Open Water Restrictions
Migratory Game Birds
Waterbodies With Restrictions
It is illegal to hunt waterfowl in open water from or with the aid of any blind including any boat, canoe, raft, contrivance or similar device except as described below:
| Waterbody | Distance From Shore | Must Blinds Be Anchored? | Must Blinds Be Removed Daily? |
| Lake Pepin and Grant County Portions of the Mississippi River | No minimum distance | Yes | Yes |
| All Other Mississippi River Areas | Max. 100 ft. | Yes | Yes |
| Big Green Lake, Great Lakes and Green Bay | Min. 500 ft. | No | Yes |
| Other lakes* listed in the paragraph below this table | Min. 500 ft. | Yes | Yes |
*These lakes include: Beaver Dam Lake (excluding Rakes and Trestle Works bays), in Dodge County; Castle Rock Lake (south of railroad bridge and Cty. G) in Adams and Juneau counties; Fence Lake in Vilas County; Grindstone Lake in Sawyer County; Lake Puckaway (waters west of the west end of the dredge bank, excluding waters east of the west end of the dredge bank) in Marquette and Green Lake counties; Lake Winnebago in Calumet, Fond du Lac and Winnebago counties; Lake Wisconsin (north of railroad bridge) in Sauk and Columbia counties; Lake Wissota (south of Cty. S and north of Cty. X) in Chippewa County; North Twin Lake in Vilas County; Petenwell Flowage (north of State Hwy. 21 and south of State Hwy. 73) in Adams, Juneau and Wood counties; Shawano Lake in Shawano county; and Trout Lake in Vilas County.
Open Water Restrictions
- Hunters may hunt in open water with the aid of blinds if any of the following applies:
- Any part of the boat or blind is located within 3 feet of any shoreline, including islands.
- Any part of the boat or blind is located within 3 feet of a naturally occurring and unmanipulated growth of vegetation rooted to the navigable waterway’s bed or shoreline. The vegetation must conceal at least 50% of the hunter and boat or blind when viewed from at least one direction. Vegetation now includes stumps and trees.
- Hunters possessing a Class A or B Disabled Permit may hunt only far enough from emergent vegetation to maintain the minimum depth of water necessary for operation of the boat. These blinds should be removed daily at the close of shooting hours.
- Open water restrictions do not prohibit legal jump shooting activities from a non-motorized boat on narrow streams where shooting shore to shore is possible.
- You may hunt in any open water area provided you are standing on the bottom without the aid of a blind.