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Douglas County · State park
Hunting at Pattison State Park
Pattison State Park, 1,542 acres in Douglas County: raccoons, foxes and coyotes, zones and tags, property rules, county harvest and the land nearby.
Photo: Sank63 (CC BY 2.0)
Getting to Pattison State Park
Parking, trailheads and gates near Pattison State Park
- Parking areaParking · 0.2 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 1.1 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 1.5 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 1.9 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.0 mi from the centreDirections
Parking, trailhead and gate locations come from OpenStreetMap contributors. Roads into public land can be gated or seasonal; check with the managing agency before you go.
Pattison State Park on one card
Hunters reach Pattison State Park in Douglas County; it is a state park with hunting in its open areas. This is the Northwoods, in the DNR Northern Region. Day-to-day it is in the hands of the Wisconsin DNR. Measured at 1,542 acres, it comes in 16th of 49 state parks. Superior is the nearest town with a guide on this site, about 8 miles away; the land lies south of it. Below are the 1 units it contains.
From the source page (WI DNR Managed Lands GIS ACRES field, whole property (hunting only in areas the property hunting map shows open)); region from the DNR county layer. Checked October 19, 2026.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around Pattison State Park
Zones that take in Pattison State Park
Pattison State Park is Northern Forest deer country, unit DMU 101 and DMU 102. Antlerless quota, 2026: 120 and 925. The Zone A bear quota for 2026 is 1,100, spread over 1,675 drawn permits. Zone 6 turkey numbers for 2025: 6,001 spring tags, 23% success. Douglas County is one of the 12 counties without a baiting ban.
Antlerless tags near Pattison State Park
| Unit | Zone | Quota 2026 | Bonus, public | Bonus, private | Farmland tags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DMU 101 | Northern Forest | 120 | 0 | 0 | — |
| DMU 102 | Northern Forest | 925 | 404 | 1,718 | — |
Pattison State Park: other game zones
| Zone | Detail | Numbers | More | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bear zone A | Hounds allowed | 1,100 target, 1,675 permits | 11 points | 1,235 bears in 2025 |
| Turkey 6 | 6,001 spring tags (2025) | 23% success | 1,362 gobblers | — |
| Ruffed grouse A | Sep 12–Jan 3 | 5 a day | ||
| Duck zone | Northern | Sep 26–Nov 24 | ||
| Canada goose | Northern | Sep 16–Dec 16 | ||
| Wolf 1/1A | No harvest | Federal listing |
Zones from the DNR zone layers as recorded in lands.json; quotas and bonus tags from the 2026 antlerless quota table; bear figures from the 2026 bear drawing summary and 2025 bear harvest; turkey from the 2025 spring turkey report; CWD and baiting lists from the DNR. Checked October 19, 2026.
How the DNR describes Pattison State Park
The managing agency's own text.
Hunting Pattison State Park Hunting and trapping are allowed in the open areas of the park during the Wisconsin state parks hunting and trapping time frame. Trapping is not permitted in closed areas, as noted on the park hunting map or within 100 yards of any designated use area, including trails. Certain trap types are restricted on state park properties.
Quoted from the property page, retrieved 2026-10-19; checked October 19, 2026.
What Pattison State Park requires of hunters
Pattison State Park access terms
Hunting runs on the state park calendar: spring from April 1 to the Tuesday closest to May 3, fall from Nov. 15 to Dec. 15, and archery on to the Sunday closest to Jan. 6. Park entry requires the vehicle admission pass.
The rule book on Pattison State Park
Half of your outer clothing above the waist, and half of your hat, must be blaze orange or pink whenever a firearm deer season is open (waterfowl hunters excepted). Ground blinds need a 144-square-inch orange or pink patch in gun deer seasons on DNR ground. Stands may not damage trees. North of Hwy. 64 they can stay overnight Sept. 1, 2026 to Jan. 31, 2027 (two per hunter per county); south of Hwy. 64 they come down daily. Deer and turkeys go into GameReg online or by phone by 5 p.m. the next day.
Go Wild shopping list for Pattison State Park
A gun deer or archery license comes with a buck authorization; antlerless deer on this land need a public-access authorization.
Restricted parts of Pattison State Park
The DNR closed-areas layer lists 1 zone on Pattison State Park. Exception printed most often: Hunting/trapping restrictions apply, check property map(s) at link provided.
| Area | What applies | Dates | Size | NR rule |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pattison State Park | Hunting/trapping Restrictions | See property map link provided | 1,574 | NR 29.089(1m)(b) |
When Pattison State Park opens to hunters
| Species | Window | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| All open seasons | Spring | April 1 through the Tuesday nearest May 3 (gun and archery hunting, limited trapping, open areas only) | |
| All open seasons | Fall/Winter | Nov. 15-Dec. 15 (gun and archery hunting and trapping in open seasons); archery through the Sunday nearest Jan. 6 | Exceptions for Buckhorn, Big Bay, Blue Mound, Governor Dodge, Rock Island and Tower Hill state parks. |
Access from the source page; closures from the DNR closed and restricted areas layer; stocking and dove fields from the DNR upland bird layers; rules from the Fall 2026-Spring 2027 regulations; prices from Go Wild. Checked October 19, 2026.
The parts of Pattison State Park
1 units sit inside Pattison State Park, 35 acres in total.
| Name | Kind | Counties | Acres | Species |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Manitou Falls and Gorge | State natural area | Douglas | 35 | — |
What hunters pursue at Pattison State Park
Species the agency lists here: raccoons, foxes and coyotes.
Furbearers
Unlisted species follow the Douglas County dates below, subject to the property rules.
Species from the property record (species named by the source); bag limits from the DNR regulations. Checked October 19, 2026.
Pattison State Park: opening and closing days
From bear baiting in September to the last spring turkey period, 40 season segments apply to Pattison State Park.
| Species | Hunt type | Zone or unit | Opening | Closing | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White-tailed deer | Archery and crossbow | Statewide | Sep 12, 2026 | Jan 3, 2027 | |
| White-tailed deer | Youth/disabled gun 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 | Metro sub-unit gun | Metro sub-unit: Superior | Nov 21, 2026 | Dec 9, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Muzzleloader | Statewide | Nov 30, 2026 | Dec 9, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | December antlerless hunt | Statewide | Dec 10, 2026 | Dec 13, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Extended archery and crossbow | Metro sub-unit | Jan 4, 2027 | Jan 31, 2027 | |
| Black bear | Bear, Class A draw | Bear Zone A | Sep 9, 2026 | Sep 15, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Bear, Class A draw | Bear Zone A | Sep 16, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Bear, Class A draw | Bear Zone A | Oct 7, 2026 | Oct 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 | North of Hwy. 64 | Oct 17, 2026 | Dec 25, 2026 | |
| Bobcat | Bobcat, Period 1 | South of Hwy. 64 | Oct 17, 2026 | Dec 25, 2026 | |
| Bobcat | Bobcat, Period 2 | North of Hwy. 64 | Dec 26, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | |
| Bobcat | Bobcat, Period 2 | South of Hwy. 64 | Dec 26, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | |
| Unprotected species | Unprotected species | 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.
Douglas County harvest near Pattison State Park
No history before 2025 exists for these forest DMUs, the DNR says. Through Oct. 19, 2026: 37 antlered and 19 antlerless in DMU 101 and 86 antlered and 98 antlerless in DMU 102 (preliminary). CWD year 2025 brought 63 Douglas County samples and 0 positives. Running total since 1999: 1,608 tested. The 2025 bear count for Douglas County was 145. No harvest is published for Pattison State Park itself, so the county unit is the finest level.
Registered deer in the Pattison State Park county unit
| Unit | Bucks | Does | Registered 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| DMU 101 | 1,000 | 194 | 1,194 |
| DMU 102 | 1,280 | 904 | 2,184 |
CWD tests in Douglas County
| CWD year | Wild deer sampled | Positive |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (partial) | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 63 | 0 |
| 2024 | 56 | 0 |
| 2023 | 60 | 0 |
| 2022 | 71 | 0 |
| 2021 | 78 | 0 |
Bear numbers near Pattison State Park
| Year | Total | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 124 | 68 | 56 |
| 2025 | 145 | 73 | 72 |
Deer from DNR Deer Metrics harvest history and the 2026 harvest to date; CWD from the DNR CWD summary; bears from the DNR bear harvest reports. Checked October 19, 2026.
Around Pattison State Park: more places to hunt
The big marker is Pattison State Park. Smaller ones are its 10 closest neighbours. The neighbours add 290,473 acres between them.
| Nearby | Kind | Acres | Miles | Heading |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pattison State Park North Country Trail Area | NCT area | 40 | 1.2 mi | south |
| Black River | NCT area | 177 | 2.4 mi | northwest |
| North Country National Scenic Trail | NCT area | 22 | 4.4 mi | northwest |
| Nemadji River | NCT area | 178 | 5.3 mi | west |
| Pokegama Carnegie Wetlands | State natural area | 311 | 8.2 mi | north |
| Clear Creek | NCT area | 357 | 8.7 mi | west |
| St. Louis/Red River Stream Bank Protection Area | Habitat area | 6,695 | 9.4 mi | northwest |
| Amnicon Falls | State park | 833 | 12 mi | northeast |
| Wisconsin Point Bird Sanctuary | Habitat area | 7 | 13 mi | northeast |
| Douglas | County forest | 281,853 | 14 mi | southeast |
Points from the DNR managed lands, SNA, county forest, FWS realty, USFS, NPS and DoD layers (WI DNR Managed Lands GIS (polygon centroid) (polygon centroid)). Straight-line distances. Statewide public land map.
Pattison State Park: nearby towns and businesses
Town pages first, then shops, processors and DNR desks.
| Base town | County | Away | Residents | Public acres near |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Superior | Douglas | 7.9 mi | 668 | 19,705 |
| Superior | Douglas | 11 mi | 26,620 | 12,815 |
| Solon Springs | Douglas | 19 mi | 679 | 122,350 |
| Lake Nebagamon | Douglas | 20 mi | 1,136 | 88,730 |
County-level hunting pages: Douglas County.
Shops a short drive from Pattison State Park
DNR desks closest to Pattison State Park
Service center for Douglas County business: DNR Spooner Service Center.
Towns and populations from the Census 2024 estimates; public acres within 10 miles from the land layers; businesses from store locators and listings (license-only agents left out); offices from DNR, USFS and USFWS pages. Checked October 19, 2026. Call ahead.
Pattison State Park: nearest ranges
About 25 miles separates Pattison State Park from Northwoods Range Inc., the nearest public map range. Nearby rod and gun clubs round out the list.
rifle, handgun on file
rifle, handgun, shotgun on file
archery on file
From the DNR public range map and its map layer, checked October 19, 2026.
Shooting light at Pattison State Park by date
At Pattison State Park the offset is 20 minutes (Zone F). The times below already include it for both DNR shooting-hours areas.
| Day | Season | North table | South table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 12, 2026 | Bow, turkey, grouse opener | 6:15 a.m. to 7:47 p.m. | 6:17 a.m. to 7:46 p.m. |
| Oct 17, 2026 | Pheasant and duck dates | 6:59 a.m. to 6:41 p.m. | 6:58 a.m. to 6:44 p.m. |
| Nov 1, 2026 | Early November | 6:20 a.m. to 5:17 p.m. | 6:17 a.m. to 5:21 p.m. |
| Nov 21, 2026 | Gun deer opener | 6:48 a.m. to 4:54 p.m. | 6:43 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. |
| Dec 1, 2026 | Muzzleloader week | 7:00 a.m. to 4:48 p.m. | 6:55 a.m. to 4:55 p.m. |
| Dec 24, 2026 | Holiday Hunt opener | 7:19 a.m. to 4:50 p.m. | 7:13 a.m. to 4:58 p.m. |
| Jan 3, 2027 | Archery close (most units) | 7:21 a.m. to 4:59 p.m. | 7:15 a.m. to 5:06 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 F offset of 20 minutes for longitude 92.12 W, checked October 19, 2026. Shooting hours for every county.
What people ask about hunting Pattison State Park
Which species are hunted on Pattison State Park?
Listed: raccoons, foxes and coyotes.
Where do Pattison State Park hunters spend the night?
Start from Superior; the land is 8 miles off, in Douglas County.
Which bear management zone holds Pattison State Park?
Bear Zone A. Zone A took 11 preference points in 2026.
Which DMU takes in Pattison State Park?
Deer unit DMU 101 and DMU 102; zone Northern Forest. The 2026 antlerless quota is 120 (DMU 101) and 925 (DMU 102); use a public-access antlerless tag here.
What are the waterfowl zones for Pattison State Park?
It sits in the Northern duck and Northern goose zones. In the Northern Zone the regular duck split begins Sep 26.
Which turkey zone is Pattison State Park in?
Zone 6, one bird per spring authorization.
Do I need blaze orange at Pattison State Park?
In any open firearm deer season, wear blaze orange or pink on at least half your coat and cap.
Is deer baiting legal near Pattison State Park?
Baiting is allowed in this county within the 2-gallon limit. The county is not on the CWD list.
Which Wisconsin license covers Pattison State Park?
Go Wild sells everything needed; antlerless tags on public land must be public-access tags.
How do I register a deer from Pattison State Park?
Through GameReg (online, phone or a station) by 5 p.m. the day after recovery.
If Pattison State Park is full, where next?
Within a short drive: Pattison State Park North Country Trail Area (1 mile), Black River State North Country Trail Area (2 miles) and North Country National Scenic Trail (4 miles).
When can I hunt Pattison State Park?
Only during the state park windows: early April to early May, and Nov. 15-Dec. 15 (archery into early January).
Which agency sets the rules on Pattison State Park?
The Wisconsin DNR treats it as a state park with hunting in its open areas.
Check Pattison State Park once more
Refuges, closed areas and park windows at Pattison State Park can shift mid-season; the property page and the DNR map have the current picture.
Sources for this page: DNR: hunt · DNR: hunting · DNR: pattison · DNR GIS · DNR GIS; regulations from the Fall 2026-Spring 2027 Wisconsin hunting regulations. Checked October 19, 2026.
Other photos on this page: xulescu_g (CC BY-SA 2.0); USFWS/Southeast (Public domain).