Season dates and application deadlines
View and print 2025 Season Dates and Application Deadlines.
Deer
Note: The 2025 Extended Archery Season continues until Jan. 31, 2026, in Metro subunits and select Farmland Counties.
| 2026 Seasons | |
|---|---|
Archery and Crossbow* *No bucks may be harvested during the antlerless-only hunts identified below. | Sept. 12 – Jan. 3, 2027 |
| Archery and Crossbow *Metro Sub-units and counties with extended archery seasons* See the map for counties with extended archery seasons. | Sept. 12 – Jan. 31, 2027 |
| Gun hunt for hunters with disabilities: This is not a statewide season. Learn more... | Oct. 3 – 11 |
| Youth deer hunt | Oct. 10 – 11 |
| Gun | Nov. 21 – 29 |
| Muzzleloader | Nov. 30 – Dec. 9 |
| December 4-Day Antlerless-Only Hunt | Dec. 10 – 13 |
| Antlerless-Only Holiday Hunt *Open only in select Farmland (Zone 2) counties. Please see page 12 of combined hunting regulations for valid counties. | Dec. 24 – Jan. 1, 2027* |
| All dates are subject to change through rulemaking or a legislative process. Please check the Wisconsin Hunting Regulations for the complete dates and unit designations. | |
Bear
The application deadline for bear permits is always Dec. 10, the year before the season.
| 2026 Seasons | |
|---|---|
| Note: Bear Management Zones | |
| Zones A, B, D: where dogs are permitted | |
| Sept. 9-15 |
|
| Sept. 16-Oct. 6 |
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| Oct. 7-13 |
|
| Zones C, E, F: where dogs are not permitted | |
| Sept. 9-Oct. 13 |
|
Migratory Birds
2026 Dates will be determined in April.
| 2025 Seasons | |
|---|---|
| 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. 20 – 21 |
| Woodcock | Sept. 20 – Nov. 3 |
| Northern Duck Zone | Sept. 27 – Nov. 25 |
| Southern Duck Zone | Oct. 4-12 and Oct. 18-Dec. 7 |
| Open Water Duck Zone | Oct. 18 – Dec. 16 |
| Coot | *Same as duck season for each zone |
| Northern Goose Zone | Sept. 16 – Dec. 16 |
| Southern and Mississippi Goose Zones | Sept. 16 – Oct. 12, Oct. 18 – Dec. 7, Dec. 20 – Jan. 2, 2026 |
Falconry
2026 Dates will be determined in April.
| 2025 Seasons | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rail (Virginia, Sora), Snipe, Common Gallinule & Woodcock | Half an hour before sunrise to sunset | Sept. 1 – Dec. 16 | |
| Early Teal | Sunrise to Sunset | Sept 1 – 9 | |
| Ducks, mergansers & coots | Half an hour before sunrise to sunset | All Zones | Sept. 20 – 21, Jan. 9, – Feb. 13, 2026 |
| South Zone | Oct. 4-12, Oct. 18 – Dec. 7 | ||
| Open Water Zone | Oct. 18 – Dec. 16 | ||
| North Zone | Sept. 27 – Nov. 25 | ||
| Geese | Half an hour before sunrise to sunset | *Same as the regular goose season dates; it depends on the zone | |
| The total daily bag limit for migratory game birds is 3, 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. | |||
Wild Turkey
The application deadline for spring turkey harvest authorizations is always Dec. 10.
| 2026 Seasons | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Spring Turkey Youth Hunt | April 11 – 12 | |
| Spring 2026 | ||
| Period A | April 15 – 21 | |
| Period B | April 22 – 28 | |
| Period C | April 29- May 5 | |
| Period D | May 6–12 | |
| Period E | May 13– 19 | |
| Period F | May 20 – 26 | |
| Fall 2026 | ||
| Zones 1 - 5 | Nov. 21 – Jan. 3, 2027 | |
| Statewide | Sept. 12 – Nov. 20 | |
Small Game
| 2025 Seasons | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cottontail rabbit | ||
| Northern zone | Sept. 13 – Feb. 28, 2026 | |
| Southern zone | Oct. 18 (9 a.m.) – Feb. 28, 2026 | |
| Milwaukee County | Year-round | |
| Squirrels (gray and fox) | ||
| Statewide | Sept. 13 – Feb. 28, 2026 | |
| Hunting protected species like badgers, jackrabbits, moose, and flying squirrels is prohibited. | ||
| Check the hunting regulations for a complete set of rules. | ||
| 2026 Seasons | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cottontail rabbit | Northern zone | Sept. 12 – Feb. 28, 2027 |
| Southern zone | Oct. 17 (9 a.m.) – Feb. 28, 2027 | |
| Milwaukee County | Year-round | |
| Squirrels (gray and fox) | Statewide | Sept. 12 – Feb. 28, 2027 |
| Hunting protected species like badgers, jackrabbits, moose, and flying squirrels is prohibited. | ||
| Check the hunting regulations for a complete set of rules. | ||
Other Game Birds
| 2025 Seasons | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pheasant | Statewide | Oct. 18 (9 a.m.) – Jan. 4, 2026 |
| Ruffed grouse | Zone A | Sept. 13 – Jan. 4, 2026 |
| Zone B | Oct. 18 – Dec. 8 | |
| Crow | Statewide | Nov. 22 – March 25, 2026 |
| Hungarian partridge | Statewide (closed in Clark, Marathon, and Taylor counties) | Oct. 18 (9 a.m.) – Jan. 4, 2026 |
| Sharp-tailed grouse | Zone-specific permits | Oct. 18-Nov. 9 |
| Bobwhite quail | Statewide | Oct. 18 (9 a.m.) – Dec. 10 |
| Check the hunting regulations for a complete set of rules. | ||
| 2026 Seasons | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pheasant | Statewide | Oct. 17 (9 a.m.) – Jan. 3, 2027 |
| Ruffed grouse | Zone A | Sept. 12 – Jan. 3, 2027 |
| Zone B | Oct. 17 – Dec. 7 | |
| Crow | Statewide | Nov. 21 – March 24, 2027 |
| Hungarian partridge | Statewide (closed in Clark, Marathon, and Taylor counties) | Oct. 17 (9 a.m.) – Jan. 3, 2027 |
| Sharp-tailed grouse | Zone-specific permits | Oct. 17-Nov. 8 (if season is open) |
| Bobwhite quail | Statewide | Oct. 17 (9 a.m.) – Dec. 9 |
| Check the hunting regulations for a complete set of rules. | ||
Furbearers
The application deadline for bobcat and fisher permits is always Aug. 1. An otter application is no longer required for the season.
| 2025 Seasons | ||
|---|---|---|
| Wolf | Hunting | |
| Hunting with the aid of dogs | ||
| Trapping | ||
| Coyote | Hunting | Year-round |
| Trapping | Oct. 18 – Feb. 15, 2026 | |
| Fox (red and gray) | Hunting and Trapping | Oct. 18 – Feb. 15. 2026 |
| Beaver | See beaver trapping seasons. | |
| Mink | See mink trapping seasons. | |
| Muskrat | See muskrat trapping seasons. | |
| Bobcat | Hunting and Trapping | Period 1: Oct. 18 – Dec. 25 |
| Period 2: Dec. 26 – Jan. 31, 2026 | ||
| Fisher | See fisher trapping seasons. | |
| Otter | See otter trapping seasons. | |
| Raccoon | Hunting and Trapping | Resident: Oct. 18 – Feb. 15, 2026 |
| Nonresident: Nov. 1 – Feb. 15, 2026 | ||
| 2026 Seasons | ||
|---|---|---|
| Wolf | Hunting | |
| Hunting with the aid of dogs | ||
| Trapping | ||
| Coyote | Hunting | Year-round |
| Trapping | Oct. 17 – Feb. 15, 2027 | |
| Fox (red and gray) | Hunting and Trapping | Oct. 17 – Feb. 15. 2027 |
| Beaver | See beaver trapping seasons. | |
| Mink | See mink trapping seasons. | |
| Muskrat | See muskrat trapping seasons. | |
| Bobcat | Hunting and Trapping | Period 1: Oct. 17 – Dec. 25 |
| Period 2: Dec. 26 – Jan. 31, 2027 | ||
| Fisher | See fisher trapping seasons. | |
| Otter | See otter trapping seasons. | |
| Raccoon | Hunting and Trapping | Resident: Oct. 17 – Feb. 15, 2027 |
| Nonresident: Oct. 31 – Feb. 15, 2027 | ||