Have you experienced the excitement of harvesting a banded game bird? Report your band recovery. Photo courtesy of Carol Steinmetz of Marshfield

Hunting

Sign up

for hunter safety. Required if you were born on or after January 1, 1973.

Buy

your hunting license.

Apply

for a permit and check permit status online.

Know

the regulations.

Related links

• About Horicon National Wildlife Refuge [exit DNR]
• USFWS Division of Migratory Bird Management [exit DNR]
• Waterfowl Hunting Management in North America [exit DNR]
• Guidance for hunters - Protect yourself and your birds from avian influenza [PDF exit DNR]

Waterfowl hunting

The Wisconsin waterfowl hunter is one of the most dedicated and involved conservationists in the nation, contributing time and money to waterfowl management and habitat restoration. Wisconsin is a great waterfowl hunting state and one of the reasons is your enthusiasm and dedication to the sport. Waterfowl are enjoyed by many people in Wisconsin. Look below for more information on waterfowl reports and surveys, hunting regulations and other current issues.

Season information

• Mallard Migration Map [exit DNR]
• Mississippi River duck zone [PDF]
• 2014 Horicon zone [PDF]
• Waterfowl season dates
• Harvest Information Program (HIP) registration
• Regulations
• Federal waterfowl baiting regulations [exit DNR]
• Report bird band recoveries
• Youth waterfowl hunt
• Waterfowl Identification Guide [exit DNR]
• Tom Roster's nontoxic shot lethality table [PDF]
• Wisconsin 2016 early teal season summary [PDF]
• Three state (Wisconsin, Michigan and Iowa) 2015 early teal season analysis and summary [PDF]
• Calendar of 2016 waterfowl rules and regulation process [PDF]

Waterfowl Identification

Brush up on your waterfowl identification in preparation for the early teal season! Dont forget to test yourself and take the quiz!

Quiz yourself by taking the Teal Quiz and see how prepared you are for the September early teal season.

Waterfowl management

• Waterfowl rules process
• Waterfowl management information

Preserve waterfowl habitat, stop the spread of aquatic invasive species

Just like boaters and anglers, waterfowl hunters are taking steps to stop the spread of aquatic invasive species and protect the native habitats that support Wisconsin's recreational traditions.

Join your fellow hunters in preserving Wisconsin's waterfowl habitats and our hunting tradition for generations to come. Take these simple steps every time you leave the water:

• Inspect boat, trailer, motor and hunting equipment. Dont forget your boots, blinds and dogs, too!
• Remove all plants, animals and mud.
• Drain all water from decoys, boat, motor, livewell and other hunting equipment.
• Never move plants or live fish away from a water body.

A special consideration for waterfowl hunters is to never use non-native plants, like Phragmites, for your duck blind.

Learn more about invasive species in Wisconsin.

Want to help us educate boaters about protecting Wisconsin's native aquatic habitats? Become a Clean Boats, Clean Waters volunteer.

Contact information

For information on waterfowl hunting, contact:

Taylor Finger
Assistant migratory game bird ecologist
Bureau of Wildlife Management
608-261-6458