Elk Hunting

Purchase A Hunting License

Before obtaining an elk hunting license, all selected hunters must participate in a Wisconsin elk hunter education course. The class covers Wisconsin elk history, hunting regulations, biology, behavior and scouting/hunting techniques.

After successful completion of the elk hunter education course, elk hunters will be able to purchase the elk license for $49 through their Go Wild account or a licensed agent.

Note: Any individual may only be drawn once in their lifetime. A person authorized to purchase an elk hunting license may transfer their awarded elk harvest license to another who meets the required qualifications on the Permit Transfer webpage. However, be aware that transferring a license would exempt a person from receiving a license in the future, as well as the individual who is receiving the transferred elk hunting license. Neither hunter would be able to apply for an elk license in Wisconsin in future years.

Elk Application Process

The 2026 Wisconsin elk hunt application period is open from March 1 through May 31. Two applications are available annually for hunters, one application for bull elk licenses and one for antlerless licenses. Applicants may purchase one or both applications to be eligible for the drawing(s). Licenses will be unit-specific; therefore, applicants are required to select a hunting unit or unit group when applying. The unit/unit group selected will determine which elk management zone the applicant is submitting their application for. Only units/unit groups with an approved annual quota will be available for selection during the application process. Units with no quota will remain closed for that hunting season. Maps of the management zones/units may be found on the “Where to Hunt” tab.

To apply, interested hunters should visit their Go Wild account or a licensed agent to submit their application(s) during the open application period. Each application fee is $10.

2026 Elk Hunting Season Unit Grouping And License Availability (State Licenses)

Northern Elk Management Zone

• Unit Group A – 1 bull elk license
• Unit Group B – CLOSED
• Unit Group C – 1 bull elk license
• Unit Group D – 2 bull elk licenses

Central Elk Management Zone

• Unit Group E – 2 bull elk licenses, 3 antlerless licenses
• Unit Group F – 2 bull elk licenses
• Unit Group G – 2 bull elk licenses, 3 antlerless licenses

Up to two applications may be submitted per person per year (one bull elk and one antlerless), and no preference points are given. An applicant may enter both applications, but can only accept one harvest license if drawn. Ss per state statute, an individual cannot receive more than one Wisconsin elk hunting license in their lifetime, which includes bull elk and antlerless harvest licenses.

Wisconsin does not use a preference point system for elk. This allows all applicants an equal opportunity, within a draw, to successfully draw an elk hunting license. If a preference point system were used for elk in Wisconsin, due to the limited number of elk hunting licenses issued and the number of applicants each year, those who did not apply the first year would have virtually no chance of being awarded a hunting license in future drawings.

The application process is open only to Wisconsin residents when 100 or fewer elk hunting licenses are allocated, with exceptions for nonresident Purple Heart recipients and Armed Forces members who provide proof of meeting the qualifying criteria. When more than 100 elk hunting licenses are issued, Wisconsin residents and nonresidents may apply.

A portion of each application fee is directly allocated to support elk management. For every $10 application fee (both antlered and antlerless), $7 is designated for elk management and research in Wisconsin. These funds are used to enhance elk habitat, monitor each elk herd, support elk research, and conduct outreach to promote elk in Wisconsin. The remaining $3 covers administrative fees, vendor fees, etc.

Drawing Process

The drawing occurs in early June each year, and each license winner will be notified by DNR elk staff of their success. It is highly recommended that all personal contact information in the GoWild system be updated to ensure efficient contact is made with successful applicants after the drawing occurs. Successful applicants must attend a mandatory elk hunter education course, hosted by the DNR, before being authorized to purchase an elk hunting license ($49).

Ojibwe Tribes And Elk Hunting

The Ojibwe tribes have reserved rights to hunt, fish, and gather off-reservation through treaties with the United States. These federally recognized treaty rights allow tribal members to hunt on public lands within the Ceded Territory of northern Wisconsin and reserve the right to declare up to 50% of the total harvest quota for a variety of wildlife species, including elk, on lands of the 1837 and 1842 Ceded Territory. Tribal members who are Wisconsin residents can apply through the state drawing if they so choose. Non-tribal hunters are not allowed to participate in a tribal elk hunt.

The tribes of Wisconsin, along with the 1837 and 1842 treaties, have been strong supporters and partners of elk reintroduction and management efforts. The presence of Elk on the landscape and the tribal ability to pursue Elk have historically (and continue to) be valued for their subsistence, cultural, religious, medicinal, and economic significance to the Ojibwe Tribes and the Ho-Chunk Nation.

The Ojibwe tribal elk hunting season begins the day after Labor Day and runs through the first Sunday after New Year's Day. This is the same harvest season for many of their hunted species. The Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Commission maintains tribal elk hunting rules and regulations and is available on the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission website.

Where To Hunt

Each elk management zone provides ample hunting opportunities, bolstered by substantial blocks of public lands within the ranges. In addition, elk may be pursued on private property with the landowner's permission.

Additional opportunities within both elk ranges may be open for hunting under the Open Managed Forest Law or Forest Crop Law program. The DNR's Public Access Lands atlas is a valuable tool for locating public land open to hunting.

Hunting Units

Hunting units were constructed to delineate geographic areas across each management zone to benefit hunter opportunity and harvest distribution, as well as population management at the herd and localized levels. Between 2018-2025, elk permits were valid across entire management zones, which often resulted in harvest occurring within very small areas, particularly in the northern herd. Greater control over harvest distribution through the incorporation of hunting units and unit-specific tags will help prevent negative impacts of heavy, localized harvest pressure when herd or subgroup dynamics are compromised, and allow for increased harvest pressure in units where conflict levels are high.

To gain greater control over elk harvest distribution, elk hunting units will be implemented starting in 2026. Doing so will enable high-resolution harvest management and the ability to adjust harvest in areas where population increases or decreases are desired, depending on population objectives, herd dynamics, conflict levels, and elk distribution. Additionally, this tool will allow for more targeted hunting pressure in areas with increased nuisance/damage issues, in other conflict locations experiencing increased elk-vehicle collisions, or in areas where high elk numbers are not supported by the habitat or public interest.

Unit-Specific Quotas

Establishing unit-specific harvest quotas will allow for additional population control within each hunting unit. To allow maximum flexibility in harvest control, quotas will be established for each unit or grouping of units. Hunters will apply for, and be able to hunt, any unit or grouping of units that has an established quota and issued permits for that hunting season. In years when targeted population control is deemed necessary, individual unit quotas may be used to either focus harvest pressure within units experiencing high elk conflict or population growth to achieve a decrease objective, or alternatively, reduce/eliminate harvest within units with an increase objective or where subgroup composition is compromised.

If unit-specific quotas are not necessary for localized population control, units may be grouped together to increase hunters’ opportunity. In years when no control over the spatial distribution of harvest is necessary, hunters may be allowed to hunt the entire management zone (all units will be grouped together). Hunting will not be allowed in hunting units with no quota allocation (zero quota). The Tribal ceded territory declaration applies only to harvest quotas identified in the Northern Elk Management Zone and to a portion of Unit 15.

Northern Elk Management Zone

Public land comprises approximately 68% of the total land area in the Northern Elk Management Zone, including national, state, county and tax-law open forest ownerships. The general terrain is flat, with minor elevation changes throughout. The northern portion of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, Great Divide District, will include the greatest elevation. Most of the northern zone’s forested landscape is comprised of Northern Hardwood, Aspen or lowland forests. The greater Clam Lake and Flambeau area has ample accommodations, including several hotels, resorts, cabin rentals and campgrounds, and it is within short proximity to many small towns and cities.

2026 Elk Hunting Season Options and Tag Availability

Northern Elk Management Zone

• Unit Group A (Unit 1):– 1 bull elk license
• Unit Group B (Unit 2) – CLOSED
• Unit Group C (Units 3, 4, and 5) – 1 bull elk license
• Unit Group D (Units 6 and 7) – 2 bull elk licenses

Unit Grouping Summaries

Group A (Unit 1): Unit 1 sees little elk activity outside of a subgroup of roughly 40-45 elk, including 9-10 bulls and 30-35 cows and calves. There is little interaction with other elk groups. Primary land type includes private land ownership but has a large WDACP enrollment, with potential for other enrollments in the future and some national forest utilization. Additional Wisconsin Damage and Abatement Claims Program (WDACP) enrollments are a potential in the north/northeast side of Unit 1. Small pockets of elk might exist elsewhere in Unit Group A.

Group B (Unit 2): CLOSED

Group C (Units 3, 4, and 5): Units 3, 4, and 5 created the largest discussion in the northern zone. Clam Lake proper elk utilize portions of these three units throughout the hunting seasons, but do easily move to and from Unit 2. Group C does have a high density of public land, primarily Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. Unit 3 hosts a high density of public land but experiences the lowest elk use density throughout the year. Even with its proximity to Clam Lake and Clam Lake subgroups, Unit 3 is the only northern unit that may have no elk residing within the unit boundary at any given point in time. Unit 5 sees strong elk use near Clam Lake, as well as in the Shanagolden and Butternut subgroups, which reside primarily on private land. The western half of Unit 5 is predominantly public land, with elk utilizing the northwest corner near Clam Lake heavily. Elk hunters have focused on this area over the first eight elk hunting seasons. In fact, 13 of the bulls harvested in this unit came from this area. The Moose Lake subgroup, which resides in the core of Unit 4, has strong bull and cow numbers.

Group D (Units 6 and 7): Opening for harvest in 2020; limited hunter effort has occurred in Units 6 and 7, which have shown decent cow and good bull class numbers. Group D has a high density of public land, including Flambeau River State Forest, Price, Rusk and Sawyer County Forest and an industrial block of Tax-Law with large tracts of high-quality elk habitat. Access tends to be more difficult with limited motorized access. Previous elk harvests have occurred on both sides of the north fork of the Flambeau River (Unit 6 and 7 boundary). Regular elk movements have been observed across the river, yielding a committee recommendation to form a combination unit (Group D). Elk densities are fair, with good bull density. This also includes a bul-heavy subgroup at the south end of Unit 6 and will likely continue to provide harvest opportunity on the WDACP enrollment/conflict area.

Maps of Northern Elk Management Zone

• Northern Elk Management Zone – General Boundary Map
• Northern Elk Management Zone – Land Ownership Map
• Northern Elk Management Zone – Hunting Unit Map

Additional Resources

• Flambeau River State Forest
• Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest: Great Divide District

Central Elk Management Zone

The Central Elk Management Zone lies within Wisconsin's central forest region and comprises nearly 70% public lands. This zone encompasses large portions of the Black River State Forest and Jackson County lands, offering excellent opportunities to pursue elk. Across public lands, these areas are predominantly forested, including cover types of oak, pine, mixed central hardwoods and some aspen forests. The area of private land in the southwest region of the range transitions to private lands with a greater composition of agricultural lands. Throughout the range, changes in topography can be seen, which include flat to rolling. However, some areas offer increased elevation and topography. Although the Wazee Recreational Area is within Jackson County public lands, a section of the recreational area is prohibited from hunting; please follow the link below for additional information.

2026 Elk Hunting Season Options and Tag Availability

Central Elk Management Zone

• Unit Group E (Units 8, 11, and 14) – 2 bull elk licenses, 3 antlerless licenses
• Unit Group F (Unit 10) – 2 bull elk licenses
• Unit Group G (Units 9, 12, and 13) – 2 bull elk licenses, 3 antlerless licenses

Unit Grouping Summaries

Group E (Units 8, 11, and 14): The elk subgroup residing north of Black River Falls (N.BRF) will be targeted for reduction over the 2025/2026 winter through trapping and relocating efforts. As such, the density of elk utilizing this hunting unit group is unknown right now. Elk movements often transition between Units 8, 10, and 11. The amount of public land in Unit 11 is near zero. Private land access and/or access of properties through the WDACP will be necessary to secure hunting opportunities within this unit. However, the adjacent Unit 8 has a high proportion of public lands and allows harvest opportunity of the N.BRF subgroup, due to seasonal movement patterns during the early parts of the elk hunting season. Unit 14 is primarily private lands and has very low densities of elk. Currently, there are no documented elk damage enrollments here. However, in the event elk move into that unit and/or conflicts arise, Unit 14 was included in unit grouping E.

Group F (Unit 10): The Wazee subgroup is the primary subgroup using Unit 10. The quantity of elk associated with this subgroup fluctuates seasonally. Elk residing within Unit 10 have low conflict potential and will be allowed to increase in numbers. Therefore, only antlered licenses will be allowed in Unit 10 this year. There is no antlerless quota assigned to this unit for 2026. Nonetheless, this unit offers high hunter opportunity due to large proportions of public lands and consistent elk activity.

Group G (9, 12, and 13): The Millston subgroup predominately reside in Unit 9, with some transition into the southeastern edge of unit 10 and into Unit 12. These movements are primarily by bulls transitioning to wintering grounds after the breeding season. Elk densities vary in this unit grouping, some being quite high and other being very low. Unit 9 offers public land hunting opportunity, as well as potential to secure private lands access either through the WDACP or securing private lands access through landowners or guides. The smaller Warrens subgroup exists in Unit 13 on private lands, where access could be secured through the WDACP or private land access.

Central Elk Management Zone Maps

• Central Elk Management Zone – General Boundary Map
• Central Elk Management Zone – Land Ownership Map
• Central Elk Management Zone – Hunt Unit Map

Additional Resources

• Black River State Forest
• Jackson County Forestry and Parks
• Wazee Recreational Area No Hunting Map

Hunting Safety Tips

Elk hunters must carry proof of their elk hunting license and elk harvest tag.

• Proof of an elk hunting license may include an original or reprinted paper copy, a Go Wild conservation card, a Go Wild-authenticated Wisconsin driver's license or a digital PDF file issued by the DNR and displayed on an electronic device.
• Only an original or reprinted paper copy is accepted for the elk harvest tag.

Blaze Orange

Blaze orange or fluorescent pink must be worn while elk hunting during an active statewide firearm season. This often occurs during the statewide antlerless hunt in December. Although blaze orange or fluorescent pink is not required outside of an active statewide firearm season, it is highly recommended that at least some highly visible clothing (vest, hat, etc.) be worn. Other types of hunting and recreation are occurring during this period, in addition to elk hunting, so safety should be a high priority.

If a weapon is legal for deer hunting in Wisconsin, it is also legal for elk hunting. As such, elk may be hunted with vertical bows (traditional and compound), crossbows, muzzleloaders, centerfire handguns and centerfire firearms.

Hunter Logistics

All license winners must attend an elk hunter education course before they are eligible to purchase an elk hunting license. Hunters will be introduced to various topics related to Wisconsin elk management and research, the history of the Wisconsin elk reintroduction, hunt preparation, rules and regulations, registration process, disease/tissue sampling and more. Hunters will also have the chance to meet DNR staff members and partners to ask elk hunting or related questions.

The location and timeframe will be shared with the successful drawing winners. The course is free of charge, but it is mandatory. Hunters who did not successfully draw an elk hunting license will not be permitted to attend the elk education hunter course. The successful applicant will be allowed to bring 1-2 individuals to the education course who plan on accompanying them on their hunt.

If you intend to hunt alone, you must comply with hunter education requirements that are in place for all hunting activities in Wisconsin, including passing an official hunter safety class. The elk hunter education course does not qualify for the hunter education requirement.

Mentored hunting is allowed. A hunter who has not obtained hunter education requirements may still participate with a qualified mentor. The mentor must hold a valid Wisconsin hunting license of any type. The mentor may carry a weapon if also hunting other game, such as deer, during an open deer hunting season or if the mentor possesses a concealed carry permit. The mentor is not authorized to kill an elk for a mentee unless dispatching a wounded elk for the mentee (age 17 or younger). Visit the mentored hunting page for more information.

Additional people may accompany a licensed elk hunter on the hunt. However, group hunting is prohibited. Only the person who issued the elk hunting license may shoot an elk. Having extra people along may be particularly helpful in recovering an elk from the field. There is no limit to the number of people who may accompany or assist the hunter. If hunting on enrolled acres through the Wisconsin Damage Abatement and Claims Program (WDACP), all members of the party must individually be granted permission to access the land.

Guides may be used to hunt elk in Wisconsin. Guides must have a valid Wisconsin DNR Guiding License, which is not species-specific. The Wisconsin DNR will not provide private guide information to elk hunters. No person may engage or be employed for any compensation or reward to guide, direct or assist any other person in hunting, fishing or trapping unless the person is issued a guide license by the department, subject to ss. 29.024 and 54.25 (2) (c) 1. d. No guide license for hunting or trapping may be issued to or obtained by any person who is not a resident of this state. No guide license may be issued to any person under the age of 18 years. The holder of a guide license shall comply with all of the requirements of Chapter NR 29. Additionally, any person employed as an elk hunting guide in the United States Forest Service - National Forest must complete appropriate permitting for guiding on federal lands through the USFS.

Register A Harvest

Upon elk harvesting, the elk harvest tag must be immediately validated by removing the bottom portion (validation stub). Hunters are encouraged to protect the paper harvest tag. The harvest tag must be attached to the elk if the hunter temporarily leaves the animal. If you leave it, tag it.

All harvested elk must be registered and are required to be presented in person by 5 p.m. the day after recovery. To do so, they must contact a local wildlife biologist to register the elk in the field or at a mutually agreed-upon meeting place. Instructions and details will be provided to the hunters at the elk hunter education course. The elk may not leave the county of harvest or the adjacent county of harvest unless the registration process has been initiated with a wildlife biologist.

Online harvest registration through GameReg is not available for elk. After in-person registration is completed, department staff will enter the hunter's elk registration in GameReg. The harvest record will appear on the hunter's Go Wild account. The elk registration confirmation number will then be available to the hunter.

Hunters will be provided tissue sampling kits at orientation for herd health sampling. Hunters will be asked to provide CWD tissue samples at registration, including lymph nodes and obex, at registration. Additional tissue samples may include lung, liver, skin and a tooth.

Elk Health & Diseases

The unique nature of a small, reintroduced elk population in Wisconsin has provided the opportunity to test a high percentage of individuals for exposure to diseases significant to elk, humans, and domestic animals. Since the initial reintroduction of the northern elk population in 1995, intensive monitoring using radio collars has allowed for a sound background on the exposure of elk to diseases of concern and prompt mortality investigations to determine the cause of death.

Through regular capture and handling of elk in Wisconsin, blood and fecal samples have been collected to evaluate exposure to organisms responsible for Brucellosis, Johne's Disease, Bluetongue, Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD), Leptospirosis, Eastern Equine Encephalitis, Western Equine Encephalitis, Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis, West Nile Virus (WNV), Anaplasmosis, Neosporosis, Bovine Herpes, Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR) and Bovine Viral Diarrhea (BVD). These surveillance efforts have revealed either limited exposure by Wisconsin elk (WNV and EEE) or no identified exposure (all others). These tests represented both surveillance efforts for diseases that elk have been identified as compatible hosts for, and sources of, an infection that is not present in Wisconsin (Brucella species) and investigatory in evaluating possible diseases that could impact elk populations.

Based on the diseases and parasites that have been identified within Wisconsin and a desire to prevent the introduction of diseases not present within the state, a testing plan was developed in collaboration with other state and federal agencies for the 2015-2019 elk translocation from Kentucky. The plan included testing for diseases that primarily affect wildlife and those that primarily affect domestic animals but can spill over into wildlife and included testing for Bovine Tuberculosis (TB), Bovine Brucellosis (Brucella abortus), Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus, Bluetongue and Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease. The protocol outlined in that plan was executed fully, and no elk were identified as infected with these diseases.

Chronic Wasting Disease in Elk

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal, infectious nervous system disease of deer, moose, elk and reindeer/caribou. It belongs to the family of diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) or prion diseases.

The DNR began monitoring the state's wild white-tailed deer population for CWD in 1999. The first positive detections were found in 2002 in Dane County, approximately 250 miles from the Northern Elk Management Zone and approximately 120 miles from the Central Elk Management Zone. Before the most recent reintroduction, extensive testing was conducted within both elk management zones to monitor for CWD. During translocation, additional measures were also taken to ensure that equipment and staff were not transmitting the prion that causes CWD. All hunter-harvested elk, as well as all elk that die of other causes, are tested for CWD. Routine sampling of hunter-harvested white-tailed deer within and surrounding the two elk ranges also occurs. As of February 2026, 272 elk have been tested, and no wild elk have tested positive for CWD in Wisconsin.

Other Considerations for Elk Health

Baiting and Feeding: Currently, baiting and feeding for elk are prohibited by the Administrative Code. Wisconsin's current prohibition on baiting and feeding for elk is a strong management tool with multiple benefits. In Wisconsin, recreational feeding of elk has been responsible for numerous vehicle collisions as elk crossed roadways to reach backyard feeding operations, and prohibitive rule changes helped drastically reduce roadway mortality. Additionally, baiting/feeding has caused several elk mortalities via metabolic toxicity associated with grain overload (the introduction of readily digestible carbohydrates, such as corn, that their rumen cannot process appropriately).

Rehabilitation: Elk's behavior and nature of elk make them an unlikely candidate for inclusion in wildlife rehabilitation efforts, and it is recommended that they be excluded from these endeavors.

Previous Elk Hunts

Elk Hunt 2025

Central Elk Management Zone

The 2025 elk harvest season was the first time in modern history, an antlerless elk was legally harvested. The quota for the central elk management zone was four bulls and five antlerless elk, of which all five antlerless tags were filled, and three of four bull tags were filled. Antlerless hunters focused harvest pressure on acres enrolled in the Wisconsin Damage Abatement and Claims Program as well as other private lands, and the bull licenses were fill on public lands. Consistency was seen whereas each elk was harvested with a center-fire rifle, however the duration of time to fill a tag varied from a few days after opening day, to nearly the final day of the season. 

Central Elk Management Zone - Annual Hunting Season Summary

Northern Elk Management Zone

In 2025, four state-licensed hunters and a tribal declaration of four bull elk pursued an eight-bull quota within the northern herd. The eighth elk hunting season was completed after state-licensed hunters harvested three mature and one immature bull elk, and tribal hunting groups harvested two mature and one juvenile bull elk. One state-licensed hunter filled their tag on private property, with five other bull elk harvested on the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. Lastly, one mature bull taken on the Flambeau River State Forest. One state licensed tag was filled by a youth hunter.

Northern Elk Management Zone - Annual Hunting Season Summary

Elk Hunt 2024

The 2024 elk hunting season concluded with two state-licensed harvested bull elk and four bull elk harvested by Ojibwe tribal hunters. Of the six elk harvested, three mature, two immature, and one juvenile bull elk were taken, all from public lands, including the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest and the Flambeau River State Forest. One successful state-licensed hunter harvested was a mentored youth hunter. 

Elk Hunt 2023

The 2023 elk hunting season concluded with state-licensed and tribal hunters filling the eight-bull quota. Of the eight elk harvested, two mature, two immature, and two juvenile bull elk were taken all from public lands including the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest and the Flambeau River State Forest. One mature bull was taken by a youth hunter on private land open to elk hunting while enrolled in the WDACP program. The last immature bull was harvested on private land. 2023 marked the first state licensed youth hunter harvested elk. A father originally drew the tag and transferred to his daughter, who successfully filled the tag. Additionally, 2023 marked the first modern day, traditional archery equipment harvest when an opening day mature bull was harvested with a long bow.