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DNR bear drawing 2026

Wisconsin Bear Zones A to F

Six bear management zones, 15,245 Class A permits for a 4,160-bear target in 2026, hounds in three zones and bait in all six. Here is each zone's target, permits, points, applicants, harvest and season windows.

Hunting gear
4,160Harvest target 2026
15,245Permits available
140,416Applications
24,457Fall 2026 population est.

Photo: Shenandoah National Park (Public Domain Mark 1.0)

Wisconsin divides bear hunting into Zones A to F, built from game management units along highways rather than county lines. A Class A license is good in one zone only, and it comes through a preference-point drawing: 14,932 winners for 2026 (14,078 residents and 854 nonresidents) out of 140,416 applications, 105,853 of them for a point only. Hounds are legal only in Zones A, B and D, which split the season into a bait-only week, three weeks of bait and hounds and a final hounds-only week; Zones C, E and F hunt the whole season with bait or other methods but no dogs.

2026 bear drawing summary, bear population analyses 2026, checked October 19, 2026.

Wisconsin bear zones, side by side

Targets, permits, points and applicants are for 2026; harvest is the state-licensed total by zone for 2024 and 2025.

ZoneHoundsTarget 2026Permits 2026Min. pointsApplicants 20262024 target / harvest2025 target / harvest2025 males / females
Zone AYes1,1001,675*1111,6481,075 / 1,2421,075 / 1,161647 / 588
Zone BYes8501,545115,071850 / 899900 / 841396 / 455
Zone CNo8754,46527,605600 / 799750 / 661379 / 284
Zone DYes1,1003,85526,8471,100 / 1,1841,100 / 906513 / 418
Zone ENo1852,62812,628175 / 146200 / 12875 / 53
Zone FNo50764176450 / 3250 / 2720 / 7

* Zone A winners: 1,675 in the drawing summary zone table, 1,680 in its preference-point table. Harvest is state-licensed bears.

Bear drawing summary, bear harvest 2025, bear harvest 2024, checked October 19, 2026.

Bear season windows by zone

Zones A, B and D move from bait to bait and hounds to hounds only; Zones C, E and F run one window with no dogs.

Bear season windows, 2026SepOctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunBear (Class A license by drawing)…Bear (Class A license by drawing)…: Sep 9 to Sep 15, 2026Bear (Class A license by drawing)…Bear (Class A license by drawing)…: Sep 9 to Oct 13, 2026Bear (Class A license by drawing)…Bear (Class A license by drawing)…: Sep 16 to Oct 6, 2026Bear (Class A license by drawing)…Bear (Class A license by drawing)…: Oct 7 to Oct 13, 2026today
ZonesDatesDaysMethodsToday
Zones A, B and DSep 9 to Sep 157With aid of bait; all other legal methods not using dogs
Zones C, E and FSep 9 to Oct 1335With aid of bait; all other legal methods not using dogs (dogs not permitted in C, E, F)
Zones A, B and DSep 16 to Oct 621With aid of dogs, with aid of bait, all other legal methods
Zones A, B and DOct 7 to Oct 137With aid of dogs only, no other methods
  • Legal weapons and methods: Firearms, bows, crossbows with expanding single projectiles; bait (all zones) and dogs (A, B, D only, max 6 per pack, tattooed or collared).
  • Training bear dogs: July 1-Aug. 31 statewide on public land or private land with permission; also during the A/B/D dog season.
  • Bear bait: Bait April 15 through the last day of the bear season; max 10 gallons per site; enclosed in a hollow log, hole or stump capped with natural material inaccessible to deer; no animal parts/byproducts (liquid scents and cheese allowed), no processed containers (wood bottom allowed), no feeders; not within 50 yards of a trail/road/campsite or 100 yards of a 45+ mph road; minimize chocolate. No license needed to bait bear.

Bear regulations, checked October 19, 2026.

Counties each bear zone touches

Zones follow roads, so many counties sit in two zones; confirm the line on the DNR map before you hunt near it.

Zone A

Ashland, Bayfield, Burnett, Chippewa, Douglas, Iron, Lincoln, Oneida, Price, Rusk, Sawyer, Taylor, Vilas, Washburn

14 counties touched; 2025 bears in those counties: 2,212 (a county in two zones counts in both)

Zone B

Florence, Forest, Iron, Langlade, Lincoln, Marinette, Oconto, Oneida, Vilas

9 counties touched; 2025 bears in those counties: 1,292 (a county in two zones counts in both)

Zone C

Adams, Chippewa, Clark, Eau Claire, Jackson, Juneau, Langlade, Lincoln, Marathon, Marinette, Marquette, Menominee, Monroe, Oconto, Portage, Shawano, Taylor, Trempealeau, Waupaca, Waushara, Wood

21 counties touched; 2025 bears in those counties: 1,373 (a county in two zones counts in both)

Zone D

Barron, Burnett, Chippewa, Dunn, Polk, Rusk, Sawyer, St. Croix, Washburn

9 counties touched; 2025 bears in those counties: 1,320 (a county in two zones counts in both)

Zone E

Buffalo, Chippewa, Crawford, Dane, Dunn, Eau Claire, Grant, Iowa, Jackson, Juneau, La Crosse, Monroe, Pepin, Pierce, Richland, Sauk, St. Croix, Trempealeau, Vernon

19 counties touched; 2025 bears in those counties: 340 (a county in two zones counts in both)

Zone F

Adams, Brown, Calumet, Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Door, Fond du Lac, Grant, Green, Green Lake, Iowa, Jefferson, Kenosha, Kewaunee, Lafayette, Manitowoc, Marquette, Milwaukee, Oconto, Outagamie, Ozaukee, Portage, Racine, Rock, Sauk, Shawano, Sheboygan, Walworth, Washington, Waukesha, Waupaca, Waushara, Winnebago

34 counties touched; 2025 bears in those counties: 276 (a county in two zones counts in both)

Counties from the DNR Bear Management Zones layer (updated May 2026) laid over county lines; county harvest from the 2025 bear harvest report, checked October 19, 2026.

Bear harvest by county and year

3,836 bears in 2025; Marinette, Rusk and Sawyer led the county list.

Wisconsin bear harvest, 1990-202501,5003,0004,5006,0001990: 1,2471,24719901991: 1,2191,21919911992: 1,4741,47419921993: 1,2581,25819931994: 1,3281,32819941995: 1,7371,73719951996: 2,3252,32519961997: 2,1782,17819971998: 3,1843,18419981999: 2,8812,88119992000: 3,0753,07520002001: 2,9862,98620012002: 2,4712,47120022003: 2,9052,90520032004: 3,0633,06320042005: 2,6452,64520052006: 3,0683,06820062007: 2,7972,79720072008: 2,9552,95520082009: 4,0094,00920092010: 5,1335,13320102011: 4,2574,25720112012: 4,6464,64620122013: 3,9523,95220132014: 4,5264,52620142015: 4,1984,19820152016: 4,6824,68220162017: 4,1594,15920172018: 3,7173,71720182019: 3,6793,67920192020: 4,3064,30620202021: 3,8473,84720212022: 4,1104,11020222023: 3,0053,00520232024: 4,4324,43220242025: 3,8363,8362025all sources
CountyBears 2025MalesFemalesBears 2024Zones
Marinette275132143306B/C
Rusk255128127291D/A
Sawyer241134107296A/D
Price21512491270A
Bayfield18510283202A
Oconto1819586166C/B/F
Langlade1698782201B/C
Washburn1679473254D/A
Burnett1647490224D/A
Oneida1517972144B/A
Polk1499158187D
Douglas1457372124A
Ashland1447569147A
Barron1408852153D
Forest1396574116B
Chippewa1276562129C/D/E/A
Lincoln1235469142B/A/C
Taylor1195861134A/C
Iron1065056104A/B
Marathon985543130C
Florence78354397B
Vilas70412988B/A
Shawano64402485C/F
Clark60303085C
Jackson472522110E/C
Dunn46262051E/D
St. Croix3122920E/D
Wood27171024C
Eau Claire26151128C/E
Buffalo1913610E
Portage1710711C/F
Trempealeau167933E/C
Juneau84422C/E
Monroe76110E/C
Pierce7525E
Waupaca62413F/C
Pepin5140E
Outagamie4402F
Marquette3212F/C
Fond du Lac1100F
La Crosse1107E

Bear harvest 2025 and 2024; statewide series: Black bear harvest by sex 1957-2025 incl. tribal, agricultural damage and Learn to Hunt (no season 1985). Checked October 19, 2026.

Public land that lists bear

95 properties list bear among their game, led by Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest and Managed Forest Law Open Lands.

Properties listing bear, from DNR property pages and federal managers, retrieved 2026-10-19.

Black bear crossing a grassy clearing at the edge of a conifer forest
Black bear crossing a grassy clearing at the edge of a conifer forestPhoto: Olivier Bruchez (CC BY-SA 2.0)
American black bear resting in the fork of a tree
American black bear resting in the fork of a treePhoto: Shenandoah National Park (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
American black bear cub resting on a log among green plants
American black bear cub resting on a log among green plantsPhoto: USFWS Midwest Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0)

Wisconsin bear zone questions

How many bear zones are in Wisconsin?

Six, A to F. Hounds are allowed in A, B and D; C, E and F allow bait and other methods but no dogs.

When is bear season in Wisconsin in 2026?

Sept. 9-Oct. 13, 2026. In Zones A, B and D: bait only Sept. 9-15, bait and hounds Sept. 16-Oct. 6, hounds only Oct. 7-13.

Which bear zone is easiest to draw?

Zones E and F: in 2026 every applicant drew, with 1 preference point. Zones A and B took 11 points; C and D took 2.

How many bear permits did Wisconsin issue for 2026?

15,245 permits were available for a target of 4,160 bears; the drawing had 14,932 winners.

When is the bear application deadline?

Dec. 10 for the 2027 season; the $4.50 application is either for the drawing or for a preference point only. Points are not zone-specific.

Can I use dogs for bear in Zone C?

No. Dogs are not permitted in Zones C, E and F.

How big must a bear be in Wisconsin?

An adult bear 42 inches or more from nose to tail base, never a cub or a bear with cubs.

How many bears were taken in Wisconsin in 2025?

3,836 from all sources; the state-licensed harvest by zone is in the table above.