Elk tag, longer bow season highlight Wisconsin DNR wildlife questions

Madison — The Wisconsin DNR’s wildlife bureau has seven questions on the Monday, April 13, spring hearing agenda related to elk, sharp-tailed grouse, disabled hunters south of Hwy. 64, and a longer bow season, and more.

The following explanations and questions will appear on the spring hearing questionnaire.

Wildlife questions for 2026

1. Current statute prohibits hunters from getting more than one elk tag in their lifetime. The DNR issued only bull tags for the first seven seasons; however, due to herd growth, the DNR has begun issuing antlerless tags. The DNR awards tags for cows and bulls using two separate applications and drawings. However, state statute regarding the once-in-a-lifetime license complicates the drawing process and limits opportunity. Should a hunter choose to enter both drawings and win either or both, they would be ineligible to accept both if drawn. Hunters may be hesitant to apply for or accept a cow tag in the hopes of drawing a bull tag. This limits elk hunter opportunity and could cause confusion or dissatisfaction. The DNR believes that changing the statute to only make bulls subject to the once-in-a-lifetime restriction would simplify the drawing and not limit opportunity for hunters, including elk hunters who previously drew a bull or cow tag. Current law also makes the drawing administratively cumbersome since the DNR has to manually sort the applications to review eligibility.

Do you support removing the statutory requirement that a hunter may only be issued one antlerless elk license in their lifetime?

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2. Change the sharp-tailed grouse permit drawing system. The current sharptail drawing process is outlined in state statute. It establishes a preference point system if the number of persons seeking permits exceeds the number of permits. Higher priority is given to applicants with more points than those with fewer points. In 2025, the DNR held the first sharptail season since 2018. Almost 800 hunters applied for the 25 permits. Since no application was held for several years, applicants who didn’t have preference points from almost a decade ago would have been very unlikely to draw a permit. This preference point system was established in 1995 when sharp-tailed grouse were more plentiful, and more permits were issued. The current preference point system discourages new applicants from applying since they will be unlikely to draw a permit for several years. Allowing a random draw to replace the preference point system would encourage more individuals to apply and would be more appropriate given the number of permits that are likely to be issued should future hunts be held similar to the 2025 season.

Do you support changing the sharp-tailed grouse drawing from a preference point system to a random draw?

3. Allow overnight blinds or portable stands on DNR lands for disabled hunters south of Hwy. 64. This proposal would allow anyone with a disabled permit to leave a single hunting blind or portable stand overnight on public land south of Hwy. 64. The same rules applies for blinds left north of Hwy. 64. Placement could only occur from Sept. 1 through Jan. 31; the hunters would have to attach their customer ID or name and address to the blind. Only the individual with the disabled permit would be allowed to use the blind or portable stand.

Do you support allowing hunters with disabled permits to leave a single blind or stand overnight on public lands south of Hwy. 64?

4. Current rules create two cottontail rabbit zones separated by Hwy. 10 from Prescott to Waupaca and Hwy. 54 from Waupaca to Algoma. In the northern zone, the season opens on the Saturday nearest Sept. 15. The southern zone doesn’t open until the Saturday nearest
Oct. 17. This structure has been in place since 1949. The only reasoning given for the split structure is a historic belief that rabbits in the southern part of the state are unsafe to eat during September and early October due to disease concerns, specifically, tularemia. The DNR is unable to point to any data that shows that there is a legitimate disease concern that would require this later starting date in the south. Michigan and Minnesota have a statewide cottontail season that begins in mid-September. Creating a statewide cottontail rabbit season that starts at the same time as the northern zone would simplify regulations and offer an additional month of hunting in southern Wisconsin.

Would you support creating a statewide cottontail rabbit season that begins on the Saturday nearest Sept. 15?

5. Extend the bow/crossbow seasons to Jan. 31 in all Farmland Zone deer units. Citizen Deer Advisory Councils (CDACs) in Farmland Zone counties may extend the archery seasons to Jan. 31 if they also recommend holding the antlerless-only firearm holiday hunt. Over half of the CDACs recommend this option and the number has been growing annually. In 2025, the Conservation Congress presented an advisory question at the spring hearings to allow CDACs to recommend the January archery extensions without also recommending the holiday hunt. That proposal received support. This proposal takes things further in the interest of simplification of rules by simply making the end of the archery season Jan. 31 standard for the Farmland Zones. This would remove the option as a decision point for CDACs.

Would you support extending bow and crossbow seasons to Jan. 31 in all Farmland Zone units?

6. Allow bobcat hunting at night. Bobcats are the only furbearer that may not be pursued at night. This proposal would allow the hunting of bobcat at night only with the use of a call.

Would you support allowing hunting of bobcat at night by the use of calls?

7. Most seasons begin at the start of shooting hours on the first day. However, current rules create a
9 a.m. start time on first day for some species with seasons opening the Saturday nearest Oct. 15 (pheasant, bobwhite quail, southern zone cottontails) due to the pheasant season. Certain stocked properties can be crowded at the opener and there is some concern about identifying pheasants. However, the 9 a.m. opener doesn’t apply to some species that open the same day, including sharp-tailed grouse, bobcat hunting and resident raccoon hunting.

Would you support removing the 9 a.m. start time for certain hunting seasons?