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Milwaukee County · DNR Southeast Region
Hunting around Milwaukee, Wisconsin
A trip sheet for hunters based in Milwaukee: the nearest public ground with acres and miles, 2026-27 season dates for Milwaukee County, DNR shooting hours and local services.
Photo: Photo of Vernon Wildlife Area (20 mi from Milwaukee), not the town itself. hmalsch (CC BY 2.0)
County government for Milwaukee County sits in Milwaukee, a city in the DNR Southeast Region. 563,531 people lived in Milwaukee as of the 2024 estimate. The 10-mile ring around Milwaukee holds no mapped public hunting acreage. The nearest option is Big Muskego Lake Wildlife Area, about 13 miles out.
Town point, land area and population from the Census 2024 Gazetteer and Vintage 2024 estimates; public acreage and boundary distances within 10 miles are a GIS measure over the DNR managed lands layer, county forest, USFS, USFWS, NPS and DoD boundaries. Checked October 19, 2026.
Distance from Milwaukee to open public ground
Every property whose boundary falls inside 10 miles of Milwaukee is listed first, nearest line first; after that come the mapped lands farther out, by distance to their centre point.
The 10-mile ring around Milwaukee holds no DNR wildlife area. For pheasants, Vernon Wildlife Area is a stocked field; 800 birds are proposed this year.
| Property | Category | Boundary miles | Centre miles | Acres | Species named |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Muskego Lake Wildlife Area south | Wildlife area | farther out | 13 mi S | 1,106 | deer, turkey, waterfowl |
| Pebble Brook State Habitat Area southwest | Wildlife area | farther out | 14 mi SW | 32 | – |
| Cedarburg Habitat Preservation north | Wildlife area | farther out | 18 mi N | 19 | – |
| Wind Lake State Habitat Area southwest | Wildlife area | farther out | 18 mi SW | 346 | deer, turkey |
| Wind Lake Habitat Area southwest | Fishery area | farther out | 19 mi SW | 14 | deer, turkey, waterfowl |
| Ulao Waterfowl Production Area north | WPA | farther out | 20 mi N | 44 | waterfowl, deer, turkey |
| Cedar Creek Streambank Protection Area northwest | Habitat area | farther out | 20 mi NW | 101 | – |
| Vernon Wildlife Area southwest | Wildlife area | farther out | 20 mi SW | 4,349 | deer, turkey, waterfowl |
| Jackson Marsh Wildlife Area north | Wildlife area | farther out | 21 mi N | 2,482 | deer, turkey, waterfowl |
| Kettle Moraine State Forest – Loew Lake Unit northwest | State forest | farther out | 21 mi NW | 1,230 | deer, furbearers |
Lands, acreage and species from DNR property pages and federal hunting pages; boundary distances inside 10 miles from places.json (DNR managed lands, county forest, USFS, USFWS, NPS and DoD layers); centre distances are straight lines from the Census point for Milwaukee. Checked October 19, 2026. Statewide public land map.
Milwaukee deer unit, quota and CWD
Deer around Milwaukee: the zone, the units and their 2026 quotas, then CWD testing and registered harvest.
For deer, Milwaukee and the rest of Milwaukee County are Southern Farmland Zone. The free Farmland antlerless count for Milwaukee is 3 per license. The Milwaukee County unit carries a 2026 antlerless quota of 300. Around the urban core, the Milwaukee metro sub-unit runs gun deer Nov 21 to Dec 9, 2026. Antlerless deer may be taken in the Holiday Hunt here, Dec 24, 2026 to Jan 1, 2027. The extended archery and crossbow season runs Jan 4 to Jan 31, 2027 in this county.
| DMU | Zone | 2026 quota | Initial bonus (pub / priv) | Available Oct 19 | Farmland tags per license |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee | Southern Farmland | 300 | 100 / 300 | 100 / 300 | 3 |
Baiting deer is illegal here: Milwaukee County is one of the 60 ban counties. Cumulative CWD results for Milwaukee County: 1 positive out of 536 sampled. For CWD year 2025: 0 positive of 7.
For 2025 the Milwaukee total was 206 deer, all seasons and weapons. The 2025 count sits below the ten-year mean of 212. The DNR’s preliminary 2026 count, posted October 19, shows 15 in Milwaukee; it will change.
Units and zones from counties.json and the DNR 2026 antlerless quota and permit table; bonus counts listed on the DNR bonus availability page on October 19; Holiday Hunt and extended archery from the DNR 2026 map; CWD from the DNR CWD county summary; baiting from the DNR baiting page; harvest from DNR Deer Metrics and the preliminary 2026 harvest page. Checked October 19, 2026.
Milwaukee area season dates, 2026-27
Private and public land share these dates. A state park, refuge or Fort McCoy can close sooner, so read the property page before you go.
| Animal | Segment | Scope | Starts | Ends | Open now? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Antlerless-only Holiday Hunt | Holiday Hunt: Milwaukee | Dec 24, 2026 | Jan 1, 2027 | |
| White-tailed deer | Extended archery and crossbow | Extended archery | 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 | Milwaukee County | Year-round | Year-round | Year-round |
| 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.
Milwaukee hunter services by distance
Gas stations and hardware stores that only sell licenses are left out of the shop list; it holds gun, archery, outdoor and chain sporting stores. Closest deer donation site: Bunzel's Meat Market (2.3 mi).
| Type | Inside 15 | Inside 35 | Nearest one | Town |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Processing shops | 2 | 3 | Bunzel's Meat Market 2.3 mi west | Milwaukee |
| Mounts | 5 | 20 | Bob's Taxidermy 6.0 mi southwest | Greenfield |
| Outdoor stores | 58 | 125 | Jensen's Sporting Goods Inc 1.6 mi west | Milwaukee |
Processing shops
Mounts
Outdoor stores
Processors from the DNR deer donation list, DNR CWD sampling stations and Yellow Pages; shops from the DNR license sales locations (license-only agents left out) and Yellow Pages; guides and preserves from Yellow Pages. Checked October 19, 2026; hours were not checked.
Milwaukee: bear, turkey and elk
Bear preference points, permits drawn and harvest by zone, followed by the spring turkey picture.
Bear Zone F covers 100% of Milwaukee County, where 764 licenses were drawn for 2026. Bear hounds: not allowed here. For spring turkey, Milwaukee County is Zone 2, where hunters registered 11,024 birds in spring 2025. Spring 2027 periods A to F run Apr 21 to Jun 1, 2027.
| Bear zone | Share of county | Hounds | 2026 target | Permits drawn 2026 | Points needed | Zone harvest 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bear Zone F | 100% | Not allowed | 50 | 764 | 1 | 27 |
| Turkey zone | Part of county | Tags issued 2025 | Hunter success | Spring registered | Fall registered |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey Zone 2 | 100% | 51,056 | 22% | 11,024 | 1,145 |
Bear zones from counties.json (DNR layer) and the DNR bear drawing summary; bear harvest from the DNR 2025 bear harvest report; turkey from the DNR spring turkey report. Checked October 19, 2026.
When you can shoot at Milwaukee
At Milwaukee the offset is 0 minutes (Zone A). The times below already include it for both DNR shooting-hours areas.
| Date | Hunt | Northern Area hours | Southern Area hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 87.97 W, checked October 19, 2026. Shooting hours for every county.
Milwaukee: DNR and federal contacts
Agency offices closest to Milwaukee: the DNR service center, then any field, Forest Service or refuge office within 40 miles.
DNR Milwaukee Service Center, 2.9 mi southeast
From the DNR office locations and field locations pages and the federal office pages listed in services.json, checked October 19, 2026.
Dinners, trials and hunts near Milwaukee
A 30-mile circle around Milwaukee takes in 8 upcoming events. Types: DU dinner, NWTF banquet and WWA fundraiser.
Next dates
| Date | Event | Away | Where | Sign up | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 2, 2026 | South Suburban Dinner – Waterford / DU dinner | 24 | The Cotton Exchange Waterford Racine Co. | Buy tickets | Source |
| Dec 3, 2026 | 11th Annual Christmas Bash / WWA fundraiser | 19 | Rustic Manor 1848 Hartland Waukesha Co. | Event details | Source |
| Dec 10, 2026 | North Shore Ozaukee DU / DU dinner | 11 | Ozaukee Country Club Mequon Ozaukee Co. | Buy tickets | Source |
| Feb 18, 2027 | 5th Annual Cabin Fever Winter Bash / WWA fundraiser | 10 | Matty's Bar & Grille New Berlin Waukesha Co. | Event details | Source |
| Mar 8, 2027 | North Shore NWTF Banquet / NWTF banquet | 23 | Port Washington Ozaukee Co. | Buy tickets | Source |
| Mar 11, 2027 | Lake Country Longbeards NWTF Banquet / NWTF banquet | 27 | Oconomowoc Waukesha Co. | Buy tickets | Source |
| Mar 19, 2027 | Burlington Boss Toms NWTF Banquet / NWTF banquet | 24 | Waterford Racine Co. | Buy tickets | Source |
| Apr 14, 2027 | Kettle Moraine Chapter NWTF Banquet / NWTF banquet | 10 | New Berlin Waukesha Co. | Buy tickets | Source |
Practice lines near Milwaukee
The three nearest listed ranges, in straight-line miles from Milwaukee.
rifle, muzzleloader on file
About 10 miles to Bear Arms Boutique Shooting Range, the nearest range open to everyone on the DNR map. Open
Straight-line miles from the town center; ranges checked October 19, 2026.
Things Milwaukee hunters often ask about
Which deer unit should Milwaukee hunters choose?
DNR lists Milwaukee for Milwaukee County. Quota for 2026: 300.
How much public hunting land surrounds Milwaukee?
The 10-mile ring holds no mapped public acreage. That spreads over 0 properties.
What are the CWD and bait rules near Milwaukee?
Since 1999: 1 positive wild deer in Milwaukee County. It is a baiting and feeding ban county.
How many bonus antlerless tags were offered near Milwaukee?
For Milwaukee the DNR offered 100 public-land and 300 private-land bonus tags. By October 19, 100 public-land tags remained. They are sold first-come in Go Wild.
How successful are spring turkey hunters near Milwaukee?
Turkey Zone 2 is the one. Success there in 2025 was 22% on 51,056 authorizations.
Where does Milwaukee fall on the bear zone map?
The county is Zone F for bear. In 2026 the minimum to draw Zone F was 1 points.
What are deer shooting hours near Milwaukee?
Legal light on the gun opener near Milwaukee opens at 6:23 a.m. in the Southern Area and 6:28 a.m. in the Northern Area; closing is 4:40 p.m. and 4:34 p.m.
When is gun deer season near Milwaukee?
It opens Nov 21, 2026 and closes Nov 29, 2026. The December antlerless-only hunt is Dec 10 to Dec 13, 2026, after muzzleloader week. Milwaukee County also has the Holiday Hunt, Dec 24, 2026 to Jan 1, 2027.
Can I get a buck mounted near Milwaukee?
Bob's Taxidermy (Greenfield) is nearest at 6 miles. The 35-mile count is 20.
Is there a venison processor close to Milwaukee?
Bunzel's Meat Market (Milwaukee) is 2 miles from town. Within 35 miles: 3.
How do Milwaukee hunters register game?
Register through GameReg by 5 p.m. the day after recovery, online or by phone.
Does Milwaukee have a Go Wild license agent?
Go Wild online, or in person at an agent. 25 agents within 15 miles; the nearest is Milwaukee County Clerk. DNR Milwaukee Service Center sells them at the counter, 3 miles out.
Answers drawn from the sources listed in each section above, checked October 19, 2026.
Finishing the Milwaukee plan
Wear blaze orange or pink during firearm deer seasons and register every deer through GameReg by 5 p.m. the next day.
Other photos on this page: Anne Marie Peterson from Madison, WI, US (CC BY-SA 2.0); royal_broil (CC BY-SA 2.0); Doc Searls from Santa Barbara, USA (CC BY 2.0); born1945 (CC BY 2.0); Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife (CC BY-SA 2.0); USFWS Midwest Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Midwest Region (Public domain); USDA Forest Service Eastern Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0).