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what hunting season is it in wisconsin

Right now, based on public 2025–26 Wisconsin hunting information, there isn’t a single “one” hunting season—it depends on the date and species you care about.

Below I’ll focus on what’s typically going on around late fall–winter 2025–26 (the current regulation set in effect) and how to quickly check today’s exact seasons.

1. Big picture: how Wisconsin seasons work

Wisconsin staggers hunting by species and weapon type.

  • Deer has multiple sub‑seasons: archery/crossbow, youth gun, 9‑day gun, muzzleloader, and late antlerless/holiday hunts.
  • Turkey has spring period A–F and a separate fall season.
  • Waterfowl (ducks, geese, teal) has early and regular periods, which DNR finalizes each spring.
  • Small game (rabbit, squirrel, etc.) runs long fall‑through‑winter seasons.
  • Furbearers (coyote, fox, raccoon, bobcat, etc.) have a mix of year‑round and fall‑to‑winter dates.

Because of that, “what hunting season is it in Wisconsin?” always depends on the exact calendar date and species.

2. What seasons were active around late 2025–early 2026?

The current regulation cycle is “Fall 2025 – Spring 2026.”

From those regs and the 2025–26 season date tables:

  • Deer (2025–26 season):
    • Archery & crossbow: roughly mid‑September 2025 through early January 2026, with some metro units extended to late January.
* Youth deer: one weekend in October 2025.

* 9‑day gun: November 22–30, 2025.

* Muzzleloader and holiday/antlerless hunts follow gun season into December–January (2025 version parallels the 2026 pattern shown by DNR).
  • Small game (2025–26 pattern based on DNR 2026 tables):
    • Cottontail rabbit (north): mid‑September – late February.
* Cottontail rabbit (south): mid‑October – late February.

* Squirrels: mid‑September – late February, statewide.
  • Furbearers (2025–26):
    • Coyote hunting: year‑round.
* Coyote trapping: mid‑October – mid‑February.

* Fox hunting/trapping: mid‑October – mid‑February.

* Raccoon hunting/trapping (resident): mid‑October – mid‑February.

* Bobcat, fisher, otter, beaver: have specific, permit‑based seasons and zones.
  • Turkey (Spring 2026 – example future dates):
    DNR has published 2026 spring turkey periods A–F (mid‑April through late May, plus a youth weekend) and a fall 2026 season.
  • Migratory birds:
    2026 waterfowl dates are “TBD” in the DNR table until set each April, so for any specific day in 2026 you must check that year’s final waterfowl notice.

So depending on whether you’re in, say, November 2025 (gun deer, small game, furbearers, some waterfowl) or January–February 2026 (late archery metro deer, small game, furbearer trapping), the answer changes.

3. How to know today what’s in season

Because seasons change every year and some 2026 dates are still listed as TBD, you should always verify for the specific day you plan to hunt.

Use this quick checklist:

  1. Go to the Wisconsin DNR Season dates and application deadlines page and select the current year (they list deer, bear, turkey, small game, furbearers, and migratory birds by date range).
  1. Open the “Fall 2025 – Spring 2026 Combined Hunting Regulations” booklet (PDF) for details by species, zone, and weapon type.
  1. Confirm whether there are any special hunts or county‑specific antlerless or metro‑subunit extensions that might keep a deer or turkey hunt open in your area when it’s closed elsewhere.
  1. For ducks, geese, and other migratory birds, check the current‑year waterfowl announcement since the table marks them TBD until federal frameworks are finalized each spring.

As an example: on a random day in late January, you’re likely in some combination of late archery deer (metro only), small game (rabbit, squirrel), furbearer (coyote, fox, raccoon, possibly bobcat by tag), and maybe late trapping , but you must verify that day’s date and county in the DNR materials.

4. Safety and legal reminders

Wisconsin emphasizes firearm safety each season.

  • Treat every firearm as if it’s loaded, keep the muzzle in a safe direction, be sure of your target and what’s beyond, and keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot.
  • Whenever a firearm deer season is open, at least 50% of clothing above the waist must be blaze orange or pink and visible.
  • Landowner permission, species tagging, and following shooting hours are mandatory, with specific maps and tables in the DNR booklet.

5. Forum‑style “quick scoop” summary

Thread question: “What hunting season is it in Wisconsin right now?”
Top answers:
– “Depends on the date and critter—check the DNR season‑dates chart and the Fall 2025–Spring 2026 regs.”

– “Late fall: think deer (archery/gun/muzzy/holiday), small game, and some furbearers. Deep winter: mostly small game and furbearers, plus any metro‑extended deer.”

– “Coyote’s basically always in, but waterfowl isn’t—those dates change every year.”

TL;DR:
There is no single “Wisconsin hunting season” right now; instead, several overlapping seasons run on species‑specific dates under the Fall 2025–Spring 2026 regulations, so you need to match today’s date + your target species + your county against the latest Wisconsin DNR season‑dates chart and regs.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.