MADISON — The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recently announced that bonus antlerless harvest authorizations, formerly known as tags, for the 2023 gun deer season will be available for purchase online through the Go Wild license portal and at license sales locations starting at 10 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 14, 2023.
Bonus authorizations are sold at a rate of one per person per day until sold out or until the 2023 deer hunting season ends. Bonus authorizations are $12 each for Wisconsin residents, $20 each for non-residents and $5 each for youth ages 11 and under.
On the date of the sale at 9:45 a.m., an online queuing system will be used to manage volume in Go Wild. At 10 a.m., all online users who are on the site will be randomly assigned a number and staged into a “virtual” line regardless of the actual time they entered into the system. There is no advantage for customers who enter the site before 9:45 a.m. Hunters who log on after 10 a.m. will be added to the end of the existing queue in the order in which they arrive.
In order to complete their purchase, hunters will need to know the deer management zone and unit (DMU) in which they intend to hunt. They will also need to determine whether they will hunt on public or private land to make their purchase.
The first three days of bonus sales are management zone-specific, and the fourth day is open to all zones:
● Aug. 14, 10 a.m. – Forest Zones (Northern and Central)
● Aug. 15, 10 a.m. – Central Farmland Zone
● Aug. 16, 10 a.m. – Southern Farmland Zone
● Aug. 17, 10 a.m. – All zones available
The number of antlerless harvest opportunities will vary by deer management unit in accordance with local deer population levels. This allows for greater harvest opportunities where deer are abundant and a more conservative harvest where deer are fewer in number. Bonus antlerless harvest authorizations are available for purchase for the 2023 season in all deer management units except Iron County.
A listing of bonus antlerless harvest authorizations available for purchase in each management unit can be found on the DNR’s Antlerless Deer Harvest Authorization webpage.
As a reminder, a minimum of one Farmland (Zone 2) antlerless harvest authorization is included with each deer hunting license purchase in all Farmland Zone units. Some units will offer more than one antlerless deer harvest authorization with each deer license.
For more information regarding deer hunting in Wisconsin, visit the DNR’s Deer Hunting webpage and online Deer Camp. Hunting hours, regulations, tips on where to hunt, registration and CWD testing information can all be found on these pages.
