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Wisconsin hunting season dates
These are the 2026 dates printed by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. This page copies only dates that appear on the DNR pages linked below. It leaves out bag limits, shooting hours, licenses, weapon rules, and zone maps. Check the DNR for current regulations before you hunt. The DNR dates page says all dates are subject to change through rulemaking or legislation.
Deer
Gun, archery, crossbow, and muzzleloader dates below match both the DNR season-dates page and the DNR deer page. Where those pages describe the area differently, the note says so.
| Season | Dates | Where the DNR says it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Archery and crossbow | Sept. 12, 2026 – Jan. 3, 2027 | Statewide. No bucks during the antlerless-only hunts below. |
| Archery and crossbow, extended | Sept. 12, 2026 – Jan. 31, 2027 | Metro subunits and counties with an extended archery season. See the DNR’s 2026 Deer Season Structure map. |
| Youth deer hunt | Oct. 10–11 | The deer page says youth hunters under 16 may hunt deer with a gun in all units except state parks and non-quota units, and that a gun deer license is required if hunting with a firearm. |
| Gun deer | Nov. 21–29 | Statewide. The deer page says all weapon types are allowed during the gun season. |
| Gun deer, metro subunits | Nov. 21 – Dec. 9 | Metro subunits only. |
| Muzzleloader | Nov. 30 – Dec. 9 | Statewide. |
| December antlerless-only | Dec. 10–13 | The deer page calls this statewide. The dates page calls it the December 4-day antlerless-only hunt. |
| Antlerless-only holiday hunt | Dec. 24, 2026 – Jan. 1, 2027 | Select farmland counties or deer management units only. The DNR says to check the regulations for the open counties. |
The dates page lists a gun hunt for hunters with disabilities on Oct. 3–11 and says it is not a statewide season. The deer page lists the same dates and says it is a statewide season for one weekend only. Use the DNR’s hunters-with-disabilities page before relying on the area. This guide does not pick one of those descriptions.
Turkey
The 2026 turkey rows are from the DNR season-dates page. Spring periods are tied to the zone on the harvest authorization. The DNR says the spring authorization application deadline is Dec. 10.
| Season | Dates |
|---|---|
| Spring 2026 youth | April 11–12 |
| Spring 2026, period A | April 15–21 |
| Spring 2026, period B | April 22–28 |
| Spring 2026, period C | April 29 – May 5 |
| Spring 2026, period D | May 6–12 |
| Spring 2026, period E | May 13–19 |
| Spring 2026, period F | May 20–26 |
| Fall 2026, statewide | Sept. 12, 2026 – Jan. 3, 2027 |
Small game and upland birds
These rows are from the Small Game and Other Game Birds tables on the DNR season-dates page. Zone lines are not copied here. The DNR says hunting protected species, including badgers, jackrabbits, moose, and flying squirrels, is prohibited.
| Season | Dates | Area on the DNR page |
|---|---|---|
| Cottontail rabbit | Sept. 12, 2026 – Feb. 28, 2027 | Northern zone |
| Cottontail rabbit | Oct. 17 (9 a.m.) – Feb. 28, 2027 | Southern zone |
| Cottontail rabbit | Year-round | Milwaukee County |
| Gray and fox squirrel | Sept. 12, 2026 – Feb. 28, 2027 | Statewide |
| Pheasant | Oct. 17 (9 a.m.) – Jan. 3, 2027 | Statewide |
| Ruffed grouse | Sept. 12, 2026 – Jan. 3, 2027 | Zone A |
| Ruffed grouse | Oct. 17 – Dec. 8 | Zone B |
| Crow | Nov. 21, 2026 – March 24, 2027 | Statewide |
| Hungarian partridge | Oct. 17 (9 a.m.) – Jan. 3, 2027 | Statewide, closed in Clark, Marathon, and Taylor counties |
| Sharp-tailed grouse | No season 2026 | Zone-specific permits; the DNR lists no season |
| Bobwhite quail | Oct. 17 (9 a.m.) – Dec. 9 | Statewide |
Waterfowl
These rows are from the Migratory Birds table on the DNR season-dates page. Duck and goose zones are not the same map, and this page does not draw them. The DNR says early teal has different shooting hours than other waterfowl, and coot uses the duck-season dates for each zone.
| Season | Dates |
|---|---|
| Early teal | Sept. 1–9 |
| Early goose | Sept. 1–15 |
| Rail (Virginia and sora), snipe, and common gallinule | Sept. 1 – Nov. 9 |
| Mourning dove | Sept. 1 – Nov. 29 |
| Youth waterfowl | Sept. 19–20 |
| Woodcock | Sept. 19 – Nov. 2 |
| Northern duck zone | Sept. 26 – Nov. 24 |
| Southern duck zone | Oct. 3–11 and Oct. 17 – Dec. 6 |
| Open-water duck zone | Oct. 17 – Dec. 15 |
| Northern goose zone | Sept. 16 – Dec. 16 |
| Southern goose zone | Sept. 16 – Oct. 11, Oct. 17 – Dec. 6, and Dec. 19 – Jan. 2, 2027 |
| Mississippi goose zone | Oct. 3–11 and Oct. 17 – Jan. 5, 2027 |
Sources
- Wisconsin DNR: Season dates and application deadlines. Deer, turkey, small game, other game birds, and migratory birds.
- Wisconsin DNR: Deer hunting. 2026 deer dates used to cross-check the dates page.
Check the DNR for current regulations. A date on this page is only as current as those two DNR pages were on October 16, 2026.