbyLight (CC BY 2.0); wackybadger (CC BY-SA 2.0); Tony Webster (CC BY 2.0); USDA Forest Service Eastern Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0); Jeff the quiet (CC0 1.0); wackybadger (CC BY-SA 2.0).