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2026-27 · Wildlife area
Underwood Wildlife Area, a hunter's guide
Who runs it, which deer unit and bear zone cover it, what it holds (raccoons, foxes and coyotes), and the public land and towns around it in Iron County.
Photo: jchapiewsky (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Getting to Underwood Wildlife Area
Parking, trailheads and gates near Underwood Wildlife Area
- Boat rampBoat ramp · 1.9 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.
What the record says about Underwood Wildlife Area
On paper it is a DNR state wildlife area; on the map it is in Iron County. DNR staff of the Northern Region cover this part of the Northwoods. Manager: the Wisconsin DNR. Its 1,553 acres rank 92nd of the 285 Wisconsin state wildlife areas with an acreage on file. From Mercer, our closest town page, it is roughly 11 miles to the north.
From the source page (WI DNR Managed Lands GIS ACRES field, sum of parcels open to hunting); region from the DNR county layer. Checked October 19, 2026.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around Underwood Wildlife Area
Underwood Wildlife Area in the agency's words
Unedited text from the official page.
Underwood Wildlife Area is a 1,602-acre property located in northeast Iron County. It was purchased by the Wisconsin Conservation Department (now the DNR) in the 1940s and 1950s to protect the area as a deer yard. Cedar and hemlock browse cutting for deer in the winters changed the area to be more dominated by hardwoods, reducing its suitability as a deer yard. Underwood Wildlife Area is located in northeast Iron County. Take Highway 51 for 9 miles north of Mercer to Highway G. Then go 4 miles east to Bass Lake Road.
On Bass Lake Road, go north about 2.5 miles.
Quoted from the property page, retrieved 2026-10-19; checked October 19, 2026.
Underwood Wildlife Area rules and licenses
Access rules at Underwood Wildlife Area
Buy the license, hunt in season, and respect posted refuges and the NR 45 code.
State law on Underwood Wildlife Area
Orange or pink, 50% above the waist and 50% of the head covering, is the rule while gun deer seasons run; duck and goose hunters are exempt. Gun-season ground blinds on DNR property display 144 sq in of orange or pink from every direction. No screw-in steps or cut shooting lanes on DNR land. Overnight stands are legal north of Hwy. 64 from Sept. 1 to Jan. 31; south of it, remove them every day. By 5 p.m. the following day, register the deer on GameReg (online, phone or station).
Which licenses Underwood Wildlife Area needs
Get licenses on Go Wild or at an agent. Antlerless tags are unit-specific and labelled public or private land.
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.
Underwood Wildlife Area: DMU, bear zone and turkey zone
Deer management: DMU 117, Northern Forest zone. The Natural Resources Board set 550 antlerless deer as the 2026 quota there. Bear Zone B has a 2026 harvest target of 850 with 1,545 Class A permits drawn; it took 11 preference points to win one. Spring turkey tags are sold for Zone 7; the DNR issued 4,401 there in 2025, the newest level published. Baiting deer is lawful in Iron County, at no more than 2 gallons a site.
Deer units that cover Underwood Wildlife Area
| Deer unit | Zone | Antlerless goal | Public tags left | Private tags left | Included tags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DMU 117 | Northern Forest | 550 | 620 | 619 | — |
Zones beyond deer for Underwood Wildlife Area
| Zone | Setting | Data | Also | Last season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bear B | Dogs legal | 850 target, 1,545 permits | 11 points | 851 bears in 2025 |
| Turkey zone 7 | 4,401 spring tags (2025) | 16% success | 726 gobblers | — |
| Grouse zone A | Sep 12–Jan 3 | 5 a day | ||
| Duck zone | Northern | Sep 26–Nov 24 | ||
| Goose zone | Northern | Sep 16–Dec 16 | ||
| Wolf zone 1 | No season | Listed endangered |
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.
Underwood Wildlife Area: species with bag limits
Listed game at Underwood Wildlife Area: raccoons, foxes and coyotes.
Furbearers
The Iron County calendar below covers the rest.
Species from the property record (species named by the source); bag limits from the DNR regulations. Checked October 19, 2026.
Season dates that cover Underwood Wildlife Area
Underwood Wildlife Area sits in the Northern Forest deer zone. These 38 rows are the dated hunting segments the DNR schedule puts there, from the September archery opener into spring turkey.
| Game | Season | Applies in | Begins | Through | Right 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 | Muzzleloader | Statewide | Nov 30, 2026 | Dec 9, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | December antlerless hunt | Statewide | Dec 10, 2026 | Dec 13, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Bear, Class A draw | Bear Zone A/B | Sep 9, 2026 | Sep 15, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Bear, Class A draw | Bear Zone A/B | Sep 16, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Bear, Class A draw | Bear Zone A/B | Oct 7, 2026 | Oct 13, 2026 | |
| Wild turkey | Fall turkey | Turkey Zone 7 | Sep 12, 2026 | Jan 3, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring youth turkey hunt | Turkey Zone 7 | Apr 17, 2027 | Apr 18, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period A | Turkey Zone 7 | Apr 21, 2027 | Apr 27, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period B | Turkey Zone 7 | Apr 28, 2027 | May 4, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period C | Turkey Zone 7 | May 5, 2027 | May 11, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period D | Turkey Zone 7 | May 12, 2027 | May 18, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period E | Turkey Zone 7 | May 19, 2027 | May 25, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period F | Turkey Zone 7 | 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.
Public property near Underwood Wildlife Area
The large pin is Underwood Wildlife Area; the others are the 10 closest public properties. Together they hold 201,384 acres.
| Name | Type | Size (ac) | Away | Bearing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Evelyn | State natural area | 303 | 3.0 mi | south |
| Iron | County forest | 175,343 | 7.4 mi | west |
| Catherine Lake Hemlock-Hardwoods | State natural area | 869 | 8.8 mi | southeast |
| Mary Lake | State natural area | 51 | 9.6 mi | southeast |
| Moose Lake | State natural area | 4,293 | 10 mi | southwest |
| Island Lake Hemlocks | State natural area | 113 | 11 mi | west |
| DuPage Lake Peatlands | State natural area | 3,287 | 11 mi | southeast |
| Nell Lake | State natural area | 117 | 12 mi | east |
| Tomahawk Timberlands (moose Lake Trct) | Easement land | 3,014 | 12 mi | southwest |
| Great Northern | Easement land | 13,994 | 13 mi | west |
Points from the DNR managed lands, SNA, county forest, FWS realty, USFS, NPS and DoD layers (WI DNR Managed Lands GIS (polygon centroid of hunting-open parcels) (point inside polygon (centroid falls outside))). Straight-line distances. Statewide public land map.
How the land around Underwood Wildlife Area hunts, by the numbers
Harvest for this part of Iron County comes from the 2025 forest DMU counts. 2026 so far, still changing: DMU 117, 105. CWD sampling in Iron County, CWD year 2025: 26 wild deer sampled, 0 positive. Overall: 832 samples and 0 positives. Iron County: 106 bears in 2025. The DNR reports deer by unit, not by property: read these as the Iron County picture.
Iron County bucks and antlerless
| Deer unit | Antlered | Antlerless | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| DMU 117 | 523 | 372 | 895 |
Iron County CWD sampling
| Year | Sampled | Positives |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (partial) | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 26 | 0 |
| 2024 | 23 | 0 |
| 2023 | 25 | 0 |
| 2022 | 55 | 0 |
| 2021 | 41 | 0 |
Iron County bears
| Year | Bears registered | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 104 | 55 | 49 |
| 2025 | 106 | 50 | 56 |
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.
Underwood Wildlife Area: nearest ranges
No range sits on Underwood Wildlife Area; the nearest on the DNR public range map is Northwoods Shooting Range, about 13 miles away.
rifle, handgun, archery, trap, shotgun on file
From the DNR public range map and its map layer, checked October 19, 2026.
Home bases for an Underwood Wildlife Area trip
Closest towns, measured as the crow flies, then the businesses around them.
| Town | County | Straight line | 2024 pop. | Public acres near |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercer | Iron | 11 mi | — | 111,827 |
| Hurley | Iron | 11 mi | 1,610 | 37,166 |
| Iron Belt | Iron | 13 mi | — | 90,192 |
| Boulder Junction | Vilas | 25 mi | — | 103,002 |
Read up on the county: Iron County.
Taxidermy and supplies for Underwood Wildlife Area hunters
Phone numbers for Underwood Wildlife Area questions
The DNR service center listed for Iron County is DNR Woodruff Service Center, 715-356-5211.
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.
Underwood Wildlife Area: legal shooting time, table by date
Big game and small game hunters get 20 minutes after sunset in Wisconsin, not 30. Waterfowl and spring gobbler hunters quit at sunset.
| Date | Hunt | Northern Area hours | Southern Area hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 12, 2026 | Bow, turkey, grouse opener | 6:07 a.m. to 7:39 p.m. | 6:09 a.m. to 7:38 p.m. |
| Oct 17, 2026 | Pheasant and duck dates | 6:51 a.m. to 6:33 p.m. | 6:50 a.m. to 6:36 p.m. |
| Nov 1, 2026 | Early November | 6:12 a.m. to 5:09 p.m. | 6:09 a.m. to 5:13 p.m. |
| Nov 21, 2026 | Gun deer opener | 6:40 a.m. to 4:46 p.m. | 6:35 a.m. to 4:52 p.m. |
| Dec 1, 2026 | Muzzleloader week | 6:52 a.m. to 4:40 p.m. | 6:47 a.m. to 4:47 p.m. |
| Dec 24, 2026 | Holiday Hunt opener | 7:11 a.m. to 4:42 p.m. | 7:05 a.m. to 4:50 p.m. |
| Jan 3, 2027 | Archery close (most units) | 7:13 a.m. to 4:51 p.m. | 7:07 a.m. to 4:58 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 D offset of 12 minutes for longitude 90.08 W, checked October 19, 2026. Shooting hours for every county.
Straight answers on Underwood Wildlife Area
Which public properties lie near Underwood Wildlife Area?
Three to try: Lake Evelyn State Natural Area (3 miles), Iron County Forest (7 miles) and Catherine Lake Hemlock-Hardwoods State Natural Area (9 miles).
How is Underwood Wildlife Area classified?
DNR state wildlife area, under the Wisconsin DNR.
How much land is in Underwood Wildlife Area?
It covers 1,553 acres by the recorded figure.
Where in the state does Underwood Wildlife Area lie?
Iron County holds it, 11 miles from Mercer.
What is Underwood Wildlife Area hunted for?
The agency names raccoons, foxes and coyotes; other legal game follows the county dates.
Which deer management unit holds Underwood Wildlife Area?
The Northern Forest zone, DMU 117. Quota for 2026: 550 antlerless.
Is bear hunting possible at Underwood Wildlife Area?
Zone B; hounds are legal there.
Can I turkey hunt Underwood Wildlife Area in spring?
Zone 7; 2025 saw 726 birds registered in the zone.
When can I hunt ducks at Underwood Wildlife Area?
Northern for ducks, Northern for geese. The regular Northern Zone duck season opens Sep 26.
Has CWD turned up in the county around Underwood Wildlife Area?
There is no county baiting ban here; the 2-gallon rules apply. CWD has not been found in this county's wild deer.
Is blaze pink legal at Underwood Wildlife Area?
Orange or pink, half of the upper clothing, whenever a gun deer season runs (not for waterfowl).
Where do I register game taken on Underwood Wildlife Area?
Register on GameReg by 5 p.m. the next day; the confirmation number starts with W.
Is there a separate permit for Underwood Wildlife Area?
The standard license for your game; no landowner permission on public ground.
Last checks on Underwood Wildlife Area before you go
Treat this page as a starting point: the manager of Underwood Wildlife Area has the final say on closures and maps.
Sources for this page: DNR: underwood · DNR GIS · DNR: alpha; regulations from the Fall 2026-Spring 2027 Wisconsin hunting regulations. Checked October 19, 2026.
Other photos on this page: The Hidden Hide with Ray (CC BY 2.0); USFWSmidwest (Public domain).