MADISON — The Wisconsin Department of Naturaal Resources (DNR) today announced the 2021 combined Wisconsin Hunting Regulations pamphlet is now available online and will soon be available at license agents and open service centers around the state.
For the second year, the combined regulations pamphlet brings season dates, shooting hours and regulations together in one convenient document.
Early teal and early goose seasons kick off the 2021 hunting season on Sept. 1. There is no longer a Mississippi River duck zone. Instead, the DNR has added an Open Water zone on Lake Michigan. After a multi-year effort by sporting groups to raise the fee and increase crucial funding for waterfowl habitat conservation and restoration, waterfowl stamp fees have changed this season.
Deer hunters throughout the state will have their first opportunity to enjoy the woods with the opening of the 2021 archery and crossbow deer seasons, which run concurrently statewide from Sept. 18 to Jan. 9, 2022. The archery and crossbow seasons are extended to Jan. 31, 2022 in metro sub-units and many counties will offer the antlerless-only holiday hunt between the Christmas and New Year holidays.
Bonus antlerless deer harvest authorizations are still available in almost all counties. Check the DNR website for availability.
The 2021 deer season schedule is as follows:
● Gun Hunt For Hunters With Disabilities: Oct. 2-10, 2021
● Youth Deer Hunt: Oct. 9-10, 2021
● Gun Deer Hunt: Nov. 20-28, 2021
● Muzzleloader: Nov. 29-Dec. 8, 2021
● Statewide Antlerless Hunt: Dec. 9-12, 2021
● Farmland Zone Holiday Hunt: Dec. 24, 2021-Jan. 1, 2022
New this year, updated bear zones will be in effect, approved as part of the 2019-2029 Wisconsin Black Bear Management Plan. Those pursuing bear this season should familiarize themselves with zone boundaries and hunting dates. Bear baiting regulations are also newly updated and detailed on page 23 of the 2021 Wisconsin Hunting Regulations.
Trapping and wolf harvest season regulations will be published as separate documents and available in print and on the DNR website. As in previous years, the hunting regulations pamphlet summarizes Wisconsin’s hunting laws most relevant to hunters. For additional hunting and trapping laws, consult Wisconsin State Statutes chapter 29 or consult chapter 10 of the Administrative Code of the DNR.
For more information on hunting in Wisconsin, visit the DNR Hunting webpage.
Find public hunting land with DNR’s Hunt Wild app and online tools
MADISON — With millions of acres of public land available across the state, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) simplifies finding a hunting spot with the free Hunt Wild Wisconsin mobile app and online tools.
The DNR’s Hunt Wild Wisconsin mobile app has everything hunters need in one place, including maps, cover types, shooting hours and chronic wasting disease (CWD) testing locations.
Hunt Wild Wisconsin app users can find new public lands to explore, brush up on the regulations and listen to hunting season podcasts. With mobile mapping, up-to-the-minute shooting hours and much more, the DNR gives hunters the tools to focus on what’s important — enjoying time outdoors.
Additional online public land mapping tools include:
● Fields and Forest Lands Interactive Game Bird Hunting Tool (FFLIGHT). Locate young aspen and alder habitat, woodcock and ruffed grouse hunting areas, pheasant-stocked public hunting grounds and public-access dove fields.
● Voluntary Public Access-Habitat Incentive Program (VPA-HIP) interactive map. Funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, VPA-HIP provides landowners financial incentives to open their properties year-round to public hunting access. Hunters should read the guidelines for accessing VPA properties.
● Map of lands enrolled in Managed Forest Law and Forest Crop Law — especially useful for scouting locations in the central and northern forests.
● Public Access Lands Atlas. The atlas includes all DNR properties as well as nearly all federal and county-owned lands. Hunters should contact landowners beforehand to verify hunting is allowed.
From the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest in the north to the prairies of southern Wildlife Areas and everything in between, Wisconsin hunters have some of the best public land access east of the Mississippi River.
For more information on public lands in Wisconsin, visit the DNR Public Access Lands webpage.
