Wisconsin Administrative Code
Department of Natural Resources
NR 1-99 - Fish, Game and Enforcement, Forestry and Recreation
Chapter NR 10 - Game And Hunting
Subchapter I - General Provisions
Section NR 10.06 - Shooting hours

Universal Citation: WI Admin Code ยง NR 10.06

Current through August 26, 2024

(1) GENERAL HUNTING. All shooting hours, when specified in this chapter, mean Central Standard Time, and the daily opening (a.m.) and closing (p.m.) hours listed shall apply to the entire state.

(2) SHOOTING ZONES.

(a) General. Two general shooting hour areas are established as follows: Northern area: all of the following counties and all counties north of them; Pierce, Dunn, Eau Claire, Clark, Marathon, Shawano, Oconto, and Door. Southern area: remainder of state. In addition, the following zones are established across the northern and southern areas:

Zone

A-all that part of the state lying east of 88°-00F longitude.

B-all that part of the state lying between 88°-00F and 89°-00F long.

C-all that part of the state lying between 89°-00F and 90°-00F long.

D-all that part of the state lying between 90°-00F and 91°-00F long.

E-all that part of the state lying between 91°-00F and 92°-00F long.

F-all that part of the state lying west of 92°-00F longitude.

(b) General prohibition. Except as provided in subs. (6) to (9), no person may shoot or shoot at any game species for which an open season is prescribed on any day during the open season before the a.m. times or after the p.m. times established in sub. (5).

(5) SHOOTING HOURS. Shooting hours for bear, bow deer, deer with firearms, elk and small game are 30 minutes before sunrise through 20 minutes after sunset. Shooting hours for migratory game birds are 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset except for teal during a season for hunting teal species only. The hours for shooting teal during the season established in s. NR 10.01 (1) (c) shall be sunrise through sunset. Shooting hours for the first day of the pheasant hunting season established in s. NR 10.01 (2) (c) begin at 9:00 a.m. The department shall establish the specific opening and closing times annually in the hunting regulations pamphlets. Opening and closing times for zone A southern and northern areas shall be based on astronomical data collected by the U.S. naval observatory, Washington D.C., 20392-5420 for Sheboygan, Wisconsin and Powers, Michigan, respectively. The shooting hours for the other zones shall be obtained by adding minutes to the Zone A a.m. and p.m. columns as follows:

Zone

Adjustment

B

Add 4 minutes

C

Add 8 minutes

D

Add 12 minutes

E

Add 16 minutes

F

Add 20 minutes

(6) PHEASANT HUNTING. Except as provided in this subsection, pheasant shooting hours are those hunting hours established for small game in sub. (5). Pheasant shooting hours shall close at 12:00 p.m. on weekdays within the posted boundaries of the following state wildlife areas beginning the third day of the pheasant hunting season established in s. NR 10.01 (2) (c) and continuing through November 3:

(a) Allenton (Washington county)

(b) Brooklyn (Dane and Green counties)

(c) C.D. "Buzz" Besadny (Kewaunee county)

(d) Dunnville (Dunn county)

(e) Eldorado Marsh (Fond du Lac county)

(f) Goose Lake (Dane county)

(g) Grand River (Green Lake and Marquette counties)

(h) Holland (Brown county)

(i) Horicon (Dodge county)

(j) Jackson Marsh (Washington county)

(k) Killsnake (Calumet and Manitowoc counties)

(L) Mazomanie (Dane county)

(m) Mud Lake (Columbia county)

(n) Mud Lake (Dodge county)

(o) New Munster (Kenosha county)

(p) Nichols Creek (Sheboygan county)

(q) Pine Island (Columbia and Sauk counties)

(s) Theresa (Dodge and Washington counties)

(t) Tichigan (Racine county)

(u) Vernon (Waukesha county)

(v) White River (Green Lake and Marquette counties)

(7) WILD TURKEY HUNTING. The shooting hours for pursuing wild turkeys shall be the same as the hours established in sub. (5) except that spring season shooting hours shall close at sunset daily.

(8) EXCEPTIONS. There are no shooting hour restrictions for pursuing coyote, fox, raccoon and all wild animals for which no closed season is established except that shooting hours established in sub. (5) shall apply to archers and crossbow hunters pursuing any species during the black bear season established in s. NR 10.01 (3) (g), during the archery and crossbow deer seasons established in s. NR 10.01 (3) (em) and (ep), and during the elk season established in s. NR 10.01 (3) (i).

(9) DAILY MIGRATORY BIRD REST PERIOD.

(a) Shooting hours for certain species shall close at 1:00 p.m. daily within the posted boundaries of the following state wildlife areas on the following dates:
1. George W. Mead Wildlife Area (Wood, Portage, and Marathon Counties) for waterfowl beginning on the third day of the duck hunting season in s. NR 10.01 and continuing for 16 days.

2. Zeloski Unit of the Lake Mills Wildlife Area (Jefferson County) for migratory birds beginning on Sept 1 and continuing through the 16th day after the opening weekend of the duck season established in s. NR 10.01 except that normal statewide shooting hours apply on the opening weekend of the duck season.

(10) TRAPPING EXEMPTION. The shooting hour restrictions established in this section do not apply to the dispatch of lawfully trapped animals.

For a complete history of s. NR 10.06 from 1-2-56 through 1-1-04 see the History note following s. NR 10.06 published in Register November 2003 No. 575.

Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Wisconsin may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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