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What hunting is in season in Wisconsin? A guide to deer, bow, grouse, wolf hunting and more

Drew Dawson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
·6 min read
Seated in a tree stand, a deer hunter looks out over a parcel of land in Sauk County on Nov. 20, the second day of the 2022 Wisconsin gun deer hunting season.
Seated in a tree stand, a deer hunter looks out over a parcel of land in Sauk County on Nov. 20, the second day of the 2022 Wisconsin gun deer hunting season.

As fall approaches, so do many of the annual Wisconsin hunting and trapping seasons.

Here is the complete schedule of hunting and trapping seasons for the 2023 season.

When is deer hunting season in Wisconsin?

  • Archery & Crossbow: Sept. 16-Jan. 7, 2024

  • Youth Deer Hunt: Oct. 7-8

  • Gun Deer Hunt For Hunters with Disabilities: Oct. 7-15 (NOT a statewide season)

  • Gun: Nov. 18-26

  • Muzzleloader: Nov. 27-Dec. 6

  • December Four-Day Antlerless-Only Hunt: Dec. 7-10

You can hunt bears in Wisconsin — with a permit

Bear hunting season is scheduled by zone, bait usage allowance and dogs usage allowance. Most of the state does not allow the usage of dogs for bear hunting. You can find the map of zones on the Wisconsin DNR website. The application deadline for permits is Dec. 10. the year before the season.

  • Zones A, B, D: where dogs are permitted:

    • Sept. 6-12

      • with the help of dogs, only

    • Sept. 13-Oct. 3

      • with the assistance of dogs

      • with the help of bait

      • with all other legal methods

    • Oct. 4-10

      • with the aid of bait

      • with all other legal methods not using dogs

  • Zones C, E, F: where dogs are not permitted:

    • Sept 6-Oct 10

      • with the help of bait

      • with all other legal methods not using dogs

More: DNR increases number of licenses, kill quota for fall bear hunting season

Here's when you can hunt migratory birds in Wisconsin

  • Early Teal: Sept. 1-9

  • Early Goose: Sept. 1-15

  • Rail (Virginia, Sora): Sept. 1-Nov. 9

  • Snipe: Sept. 1-Nov. 9

  • Common Gallinule: Sept. 1-Nov. 9

  • Mourning Dove: Sept. 1-Nov. 29

  • Youth Waterfowl: Sept. 16-17

  • Woodcock Sept. 23-Nov. 6

  • Northern Duck Zone: Sept. 23-Nov. 21

  • Southern Duck Zone: Sept. 30-Oct. 8; Oct. 14-Dec. 3

  • Open Water Duck Zone: Oct. 14-Dec. 12

  • Coot: *Same as duck season for each zone

  • Northern Goose Zone: Sept. 16-Dec. 16

  • Southern Goose Zone: Sept. 16-Oct. 8; Oct. 14-Dec. 3; Dec. 16-Jan. 2

  • Mississippi River Goose Zone: Sept. 16-Oct. 8; Oct. 14-Dec. 3; Dec. 16-Jan. 2

You can find the bag limits and other season frameworks on the Wisconsin DNR website.

More: Natural Resources Board approves favorable 2023 waterfowl hunting regulations

Falconry in Wisconsin

According to the Wisconsin DNR, "The total bag limit for migratory birds is three, singly or in the aggregate, to include not more than the legal limit for Canada geese in the zone/season you are hunting. The possession limit is three times the daily bag limit."

Here are the dates for the 2023 season:

  • Rail (Virginia, Sora), Snipe, Common Gallinule & Woodcock: 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset Sept. 1-Dec. 4

  • Early Teal: Sunrise to Sunset Sept. 1-9

  • Ducks, mergansers & coots:

    • All Zones: Half an hour before sunrise to sunset from Sept. 17-18; Jan. 13-Feb. 17

    • South Zone: Half an hour before sunrise to sunset from Sept 30-Oct. 8; Oct. 14-Dec. 3

    • Open Water Zone: Half an hour before sunrise to sunset from Oct. 14-Dec. 12

    • North Zone: Half an hour before sunrise to sunset from Sept. 23-Nov. 21

  • Geese:

    • Northern Goose Zone: Sept. 16-Dec. 16

    • Southern Goose Zone: Sept. 16-Oct. 8; Oct. 14-Dec. 3; Dec. 16-Jan. 2

    • Mississippi River Goose Zone: Sept. 16-Oct. 8; Oct. 14-Dec. 3; Dec. 16-Jan. 2

This is Wisconsin's 2023 wild turkey season

The fall turkey schedule is:

  • Statewide: Sept. 16-Nov. 17

  • Zones 1 - 5: Nov. 18-Jan. 7, 2024

You can find the map of turkey zones on the Wisconsin DNR website.

More: Practice safety rules to ensure a successful turkey hunting season

Wisconsin hunting season for cottontail rabbits, gray and fox squirrels

The small mammal category only includes cottontail rabbits and gray and fox squirrels. Other mammals that are protected species like badger, jackrabbit, moose and flying squirrel are prohibited from hunting. You can find a complete list of rules for small game hunting on the Wisconsin DNR website:

  • Cottontail rabbit:

    • Northern zone: Sept. 16-Feb. 29, 2024

    • Southern zone: Oct. 14 (9 a.m.)-Feb. 29, 2024

    • Milwaukee County: Year-round

  • Squirrels (gray and fox):

    • Statewide: Sept. 16-Feb. 29, 2024

Other game birds

  • Pheasant

    • Statewide: Oct. 14 (9 a.m.)-Jan. 7, 2024

  • Ruffed grouse

    • Zone A: Sept. 16-Jan. 7, 2024

    • Zone B: Oct. 14-Dec. 8

  • Crow

    • Statewide: Sept. 16-Nov. 16; Jan 19-Mar 20, 2024

  • Hungarian partridge

    • Statewide (closed in Clark, Marathon, and Taylor counties) Oct. 14 (9 a.m.)-Jan. 7, 2024

  • Bobwhite quail

    • Statewide: Oct. 14 (9 a.m.)-Dec. 6

Sharp-tailed grouse season is not included on the list because the season is under review by the DNR because of habitat loss.

More: Smith: Thanks to the DNR's late-season pheasant rooster stocking program, there are more holiday hunting opportunities in Wisconsin

Here's when you can hunt wolves, coyotes, foxes, beavers and other 'furbearers'

More: Which animals can I hunt in my backyard in Wisconsin?

  • Bobcat (The application deadline for bobcat permits is Aug. 1.)

    • Hunting

      • Period 1: Oct. 14-Dec. 25

      • Period 2: Dec. 26-Jan. 31, 2024

    • Trapping

  • Otter Trapping

  • Raccoon

    • Hunting

      • Resident: Oct. 14-Feb. 15, 2024

      • Non-resident: Oct. 28-Feb. 15, 2024

    • Trapping

  • Opossum, skunk, weasel, porcupine, snowshoe hare and woodchucks

    • No season limits, bag limits, size limits or possession limits, but a license is required.

Drew Dawson can be reached at ddawson@jrn.com or 262-289-1324.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Everything you need to know about Wisconsin hunting seasons