WI Tree Stand, Blind, ATV, Camping Rules by County Forest

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In general, all of the counties in Wisconsin with county forests allow hunting and specifically hunting from a tree stand. The hunting rules vary quite a bit from county to county. The biggest difference is that about have of the counties do not allow a treestand to be left up over night (this is the same as on DNR Managed lands). For the counties that do allow a treestand to be left up over night for long periods of hunting, most require the hunters name and address to be printed on the treestand. See the table below for the specific treestand rules for the Wisconsin county forest you plan to hunt.


**NOTE** PERMANENT tree stands and ground blinds MAY NOT BE ERECTED on any county forest lands in Wisconsin. Screws, nails, lag screws, screw steps, spikes, or other similar devices are damaging to trees and may pose a serious danger to loggers or sawyers and ARE STRICTLY PROHIBITED on all county forest lands in Wisconsin. The following rules pertain to non-damaging PORTABLE TREESTANDS and PORTABLE GROUND BLINDS. Brush/Tree trimming, cutting, or clearing of shooting lanes is NOT ALLOWED.


County Acres First Day
Allowed		 1" Name/
Add/Phone		 Remove
After		 Num
Stands		 Camping ATV Use
Ashland 40,003 Sept 1st Good Idea Dec 31st * 14 Days No
Permit or Fee		 Roads/Trail Only
Barron 15,827 Daily No Daily 1 1-2 Nights w/o Permit
Wilderness		 Trail Only
Closed Gun Deer
Bayfield 169,207 Sept 1st Required Dec 31st * 16 Days w/o
Permit		 Designated ATV
Roads/Trails Only
Burnett 106,429 Daily No Daily 1 $5.00 Permit for
up to 10 Days		 Trail Only
Chippewa 33,107 Sept 1st Required Dec 31st * Campgrounds Trail Only
Clark*** 132,852 Sept 1st Required Jan 7th * $5.00/Night with Permit No Off Trail Use
Douglas 269,794 Sept 1st Required Dec 31st 2 Campgrounds Trail Only
Eau Claire
(see below)		 52,256 Hunting Season
Calendar		 Good Idea
Not Required		 Daily No Limit
Remove Daily		 Sept 16 to April 30
No Permit or Fee.		 Marked ATV
Trail Only
Florence 36,510 * Good Idea Daily** * Campgrounds Trail Only
Forest 10,848 * No Daily 1 Yes, No Permit
or Fee		 8-miles of Marked
ATV Trail Only
Iron 173,401 Sept 1st Required Dec 31st * Campgrounds Trail Only
Jackson 120,887 Daily No Daily 1 $5.00/day/unit
with Permit		 Trails Only
Closed 10/15-12/15
Juneau 15,040 * Required * * With Free Permit Deer Extraction
After Hours Only
Langlade*** 127,109 Sept 1st No Jan 7th * 14 Days w/o
Permit or Fee		 Trail Only
Lincoln 100,805 Sept 1st Required Jan 7th * 2-Weeks
No Fee		 Trail Only
Exceptions(see below)
Marathon 29,768 Sept 1st Required If
Left On Ground
Overnight		 Daily**
Dec 31st		 * Yes, with Free
Permit		 Burma Road ATV Trail
Closed Apr,Oct,Nov
Marinette 230,967 Sept 1st Required 3 Weeks * Campgrounds Trail Only
Monroe 6,706 Sept 1st Required Dec 31st * Campgrounds Trail Only
Oconto 43,516 * Good Idea Daily** * $30.00 for 14 Days
Selected Sites Only		 May 1 to Oct 31 on
Marked ATV Trail Only
Oneida 82,203 1 Week Before
First Season		 Required 1 Week After
Last Season		 * See Note Below Designated ATV
Trails Only
Polk 17,149 Daily No Daily 1 Yes, w/o Permit
Out of Site		 Sterling Twnshp
ATV Trail Only
Price 92,118 Daily No Daily 1 Yes, with Free
Permit		 Trail Only Except
Bermed, Rocked, Gated
Rusk 89,043 Daily No Daily 1 Campgrounds Trails Only
Sawyer 113,851 Sept 1st * Dec 31st * No Forest Roads Only
Taylor 17,596 Sept 1st * Dec 31st * Yes, No Fee
 X-Country to
Drag Deer
Vernon 880 * Required Dec 31st * Esofea/Rentz
Memorial Park		 No
Vilas (see below) 40,850 1st Day of
Archery Deer		 Required 11 Days
Dec 31st		 1 By Permit No
Washburn 149,015 * Required 9 Days 1 Tent or Lesser with
Permission. No Permit
During 9-day Gun		 "Open" Roads Only
Wood 37,552 * No Daily 1 10 Days w/o
Permit or Fees		 No

* Not specified or unknown.

** Portable stands may be left on ground in woods provided they are removed from the tree each day.

*** One-piece, heat-treated and tapered commercially manufactured tree steps are permitted only in Clark, Langlade counties.


Eau Claire County - ATVs may be used anywhere "cross-country" on Eau Claire county forest land if in possession of a county issued disabled access permit, with a DNR Class A, B, or C permit, or a DMV disabled parking permit required as a prerequisite.

Clark County - ATVs may not operate anywhere on the forest during shooting hours of gun deer season. During non-shooting hours of gun deer season ATVs and snowmobiles are permitted on designated trails and travel is allowed off designated trails during such hours for the sole purpose of retrieving a deer carcass. Use of ATVs or snowmobiles off of designated trails for means of personal conveyance or any other use is unlawful.

Vilas County - Portable tree stands must be commercially available, factory manufactured.

Lincoln County - During the bear and deer seasons, ATVs may be used behind gates, rocks and berms to extract animals from the Lincoln County Forest. Hunters must call the Sheriffs Department (not necessary during the Gun deer season) at 715-536-6272 and report the following information: back tag number and general location of the site of extraction.

Oneida County - Camping is not permitted on the Oneida County Forest accept for the traditional 9-day Wisconsin Gun Deer Season. During the traditional 9-day Gun Deer season you can camp on Oneida County Forest land, but you must obtain a free permit from the Forestry Office. There are no designated campsites, hunters typically set up campsite within "pull-off" areas adjacent to the County Forest Roads. We are currently working on a small campground, but it will not be ready for public camping until summer 2009.