Wildlife Management

CWD in Wisconsin

Wildlife Health

Hunting

Chronic Wasting Disease Zone Hunting Regulations

Buck

2009 Season Structure

  • Archery season: September 12 to January 3 (Earn-a-buck, except antlerless only during the four-day early and late firearm seasons below)
  • Youth Season: October 10-11 (exempt from earn-a-buck)
  • Early firearm season: October 15-18 (antlerless-only)
  • Traditional 9-day firearm season: November 21-29 (Earn-a-buck)
  • 10-day muzzleloader-only season: November 30 to December 9 (Earn-a-buck)
  • Late firearm season: December 10-13 (antlerless-only)
  • Holiday firearm season: December 24-January 3 (Earn-a-buck)

Regulations

Firearm restrictions

In 2008, the CWD eradication zones and the herd reduction zone were combined to form the CWD management zone (CWD-MZ), providing consistent regulations across the entire area. It is now legal to hunt deer with a rifle anywhere in the CWD-MZ, except deer management unit 76M and where local ordinances prohibit their use.

Deer carcass movement restrictions

Beginning on September 1, 2009 Wisconsin will restrict the movement of both whole wild-deer carcasses and certain parts of those carcasses from the CWD Management Zone (CWD-MZ) to elsewhere in the state. Hunters will only be able to transport whole carcasses and certain portions of those carcasses within the CWD-MZ and from this zone to adjacent Deer Management Units. Also effective the same date, Wisconsin will not allow the importation into the state of either whole carcasses or certain parts of wild cervids (deer, elk, and moose) from areas within other states or provinces that have CWD.

The purpose of this rule is to prevent the tissues most likely to contain CWD from being brought to areas of the state where CWD does not yet occur and introducing the disease there. Map of affected area and additional details pertaining to carcass movement regulation.

The only parts from legally-harvested wild cervids from within the CWD-MZ that may be transported beyond those Deer Management Units adjacent to the CWD-MZ as well as from areas of other states and provinces that have CWD are as follows:

  • Meat that is cut and wrapped (either commercially or privately).
  • Quarters or other portions of meat to which no part of the spinal column is attached.
  • Meat that has been deboned.
  • Hides with no heads attached.
  • Finished taxidermy heads.
  • Antlers with no tissue attached.
  • Clean skull plates with no lymphoid or brain tissue attached.
  • Clean skulls with no lymphoid or brain tissue attached.
  • Upper canine teeth (also known as buglers, whistlers, or ivories).

Earn-A-Buck FAQ's [PDF 33KB]

Baiting and Feeding Regulations

For a clickable map of the DMU boundaries please view the Deer Management Unit Boundaries page.

Public Hunting

State Wildlife Areas

For additional information about hunting White-tailed deer in and outside of the CWD Zones visit the Deer Hunting in Wisconsin web page.

Contact Information

For answers to questions relating to CWD in Wisconsin, email Wildlife Health.

Questions for Wildlife Management