Wisconsin elk hunting season begins Saturday

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has announced the start of the 2026 elk hunting season, beginning Saturday, Oct. 17. This marks the ninth season since the species was reintroduced to the state.

For the 2026 season, 16 hunters were randomly selected from over 34,000 resident applicants to participate in the state-administered hunt. The DNR received 13,970 applications for bull elk in the Northern Elk Management Zone and 20,728 combined bull and antlerless applications for the Central Elk Management Zone.

A new management approach this year makes elk tags unit-specific. According to DNR biologist Christina Kizewski, this allows for focused harvest pressure in areas with higher human-elk conflicts while maintaining lower quotas in other units to encourage population growth.

Revenue from hunter application fees supports elk management, habitat restoration, and research. Applications for the 2027 season are expected to open on March 1.