What to know about the 2025 Wisconsin gun deer hunting season: Dates, licenses, regulations

Wisconsin officials have regulated hunting for white-tailed deer in the state since 1851, according to the Department of Natural Resources.

That hasn’t always, in fact, included hunting. Some years featured closed seasons in efforts to build the herd.

But for many decades a standby of Wisconsin deer hunting has been the nine-day gun deer hunting season in November. It has a record of drawing the largest number of hunters (about 550,000 in recent years) and resulting in the largest deer kill (about 190,798 in 2024) of any of the state’s deer hunting opportunities.

The 2025 gun deer hunt is once again expected to top those categories.

Here are answers to some of the most common questions about the state’s annual gun deer hunt.

When is the 2025 gun deer hunting season in Wisconsin?

The Wisconsin gun deer hunting season traditionally begins on the Saturday before Thanksgiving and runs for nine days. This year’s season runs from Nov. 22 to 30.

Do I need to buy a deer hunting license?

Yes, all deer hunters are required to buy a Wisconsin deer hunting license.You can buy a license online at gowild.wi.gov or in person at a sporting goods store or other license sales outlet. The DNR has an interactive map of license sales locations on its website.

How much does a deer hunting license cost?

A resident gun deer hunting license is $24; $20 for those aged 12-17; and $7 for those under 12. The license provides a statewide authorization for one buck and, depending on where the license buyer intends to hunt, typically as least one antlerless, or female, deer.

In farmland zones, for example, hunters in 2025 will receive from one to five free antlerless tags, depending on the county they select to hunt.

Where available, residents may purchase additional antlerless deer permits for $12 each.

A non-resident gun deer hunting license is $200.

What is the rut? And does it affect deer hunting?

The rut is the annual mating period for deer. In Wisconsin it peaks in early November and is associated with increased deer activity, including during daylight hours, as bucks pursue does.

This increased deer activity definitely favors hunters, and data show gun deer harvests are typically higher when the season starts earlier in November as opposed to later.

How do I learn about hunting regulations set by the Wisconsin DNR?

The DNR publishes a hunting regulation pamphlet that lists rules pertaining to the gun deer and other seasons. The document is available online at dnr.wi.gov and in print form at license sales outlets.

Antlerless deer tags are issued for public or private land. In the farmland zones, counties serve as deer management units. In the northern and central forest zones, numbered deer management units were established this year along habitat or natural boundaries. Hunters are advised to check the regulations to properly identify the deer management unit where they intend to hunt.

The number of antlerless deer tags in each county is determined through a process that starts with recommendations from the County Deer Advisory Council, followed by review and potential changes by the DNR and the Natural Resources Board.

What are Wisconsin hunting hours for deer season?

The legal shooting hours are 30 minutes before sunrise to 20 minutes after sunset. The DNR hunting regulations pamphlet includes a chart of the legal shooting hours broken down by northern and southern zone.

The time shown is for easternmost Wisconsin. Hunters must add minutes to the listed time if they’re hunting in a different longitudinal zone. The DNR map shows six zones spanning east to west; hunters add four minutes to the listed time for each zone west of the reference zone.

If I shoot a deer, do I have to register it?

Yes, all harvested deer must be registered by 5 p.m. the day after the animal is recovered.

Hunters can register deer online at GameReg.WI.Gov or by phone at (844) 426-3734.

Can you bait deer in Wisconsin?

As of Nov. 14, 2025, baiting deer was prohibited in 60 of Wisconsin’s counties and legal in 12, according to the DNR.

The prohibitions are due to a state law that bans baiting and feeding deer in areas where chronic wasting disease has been found.

A finding of CWD in a wild or captive deer could change the status of the baiting prohibitions so the DNR advises hunters to check the agency’s website to stay current with regulations.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: What to know about the 2025 Wisconsin gun deer hunting season: Dates, licenses, regulations

Reporting by Paul A. Smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

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