Wisconsin Hunting & Fishing
Season Calendar 2026

Wisconsin nine-day firearms deer season runs Nov 21–Nov 29, the most culturally significant hunting event in the state; over 600,000 hunters participate in the nine-day season, making it the largest concentrated deer hunting event in the world. Legal methods include centerfire rifles, shotguns with slugs or buckshot, and muzzleloaders — rifles are legal statewide. Hunters must possess a valid Wisconsin hunting license and deer license. Blaze orange — at least 50% of the outer garment from the waist up — is required. The nine-day season opens during the secondary rut phase following peak breeding, with bucks chasing receptive does through agricultural and forest transition areas.

Wisconsin archery deer season runs Sep 12–Jan 6 statewide; any legal bow including compound, recurve, longbow, and crossbow is authorized. Hunters must possess a valid Wisconsin hunting license and deer license. Wisconsin deer management is intensive through County Deer Management Units — antlered buck bag limits (one per year statewide) and antlerless harvest quotas vary by DMU. Wisconsin is one of the top five states for trophy whitetail production — the Mississippi River bluff country of the southwest and the north-central agricultural transition zone consistently produce Boone and Crockett entries. October pre-rut and November peak rut (Nov 7–20) are the premier hunting windows.

Wisconsin muzzleloader deer season runs Nov 21–Dec 6; only legal muzzleloading firearms are permitted — front-loaded single-shot designs. Hunters must possess a valid Wisconsin hunting license and deer license with an available deer tag (antlered or antlerless). The concurrent muzzleloader season overlaps with the end of the 9-day gun season and immediate post-rut period — bucks are transitioning from breeding to feeding recovery mode. Blaze orange is required during concurrent firearm periods. Wisconsin's November muzzleloader hunting combines late rut activity in the north with post-rut food-source hunting in the southern agricultural zone.

1 gobbler

Wisconsin black bear season runs Sep 8–Oct 11 in the designated northern bear zones (Zones A, B, and C); hunters must possess a valid Wisconsin hunting license and bear license issued through the Wisconsin DNR quota system. The bag limit is one bear per license year. Legal methods include firearms, archery, crossbows, and — during designated periods — bait and hounds. Bait registration is required for all bait sites; a 10-day pre-baiting period is allowed before season opens. Wisconsin's bear population is concentrated in the northern forest counties — Ashland, Iron, Vilas, and Oneida Counties have the highest densities.

Wisconsin pheasant season opens Oct 18 and runs through Jan 4; wild pheasant populations are found primarily in the prairie-agricultural corridor of south-central and southwest Wisconsin — Marquette, Adams, and Juneau Counties in the Central Sands region hold the best natural bird concentrations. Hunters must possess a valid Wisconsin hunting license and small game license. The daily bag limit is two roosters (males only); hens are protected. WDNR operates pheasant stocking programs at designated public hunting grounds. The Sandhill Wildlife Area and Southern Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest offer the most consistent stocked pheasant hunting.