restlessnomad,
The
Dewey Marsh Wildlife Area, located 6 miles north of Stevens Point (with access from County Hwy X and Hay Meadow Road), is 5,677 acres of state-owned land filled with marsh, brush, and forest on which you may shoot all year round any way you like.
And it's free.
Click
here for a map of the area.
My only recommendation is that you keep in mind that this is public land. Having a proper backstop and knowing whats beyond your target are things you'll want to keep in mind.
I use a similar state-owned forest unit in my area (Wausau) for all of my pistol shooting. I've found an area off the trail where a friend and I built up a backstop using the natural lay of the land (slight depression), along with downed logs/stumps and other debris from the area.
It may take some preparation and a little work, but you'll have access to your own "private" range during daylight hours for free. Not to mention this state-owned land is a great place to small game hunt if you're into that sort of thing.
Here's a list of other similar state-owned units in Portage County. You can click the name of a few to be directed towards a map similar to the above Dewey Marsh map:
Mead (George W.) Wildlife Area
Size: 28,500 acres, (28,208 owned, 292 leased).
Location: 11 miles southwest of Mosinee; Hwy. S bisects property. Access also from Hwys. C, M, H and O.
Little Wolf River Fishery Area
Size: 340 acres, all state-owned.
Location: 5 miles northeast of Rosholt. Access from Hwy. 49.
Bradley Creek Fishery Area
Size: 378 acres, all state-owned.
Location: 3 miles northeast of Rosholt. Access from Hwy. 49.
Paul J. Olson Wildlife Area
Size: 1,650 acres, all state-owned.
Location: Parcel 1 is 4 miles west of Rudolph on Hwy. M in Wood County; Parcel 2 is 3 miles north of Rudolph on Hwy. C in Portage County.
Richard J. Hemp Fishery Area
Size: 1,221 acres, all state-owned.
Location: 3 miles north of Nelsonville; access from Hwys. ZZ and Z.
Buena Vista Wildlife Area
Size: 11,340 acres, (6,940 owned, 4,400 leased).
Location: 10 miles east of Wisconsin Rapids on Hwy. W and 4 miles south of Plover; scattered parcels.
Emmons Creek Fishery Area
Size: 1,470 acres, all state-owned.
Location: 8 miles northeast of Almond on Hwy. D. Access from Fountain Lake Road. Site near Hartman Creek State Park.
Spring Green Unit- Lower WI State Riverway
Size: 600 acres, all state owned.
Location: West and east of Spring Green off Hwy. 23.
This forest unit information was found
here.
Here is a more expansive list of public recreation lands contained on the Wisconsin DNR website.