DNR regulations 2026-27
Wisconsin Game Species
31 Wisconsin species and groups, each with its own guide to 2026-27 dates, limits, zones, licenses, legal weapons, harvest figures and the public land that lists it, from whitetails in the farmland to fisher in the Northwoods.
Photo: Joe K Gage (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Wisconsin game, grouped as the DNR groups it
Grouped the way a Wisconsin hunting year runs: whitetails, bear, elk and turkey first, then the upland birds and small game of the farm country and the Northwoods, the ducks, geese and marsh birds of the flowages and the Great Lakes shore, the furbearers trapped from late October into spring, and the coyote and unprotected species that never close. The gray wolf and the sharp-tailed grouse have pages too, because hunters ask about them, though neither has a 2026 season.
Big game (4)
Small game and upland birds (9)
Migratory birds (8)
Furbearers and trapping (7)
Predators and unprotected species (3)
Wisconsin bag limits and dates at a glance, 2026-27
The short form of each limit and season; species pages carry the full wording, possession rules and the zone details.
| Species | Limit (short form) | Dates or methods (short form) |
|---|---|---|
| White-tailed Deer | One buck per buck authorization (gun buck statewide | Archery/crossbow Sept. 12-Jan. 3 (to Jan. 31 in metro and extended units) |
| Black Bear | One adult bear per Class A license (drawing | Sept. 9-Oct. 13, 2026 |
| Elk | One elk per carcass tag | Oct. 17-Dec. 13, 2026 |
| Wild Turkey | Spring: one bearded/male per zone-period authorization | Shotgun, muzzleloading shotgun, bow, crossbow. Fall Sept. 12-Jan. 3 (dogs allowe |
| Ring-necked Pheasant | 1 rooster daily opening weekend, then 2 roosters | Oct. 17 (9 a.m.)-Jan. 3 |
| Ruffed Grouse | Zone A 5 daily | Zone A Sept. 12-Jan. 3 |
| Bobwhite Quail | 5 daily. | Oct. 17 (9 a.m.)-Dec. 9. |
| Hungarian Partridge | 3 daily. | Oct. 17 (9 a.m.)-Jan. 3 |
| Sharp-tailed Grouse | One per carcass tag when a season is held. | No season in 2026. |
| Gray and Fox Squirrel | 5 daily. | Sept. 12-Feb. 28, 2027. |
| Cottontail Rabbit | 3 daily. | North zone Sept. 12-Feb. 28 |
| Snowshoe Hare | Unlimited. | Year-round. |
| American Crow | 15 daily. | Nov. 21-March 24, 2027. |
| Duck | 6 ducks with species limits | Early teal Sept. 1-9 |
| Goose | Early 5 Canada/20 white | Early Sept. 1-15 |
| American Coot | 15 daily. | Same as duck zone. |
| Mourning Dove | 15 daily. | Sept. 1-Nov. 29. |
| American Woodcock | 3 daily. | Sept. 19-Nov. 2. |
| Virginia Rail and Sora | 25 daily. | Sept. 1-Nov. 9. |
| Wilson's Snipe | 8 daily. | Sept. 1-Nov. 9. |
| Common Gallinule | 15 daily. | Sept. 1-Nov. 9. |
| Raccoon | Unlimited. | Resident Oct. 17-Feb. 15 |
| Red and Gray Fox | Unlimited. | Oct. 17-Feb. 15 hunting and trapping. |
| Bobcat | One per permit. | Period 1 Oct. 17-Dec. 25 |
| Fisher | One per authorization. | Trapping only, Oct. 17-Jan. 3. |
| River Otter | One per authorization (two per trapping license). | Trapping: North Nov. 7-April 30 |
| Beaver | See trapping regulations. | Trapping: Zones A/B Nov. 7-April 30 |
| Mink and Muskrat | See trapping regulations. | Trapping by zone from Oct. 24 (North) to Nov. 9 (Mississippi). |
| Coyote | Unlimited. | Hunting year-round |
| Unprotected Species | No limits. | Year-round |
| Gray Wolf | No season. | Closed: federally endangered. |
Limits and dates from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Fall 2026-Spring 2027 regulations and season dates, checked October 19, 2026.
Legal classes of game and the protected list in Wisconsin
Big game, upland birds and small game, migratory birds, furbearers and unprotected species are the legal classes. Cougar, lynx, badger, moose, wolverine and flying squirrel are protected, and the wolf is federally endangered.
| Class | Species | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Big game | White-tailed deer, Black bear, Elk (limited draw), Wild turkey | Deer, bear and elk require bullets/arrows/bolts of expanding single-projectile design; turkey is hunted with shot shells, bows or crossbows. |
| Upland game birds and small game | Ring-necked pheasant, Ruffed grouse, Bobwhite quail, Gray (Hungarian) partridge, Sharp-tailed grouse (no 2026 season), Crow, Gray squirrel, Fox squirrel, Cottontail rabbit, Snowshoe hare | Small game license; pheasant stamp for pheasant. |
| Migratory game birds | Ducks and mergansers, Canada goose, Snow, blue and Ross's geese, Brant, Greater white-fronted goose, American coot, Common gallinule, Virginia rail, Sora, Wilson's snipe, American woodcock, Mourning dove | Federal frameworks; HIP required; non-toxic shot for waterfowl, snipe, rails, coot, gallinule. |
| Furbearers (hunting) | Raccoon, Red fox, Gray fox, Coyote, Bobcat (permit) | Fisher, otter, beaver, mink and muskrat are trapping-only species (trapping regulations). |
| Unprotected species | Opossum, Porcupine, Skunk, Weasel, Woodchuck, Chukar partridge, Coturnix quail, English (house) sparrow, Eurasian collared dove, European starling, Any wild animal not specified in NR 10 | No closed season, bag or possession limit; hunting or trapping license required; pigeons and feral hogs are not regulated as wild animals by DNR. Eurasian collared dove is listed in NR 10.04 (not in the pamphlet list). |
| Species | Status |
|---|---|
| Cougar, badger, jackrabbit, moose, flying squirrel, wolf | Hunting prohibited (regulations list). |
| Cougar, Canada lynx, badger, moose, wolverine, flying squirrel | Protected wild animals under NR 10.02(1) (as amended eff. Nov. 1, 2025); also endangered/threatened species in NR 27, albino/white deer, all wild birds without a season, timber rattlesnake (except emergencies), gophersnakes, central ratsnakes, racers, Blanding's turtles, and any animal with a closed season or limit. |
| Gray wolf | Federally endangered since Feb. 10, 2022; no hunting/trapping; may not be shot except for an immediate threat to human safety. |
| Albino and all-white deer | May not be harvested or possessed without written DNR authorization. |
| Bear cubs and adult bears with cubs; bears in dens | Illegal to kill a cub or any bear accompanied by cubs; no hunting/molesting bears in dens; no hunting bears at dumps/landfills. |
| Spruce grouse | State-threatened; no harvest. |
| Grackles, red-winged blackbirds, cowbirds | Protected; may be killed only on private land when causing damage or a health nuisance (non-toxic shot). |
| Sandhill crane | No hunting season (all wild birds protected unless a season is prescribed). |
| Canada lynx | Federally threatened; distinguish from bobcat by all-black tail tip. |
From the Wisconsin hunting regulations, NR 10.02 and NR 10.04, checked October 19, 2026. The regulations and NR 10.02 word the protected list differently; both are shown.
Wisconsin harvest, latest seasons
Registered harvest for deer, turkey, bear and elk, a survey estimate for Canada geese and the otter report; the small game survey has not been transcribed, so no small game totals are shown.
deer harvest 2025, spring turkey 2025, bear harvest 2025, elk, goose, otter, checked October 19, 2026.
Wisconsin game species questions
How many Wisconsin game species have a page here?
31, one for each species or group in the 2026-27 regulations, from white-tailed deer to the unprotected species, plus the gray wolf and sharp-tailed grouse, which have no season this year.
Which Wisconsin species need a drawing?
Bear (Class A license), elk, spring turkey, bobcat, fisher and sharp-tailed grouse use Go Wild applications; bear, spring turkey, bobcat, fisher and sharptail build preference points, elk is a random draw.
Which Wisconsin game has no season in 2026?
Gray wolf (federally endangered), sharp-tailed grouse (no permits) and sandhill crane (no season prescribed).
What can be hunted in every month of the year in Wisconsin?
Coyote hunting, snowshoe hare, the unprotected species and cottontails in Milwaukee County have no closed season.
What did Wisconsin hunters register in the latest seasons?
The DNR counts 346,003 deer for 2025, 50,291 spring turkeys and 3,836 bears.
Which Wisconsin species can be hunted at night?
Coyote, fox, raccoon and unprotected species may be hunted without shooting-hour restrictions except with bow/crossbow during the bear and archery/crossbow deer seasons; lights allowed at point of kill on foot.
Is any Wisconsin hunting closed on Sunday?
No Sunday hunting restriction appears in the 2026-27 Wisconsin Hunting Regulations or in Wis. Stat. ch. 29 / NR 10 as read; seasons run on consecutive days including Sundays.
Where do the dates and limits on these pages come from?
The DNR Fall 2026-Spring 2027 Wisconsin Hunting Regulations, the Go Wild license lists, DNR harvest reports and Deer Metrics, checked October 19, 2026.
Next steps for a Wisconsin season
Every species guide cites the DNR page it was built from. The season pages add every season row in one table, the deer unit pages, the bear and turkey zones and the CWD and baiting counties.
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