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Southern Farmland deer zone · Southeast
Kenosha County Hunting
Kenosha County sits in the Southern Farmland deer zone. Here are its 2 deer units, 2026 antlerless quotas, CWD sampling, bear and turkey zones, public land with acres and the 2026-27 season table.
Photo: newagecrap (CC BY 2.0)
In southeast Wisconsin, Kenosha County takes in 272 square miles around its seat, Kenosha. Population in 2024 stood at 168,754, down 0.2% from 2020. The whole county is Southern Farmland for deer, with 2 units on the DNR map. For a DNR desk, hunters here use the DNR Milwaukee Service Center. 11 public tracts reach into the county; Richard Bong State Recreation Area is the largest.
Census 2024 Gazetteer and Vintage 2024 estimates (population), DNR region from the DNR staff pages, deer zones from the DNR deer zone layer, service centers from DNR office locations. Checked October 19, 2026.
Deer management units covering Kenosha County
Quotas follow units, not county lines: the 1 unit reaching Kenosha County carry 300 antlerless deer between them in 2026. Buy a deer license and select the Farmland unit here, and 1 antlerless authorization arrives with it. Bonus antlerless authorizations sell first come, one a day, at $12 for residents and $20 for nonresidents.
| Deer unit | Zone | 2026 quota | Initial public | Initial private | Still for sale Oct 19 | Included tags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenosha | Southern Farmland | 300 | 100 | 265 | 100 / 265 | 1 |
| Kenosha County Metro Sub-Unit | Southern Farmland metro | In parent | 150 | 150 | 150 / 150 | 1 |
After Jan. 3
The 2026 Farmland season map gives Kenosha County neither the Holiday Hunt nor extended archery.
Metro sub-unit
Hunters in the metro sub-unit near Milwaukee get gun dates Nov 21 to Dec 9, 2026 and a January bow season. DNR offered 300 bonus tags for the sub-unit in August.
Gun deer dates
Nov 21 to Nov 29, 2026 is the nine-day gun hunt; the muzzleloader week is Nov 30 to Dec 9, 2026 and the December 4-day antlerless hunt Dec 10 to Dec 13, 2026.
Quotas and initial bonus counts from the DNR 2026 antlerless quota and initial permit availability (approved June 24, 2026); unsold counts and free Farmland tags from the bonus availability page as of Oct. 19, 2026; Holiday Hunt and extended archery from the 2026 season map; dates from the deer regulations. Checked October 19, 2026.
Kenosha County buck and antlerless harvest
The 2025 total for the Kenosha unit was 510 deer, 38% of them antlerless. The high point of the series, which starts in 1960, was 1995 with 712 deer.
| Season | Bucks | Does and fawns | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 316 | 194 | 510 |
| 2024 | 276 | 143 | 419 |
| 2023 | 317 | 164 | 481 |
| 2022 | 269 | 176 | 445 |
| 2021 | 228 | 151 | 379 |
| 2020 | 245 | 166 | 411 |
| 2019 | 195 | 123 | 318 |
| 2018 | 217 | 140 | 357 |
| 2017 | 192 | 148 | 340 |
| 2016 | 200 | 176 | 376 |
Season to date, 2026 (preliminary)
| Row | Antlered | Antlerless | To date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenosha | 15 | 11 | 26 |
| Kenosha Metro Subunit | 8 | 6 | 14 |
DNR Deer Metrics harvest history (registered deer, all seasons and weapons; values read from the DNR chart), 2025 forest DMU figures from the same source, and the DNR 2026 total harvest to date (preliminary). Checked October 19, 2026.
Kenosha County: CWD tests by year
1,320 wild deer from Kenosha County have been tested since 1999, and 7 carried CWD. In CWD year 2025 (April 2025 to March 2026) 35 deer were sampled and 1 were positive. Deer baiting and feeding are prohibited across Kenosha County (a CWD or TB positive in or within 10 miles of the county). Donation rule: test all deer.
| CWD year | Sampled | Positive |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (partial) | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 35 | 1 |
| 2024 | 24 | 3 |
| 2023 | 24 | 0 |
| 2022 | 29 | 1 |
| 2021 | 25 | 0 |
| 2020 | 22 | 0 |
| 2019 | 24 | 0 |
| 2018 | 22 | 0 |
| 2017 | 11 | 0 |
| 2016 | 5 | 0 |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 |
CWD testing guide · Baiting and feeding rules
CWD sampling from the DNR CWD summary by county (wild deer, data released through Oct. 18, 2026; CWD year runs April 1-March 31, 2026 partial); baiting from the DNR baiting and feeding page and its map; donation testing from the Deer Donation Program. Checked October 19, 2026.
Bear, turkey and bird zones in Kenosha County
Bear drawing and harvest
Zone F sets the bear rules in Kenosha County, a no-hound zone. No bears were credited to Kenosha County in 2024 or 2025.
| Zone | 2026 target | Permits drawn | Min points | Applicants | 2025 harvest | Hounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone F | 50 | 764 | 1 | 764 | 27 | No |
Wild turkey
Kenosha County is in turkey zone 2. Spring authorizations are zone and period specific; 2027 levels are not out yet, so the 2025 figures are shown. Zone 2 spring authorizations issued in 2025: 51,056 combined.
| Zone | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Success, 2025 | 2025 birds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 2 | 51,022 | 51,028 | 51,030 | 51,065 | 51,056 | 22% | 11,024 |
Upland and waterfowl
The Zone B grouse season covers Oct 17 to Dec 8, 2026. The DNR plans to stock 10,140 pheasants in 2026 on New Munster Wildlife Area and Richard Bong State Recreation Area. Lake Michigan and Green Bay waters beyond 500 feet from shore are the Open Water duck zone.
Bear drawing by zone · Turkey zone details
Bear zones from the DNR bear zone layer; targets, permits and points from the 2026 bear drawing summary; harvest from the DNR 2025 bear report and 2024 report; turkey levels from the DNR turkey reports (2025 levels; 2027 not yet published); elk from the DNR elk page; bird zones from the DNR zone layers. Checked October 19, 2026.
Kenosha County public hunting land
The list holds every public property touching Kenosha County, 11 in all, largest first within each type.
- 1 state recreation areaRichard Bong State Recreation Area (4,691 acres)
- 4 state wildlife areasNew Munster Wildlife Area (1,501 acres), Peat Lake State Habitat Area (480 acres), George Lake State Habitat Area (161 acres), Paddock Lake State Habitat Area (5 acres)
- State natural areas, 3 listedChiwaukee Prairie State Natural Area (568 acres), Peat Lake State Natural Area (228 acres), New Munster Bog Island State Natural Area (42 acres)
- State fishery areas (3)Camp Lake Fishery Area (227 acres), Hooker Lake Marsh Fishery Area (46 acres), Silver Lake Marsh Fishery Area (35 acres)
Nearby in other counties: Dover Wildlife Area (15 miles, 89 acres), Eagle Lake Fishery Area (15 miles, 97 acres), Karcher Wildlife Area (19 miles, 282 acres), Karcher Springs State Natural Area (19 miles, 30 acres), Burlington Habitat Areas (19 miles, 432 acres).
Public land from the DNR managed lands layer and property pages, DNR state natural area, county forest and federal records; county forest acres from the DNR county forest acreage report (July 1, 2021); MFL open acres from the DNR MFL report; leases from the DNR VPA-HIP and THAP lists. Acres within 10 miles of the county seat are a GIS measure. Checked October 19, 2026.
Kenosha County hunting dates, fall 2026 to spring 2027
20 species and 42 segments reach Kenosha County. The last column compares each one with today.
| Quarry | Season | Zone | From | To | Status today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White-tailed deer | Archery and crossbow | Statewide | Sep 12, 2026 | Jan 3, 2027 | |
| White-tailed deer | Youth and disabled gun deer hunt | Statewide | Oct 10, 2026 | Oct 11, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Gun deer (9-day) | Statewide | Nov 21, 2026 | Nov 29, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Metro sub-unit gun | Metro sub-unit: Milwaukee | Nov 21, 2026 | Dec 9, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Muzzleloader | Statewide | Nov 30, 2026 | Dec 9, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Statewide antlerless-only (December 4-day hunt) | Statewide | Dec 10, 2026 | Dec 13, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Extended archery and crossbow | Metro sub-unit | Jan 4, 2027 | Jan 31, 2027 | |
| Black bear | Bear (Class A license by drawing) | Bear Zone F | Sep 9, 2026 | Oct 13, 2026 | |
| Wild turkey | Fall turkey | Turkey Zone 2 | Sep 12, 2026 | Jan 3, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring youth turkey hunt | Turkey Zone 2 | Apr 17, 2027 | Apr 18, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period A | Turkey Zone 2 | Apr 21, 2027 | Apr 27, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period B | Turkey Zone 2 | Apr 28, 2027 | May 4, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period C | Turkey Zone 2 | May 5, 2027 | May 11, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period D | Turkey Zone 2 | May 12, 2027 | May 18, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period E | Turkey Zone 2 | May 19, 2027 | May 25, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring turkey Period F | Turkey Zone 2 | May 26, 2027 | Jun 1, 2027 | |
| Ruffed Grouse | Ruffed grouse | Grouse Zone B | Oct 17, 2026 | Dec 8, 2026 | |
| Pheasant | Pheasant | Statewide | Oct 17, 2026 | Jan 3, 2027 | |
| Bobwhite Quail | Bobwhite quail | Statewide | Oct 17, 2026 | Dec 9, 2026 | |
| Hungarian partridge | Hungarian partridge | Statewide | Oct 17, 2026 | Jan 3, 2027 | |
| Squirrel | Squirrel | Statewide | Sep 12, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Cottontail | Cottontail rabbit | Southern cottontail zone | Oct 17, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Snowshoe Hare | Snowshoe hare | Statewide | Year-round | Year-round | Year-round |
| American Crow | Crow | Statewide | Nov 21, 2026 | Mar 24, 2027 | |
| Ducks | Youth waterfowl hunt | Statewide | Sep 19, 2026 | Sep 20, 2026 | |
| Ducks | Regular duck (split 1) | Southern Duck Zone | Oct 3, 2026 | Oct 11, 2026 | |
| Ducks | Regular duck | Open Water Zone | Oct 17, 2026 | Dec 15, 2026 | |
| Ducks | Regular duck (split 2) | Southern Duck Zone | Oct 17, 2026 | Dec 6, 2026 | |
| Teal | Early teal | Statewide | Sep 1, 2026 | Sep 9, 2026 | |
| Geese | Regular goose (split 1) | Southern Goose Zone | Sep 16, 2026 | Oct 11, 2026 | |
| Geese | Regular goose (split 2) | Southern Goose Zone | Oct 17, 2026 | Dec 6, 2026 | |
| Geese | Regular goose (holiday split) | Southern Goose Zone | Dec 19, 2026 | Jan 2, 2027 | |
| Canada goose | Early Canada goose | Statewide | Sep 1, 2026 | Sep 15, 2026 | |
| Raccoon | Raccoon (resident) | Statewide | Oct 17, 2026 | Feb 15, 2027 | |
| Raccoon | Raccoon (nonresident) | Statewide | Oct 31, 2026 | Feb 15, 2027 | |
| Red and gray fox | Fox (red and gray) | Statewide | Oct 17, 2026 | Feb 15, 2027 | |
| Coyote | Coyote (hunting) | Statewide | Year-round | Year-round | Year-round |
| Bobcat | Bobcat Period 1 (hunting and trapping) | Northern Zone (State Hwy. 64 line) | Oct 17, 2026 | Dec 25, 2026 | |
| Bobcat | Bobcat Period 1 (hunting and trapping) | Southern Zone (State Hwy. 64 line) | Oct 17, 2026 | Dec 25, 2026 | |
| Bobcat | Bobcat Period 2 (hunting and trapping) | Northern Zone (State Hwy. 64 line) | Dec 26, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | |
| Bobcat | Bobcat Period 2 (hunting and trapping) | Southern Zone (State Hwy. 64 line) | Dec 26, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | |
| Unprotected species | Unprotected species (opossum, skunk, weasel, woodchuck, porcupine, starling, English sparrow, chukar, coturnix quail, etc.) | Statewide | Year-round | Year-round | Year-round |
From the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Fall 2026-Spring 2027 hunting regulations and season dates, checked October 19, 2026.
Kenosha County town guides and adjacent counties
Kenosha County has 1 town guide, each with the public land within reach, nearby services and daily shooting hours.
- Kenoshaseat · 99,578 residents (2024) · 703 public acres close by
2 Wisconsin counties surround Kenosha County, with Allegan (MI), Lake (IL) and McHenry (IL) over the state line.
Towns: Census 2024 Gazetteer and Vintage 2024 estimates; adjacency from the Census county adjacency file.
Kenosha County: legal hunting light
The DNR tables are worked out for Zone A in the east; Kenosha County lies in longitude Zone A, so add 0 minutes to each table time.
| Date | Why it matters | Northern Area | Southern Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 12, 2026 | Archery, fall turkey and grouse opener | 5:55 a.m. to 7:27 p.m. | 5:57 a.m. to 7:26 p.m. |
| Oct 17, 2026 | Pheasant and duck dates | 6:39 a.m. to 6:21 p.m. | 6:38 a.m. to 6:24 p.m. |
| Nov 1, 2026 | Early November | 6:00 a.m. to 4:57 p.m. | 5:57 a.m. to 5:01 p.m. |
| Nov 21, 2026 | Gun deer opener | 6:28 a.m. to 4:34 p.m. | 6:23 a.m. to 4:40 p.m. |
| Dec 1, 2026 | Muzzleloader week | 6:40 a.m. to 4:28 p.m. | 6:35 a.m. to 4:35 p.m. |
| Dec 24, 2026 | Holiday Hunt opener | 6:59 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. | 6:53 a.m. to 4:38 p.m. |
| Jan 3, 2027 | Archery close (most units) | 7:01 a.m. to 4:39 p.m. | 6:55 a.m. to 4:46 p.m. |
Deer, bear, elk, small game and fall turkey table times from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources shooting hours tables, plus the Zone A offset of 0 minutes for longitude 87.88 W, checked October 19, 2026. Shooting hours for every county.
Fires, permits and bans around Kenosha County
Kenosha County status today: open the Wisconsin county list.
- Permits: Within DNR forest fire protection areas, whenever the ground is not completely snow-covered.
- Counties outside DNR burning-permit authority (per DNR daily restrictions on 2026-10-27): Kenosha County is on this list.
- Who sets a ban: The Wisconsin DNR, through daily county burning restrictions and permit suspensions within its forest fire protection areas (NR 30.05 emergency burning regulations; NR 45.07(3) emergency use and burning rules on DNR lands by posted notice).
- Warming fires: DNR-managed lands (NR 45.07): no fire on the ground and no burning refuse except in designated fireplaces or fire rings.
Kenosha County ranges and matches
7 ranges in Kenosha County, from the DNR range layer and directory listings checked October 19, 2026.
rifle, handgun, trap, skeet, 5-stand on file
archery, 3D archery on file
rifle, handgun, smallbore rimfire on file
trap, rifle, handgun, smallbore rimfire, archery on file
handgun, rifle on file
| Range | Town | Disciplines | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waukegan Bowmen · archery range | Bristol | archery/3D archery | Members only |
Public range nearest the county: Lakeview Rod & Gun Club, Waukesha County, 24 miles.
Next local shoots
| Date and event | Type | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 28, 2026: 29th Waukegan Bowmen Halloween Shoot in Bristol, WI | 3D archery | Register |
| Nov 14, 2026: Bristol Plains Pistoleros Shoot November 2026 at Conservation Club of Kenosha County | Club match | Event details |
| Nov 15, 2026: Bristol Plains Pistoleros Shoot November 2026 at Conservation Club of Kenosha County | Club match | Event details |
| Mar 26-27, 2027: Kenosha Gun and Outdoors Show | Gun show | Event details |
Ranges from the DNR public range map and directory listings, checked October 19, 2026.
Kenosha County processors, taxidermists and shops
Businesses inside Kenosha County come first, then those in bordering counties by distance.
DNR and agency offices
DNR service centers keep weekday counter hours, 8:30 to 4; field offices are by appointment only.
Taxidermy
Gun and bow shops
DNR service centers and field offices from DNR office locations; processors from the Deer Donation Program list, DNR CWD sampling station partners and directory listings; shops from the DNR license agent layer and directories. Checked October 19, 2026; call ahead. All Wisconsin hunting services.
Kenosha County hunting questions
How do I register a deer shot in Kenosha County?
Through GameReg (online, phone or an in-person station) by 5 p.m. the day after recovery.
Which wildlife areas are in Kenosha County?
New Munster Wildlife Area, Peat Lake State Habitat Area, George Lake State Habitat Area and Paddock Lake State Habitat Area.
Where can I buy a license near Kenosha County?
Online on Go Wild, at a license agent, or at the DNR Milwaukee Service Center.
Is blaze pink legal in Kenosha County?
Yes. Fluorescent pink meets the same 50% rule as blaze orange.
How many deer units touch Kenosha County?
2 units: Kenosha and Kenosha County Metro Sub-Unit.
Does archery run into January in Kenosha County?
No, archery closes Jan 3, 2027.
How does Kenosha County rank for registered deer?
59th of the 61 county-named units in 2025 (510 deer).
How many free antlerless tags come with a license in Kenosha County?
1 in the Farmland unit; forest units get none.
Is there a baiting ban in Kenosha County?
Yes.
How common is CWD in Kenosha County?
7 positives in 1,320 samples since 1999.
Answers from the DNR Fall 2026-Spring 2027 regulations, registration rules, blaze orange rules, DNR harvest and CWD data and the sources cited above. Checked October 19, 2026.
Kenosha County trip checklist
Unit lines in Kenosha County follow roads and habitat as well as county borders, so confirm your DMU on the DNR map before you buy tags.
Sources: DNR Fall 2026-Spring 2027 hunting regulations, season dates, Wisconsin DNR hunting, Census and the agencies linked in each section. Checked October 19, 2026.
Other photos on this page: Anne Marie Peterson from Madison, WI, US (CC BY-SA 2.0); Susan Young (Public Domain Mark 1.0); royal_broil (CC BY-SA 2.0); Doc Searls from Santa Barbara, USA (CC BY 2.0).