Unit 113

Sturgeon Bay anchors the unit's eastern geography as a major waterway, with associated bays and points (Eagle Point, Picnic Point) providing visual reference in otherwise forested terrain. Saint Peters Dome offers one of the few elevated glassing vantage points in otherwise subtle topography. The extensive lake and reservoir system—including Moose Lake, Lake Owen, Pixley Flowage, and numerous smaller basins—serves dual purpose as water sources and navigation landmarks visible on maps and from higher ground.

Creeks including the Teal River, Taylor Creek, and Jackson Creek provide named corridors through the forest and reliable water access for planning routes.

Terrain spans roughly 1,000 feet of relief across predominantly lower elevation country, with most ground between 1,200 and 1,500 feet. The landscape is a patchwork of dense forest—primarily hardwoods mixed with hemlock, pine, and spruce—broken by open wetlands, grassland clearings, and agricultural fields. Forest coverage is substantial but not continuous; natural openings and human development create a mosaic that supports healthy understory growth.

Habitat transitions gradually across the unit without sharp ecological boundaries, creating consistent but varied hunting conditions from north to south.

Road density of 2.13 miles per square mile indicates a well-connected landscape with substantial infrastructure—major highways, secondary roads, and rough access routes create logical entry points throughout the unit. Cable, Seeley, Cayuga, and smaller communities provide staging points for logistics and resupply. High connectivity means predictable hunter distribution; pressure concentrates near road access and established parking areas.

Despite good roads, the unit's size and forest density allow for pressure relief by moving away from major corridors. Early season and peak weekends will draw concentrated hunting near accessible trailheads; mid-week and later season hunters can find quieter ground by hiking beyond obvious parking.

Unit 113 covers 1,150+ square miles of northcentral Wisconsin, anchored by Ashland and Bayfield counties with access points near Cable, Seeley, and other gateway communities. The unit extends from lower elevation plains in the south to slightly higher ground in the north, maintaining consistent character throughout—Wisconsin's classic North Woods terrain without dramatic topographic breaks. The landscape sits well-defined within established county boundaries and regional road networks, making orientation straightforward despite the unit's vast size.

This is foundational Lake Superior drainage country with extensive tributary systems feeding into the greater watershed.

Water is genuinely abundant across Unit 113 with lakes, reservoirs, and flowing creeks distributed throughout. The Teal River and Taylor Creek are primary drainages; smaller systems like Spring Creek, Venison Creek, and Snoose Creek offer secondary water access. Numerous named springs—Turk Spring, Pacwawong Spring, Venison Spring, and others—supplement creek and lake water during dry periods.

Reservoirs and flowages including Pixley Flowage, Black Lake, and Beaverdam Lake provide reliable water for both wildlife and hunter logistics. Water scarcity is not a concern; the challenge is navigation within dense cover rather than finding water.

Unit 113 supports white-tailed and mule deer across a landscape ideally structured for both species. Whitetails dominate the forested wetland and hardwood components, particularly in creek bottoms and cedar swamps where dense cover meets feed. Mule deer inhabit the more open grassland-forest transitions and prairie margins.

Early season hunting emphasizes glassing openings from elevated ground like Saint Peters Dome or ridge edges, then dropping into thicker cover as deer bed. Rut hunting focuses on travel corridors between bedding (dense cedar, conifer stands) and feeding areas (grasslands, crop edges). Late season success depends on finding concentrated deer around remaining open water and persistent food sources in the complex of lakes and reservoirs. The road network enables semi-mobile hunting strategy, but best results come from committing to specific drainage systems and learning the micro-terrain.