January 6

• Late archery deer season closes.

January 19

• Winter crow season opens, through March 20.

January 31

• Squirrel season closes.*
• Raccoon season closes*
• Ruffed grouse seasons closes in zone A (northern zone).*

February 15

• Coyote trapping season closes.*
• Red and gray fox gun and trapping seasons close.*

February 9

• Lake Winnebago Sturgeon Spearing Season opens. Season runs for 16 days or until the harvest level is reached. Season hours are 6:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. daily. The season will close after one day if one of the harvest caps is reached. Sturgeon must be registered by 1:30 p.m. the day they are harvested. There are separate, annual spearing seasons for Lake Winnebago and for the system's upriver lakes of Butte des Mort, Winneconne and Poygan. Previously the Upriver Season occurred only once every five years but was open to anyone who wanted to participate in it and bought a license. Spearers who wanted to participate in the Upriver Lakes season had to submit an application by Aug. 1, 2007. Licenses for the upcoming season must have been purchased by Oct. 31 of the previous year.

February 20

• Ice fishing shelters must be removed from Wisconsin-Iowa boundary waters.*

February 24

• Lake Winnebago system sturgeon spearing season closes unless season is closed earlier due to spearers reaching harvest caps.

February 28

• Cottontail rabbit season closes in northern and southern zones.*
• Mink trapping season closes in the northern, central and southern zones.

March 1

• Early catch-and-release only trout season opens statewide, with exception of spring ponds and Great Lakes tributaries; barbless hooks required. Season runs to midnight April 29.
• Ice fishing shelters must be removed from Wisconsin-Minnesota boundary waters.*
• Lake trout season opens on Lake Michigan, Green Bay & Lake Michigan tributaries through Oct. 31.*

March 2

• The fishing season for all game species closes on inland waters that do not remain open all year. Check the current fishing regulations for waters that remain open to fishing.
• The game fish season closes on tributary streams and ditches of Green Bay and the Fox River up to the first dam or lake (except yellow perch is open until March 15). There is an exception to this closure for portions of 9 major Green Bay Tributaries. Check the current fishing regulations for waters that remain open to fishing.

March 5

• Ice fishing shelters must be removed from inland waters south of Highway 64.*

March 10

• 2008-2009 hunting and fishing licenses go on sale.

March 15

• Ice fishing shelters must be removed from Lake Michigan, Green Bay, Lake Superior, inland lakes north of Highway 64, and Wisconsin-Michigan boundary waters.*
• Yellow perch season closes on Green Bay and its tributary streams and the Fox River from the mouth up to the De Pere Dam.*
• Beaver trapping season closes in the Mississippi River zone.

March 20

• Winter crow season closes.*

March 28

• Remaining permits not issued through the spring turkey permit drawing will be available for sale beginning at 10 a.m. on a first-come, first served basis through license sales outlets, and DNR service centers. In addition, licenses can be purchased on line through the DNR Web site or by phone at 1-877-945-4236.beginning at noon. A complete list of units with the number of permits is available on the turkey hunting page of the DNR Web site.

March 29

• correction Trout season opens on designated sections of some Lake Superior tributaries. See the current Wisconsin Trout Fishing Regulations and Guide for more information.

March 31

• Hunting, fishing, sports, and conservation patron licenses expire.*
• Otter trapping season closes in central and southern zone.

April 12 –13

• Youth turkey hunt.

April 14

• Spring Fish and Wildlife Rules Hearings and Conservation Congress county meetings held in every county beginning at 7 p.m.

April 15 - July 31

• It is illegal to allow dogs to run on DNR lands and Federal Waterfowl Production Areas lands during this time unless the dog is on a leash no longer than 8 feet. Doe not apply to class 1 field trial grounds or DNR lands open to dog training.*

April 16 – 20

• Spring turkey hunting period A

April 23 – 27

• Spring turkey hunting period B

April 27

• Early catch-and-release only trout season closes at midnight. Season is artificial bait, barbless-hook only.

April 30

• The yellow perch season closes on Lake Michigan and tributaries. The season reopens June 16.*
• Otter trapping season closes in the North zone.*

April 30 – May 4

• Spring turkey hunting period C

May 3

• General inland waters game fish opener (trout, walleye, northern pike, bass in the southern zone). Check current Wisconsin Hook and Line Fishing Regulations pamphlet for exceptions regarding specific game species and waters.
• Catch and release only bass season opens through June 14 in the northern zone.
• Muskellunge season in waters south of State Highway 10 opens.
• Frog season opens. Runs through Dec. 31

May 7 - 11

• Spring turkey hunting period D.

May 14 - 18

• Spring turkey hunting period E.

May 20

• Yellow perch season opens on Green Bay, the Fox River and other Green Bay tributaries through March 15 with a bag limit of 15. Yellow perch season on Lake Michigan opens June 16.*
• Set or bank pole and setlines can be used on specified waters in the Wolf and Fox river basins through Sept. 30. Check the current Setline, Set or Bank Pole Regulations for open waters.

May 21 - 25

• Spring turkey hunting period F.

May 24

• Muskellunge season opens north of State Highway 10.

June 7 – 8

• Free Fishing Weekend. No license or stamps required to fish inland waters or outlying Wisconsin waters of the Great Lakes and Mississippi and St. Croix rivers. All bag and size limits and other regulations apply.

June 8

• State Parks Open House Day -- free admission to all state parks, forests and trails.

June 16

• Yellow perch season opens on Lake Michigan with a bag limit of five (5).* (Note: the 2008009 Guide to Wisconsin Hook and Line Fishing Regulations lists an incorrect date of June 21 for this season. The season opens June 16.)

June 21

• Northern zone bass season goes from catch-and-release to daily bag limits. Check current regulations for bag and size limits.

July 1

• Training dogs by pursuing bear allowed through August 31. (Note exception on DNR lands; see current Wisconsin bear hunting regulations for rules.)*

July 15

• Turtle season opens statewide through Nov. 30 for those species that are not listed as endangered or threatened.*

August 1

• Fall turkey hunting applications due.*
• Deadline to apply for goose hunting permits for the Collins and Horicon zones.*
• Sharp-tailed grouse permit application due.*
• Deadline to apply for bobcat, fisher and otter permits.
• Deadline for successful applicants to transfer Class A Bear License.*
• Deadline to apply for Upriver Winnebago system sturgeon spearing season.*

August 4, 5, 6 & 7

• Public hearings on the proposed 2008 migratory game bird season hunting zones, season length and bag limits. Check the DNR Hearing and Meeting Calendar for times and locations.

August 23

• Antlerless Deer Permits for regular deer management units go on sale at noon.
• State Park Deer Hunting Access Permits go on sale at noon.

August 31

• Bear dog training by pursuing bear closes. It is illegal to train dogs from April 15 through July 31 on DNR lands, unless dogs are on a leash no longer than 8 feet, except for Class 1 field trail grounds or for bear dog training on DNR lands other than state parks after July 1.*

September 3

• Black bear hunting season opens. Runs through Oct. 7. See 2007 black bear hunting regulations for zone and hunting method specific dates.

September 6

• Hook-and-line lake sturgeon season opens on designated waters through Sept. 30. See current Guide to Wisconsin Hook and Line Fishing Regulations.
• Turkey hunting permits that remain after the drawing for the fall season will go on sale at noon over-the-counter.

September 15

• Early September Canada goose hunting season closes.

September 13

• Fall turkey hunting season opens through Nov. 20.
• Early archery deer season opens statewide in Non CWD Units through Nov. 20 (late season runs Nov. 22 - Jan. 4, 2008; see current regulations for special zones).
• Archery season opens in the CWD management zone through Jan. 4 (Earn-a-buck)
• Ruffed grouse season opens in the Zone A through Jan. 31, 2008. (Zone B opens Oct. 18 - Dec. 8.)
• Cottontail rabbit season opens in the northern zone, runs through Feb. 28.
• Gray and fox squirrel season opens, runs through Jan. 31.
• Fall crow season opens, runs through Nov. 20.

September 15 through December 31

• Illegal during this time to shine for wild animals between the hours of 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.*

September 15 through First Saturday in May

• From Sept. 15 through the first Saturday in May, hook and line fishing is prohibited from one-half hour after sunset to one-half hour before sunrise in all Lake Michigan tributaries except the Oconto River and its tributaries and the downstream portion of the Peshtigo River (see regulations for details).*

September 20

• Woodcock season opens through Nov. 3.

September 30

• Trout season closes on inland waters and on rivers flowing into Lake Superior from their mouths to the first impassable permanent barrier (unless listed otherwise in trout regulations).*
• Lake trout season on Lake Superior closes.*
• Set or bank pole and setline fishing season on specified waters in the Wolf and Fox river basins closes. Check the current Setline, Set or Bank Pole Regulations for open waters.*

October 3

• Period 1 Collins Zone Canada goose closes. Reopens 9 a.m. Oct. 4 through Oct. 5

October 4

• Canada goose season opens in the Mississippi River Subzone and runs through Oct. 12 Season reopens Oct. 18 and runs through Jan. 1 2009.

October 4 - 12

• Special deer hunt open to people with disabilities who have a disabled hunting permit. The hunts are held by landowners who have agreed to sponsor the hunters on their property. Hunters must have registered to participate at a designated sponsor location by Sept. 1.

October 6

• Period 2 Collins Zone Canada goose runs through Oct. 26.

October 7

• Black bear season closes. See current Wisconsin Bear Hunting Regulations for specific season dates and zones.

October 11 - 12

• Youth deer hunt. Youth hunters ages 12 to 15 who have successfully completed a hunter education program and possess a gun deer hunting license may participate in this hunt. Qualified hunters may harvest one buck deer on their gun buck deer carcass tag and additional antlerless deer with the appropriate carcass tag. Adults accompanying the youth may not gun deer and cannot accompany more than two youths. All hunting regulations apply, including blaze orange clothing requirements. Archery hunting remains open but archers must wear blaze orange. See regulations for additional requirements.

October 12

• Canada goose season closes in the south exterior zone and Mississippi River subzone. Season reopens Oct. 18 and runs through Dec. 18 in the south zone and Jan. 1, 2009 in Mississippi River subzone.
• Duck season closes in the southern zone; reopens Oct. 18 through Dec. 7.

October 16

• Early deer firearm season in the CWD management zone through Oct. 19 (antlerless only)

October 18

• Duck season in the southern zone reopens through Dec. 7.
• Canada goose season reopens in the South Zone and runs through Dec. 18.
• Canada goose season reopens in the Mississippi River Subzone and runs Jan. 1, 2009.
• Pheasant season opens at noon; runs through Dec. 31.
• Ruffed grouse in the zone B opens through Dec. 10.
• Sharp-tailed grouse by permit opens through Nov. 9.
• Bobwhite quail season opens at noon through Dec. 10.
• Hungarian partridge season opens at noon through Dec. 31.
• Cottontail rabbit opens in southern zone at noon through Feb. 28, 2009.
• Raccoon gun and trapping for state residents opens through Jan. 31, 2009.
• Red and gray fox hunting and trapping in the northern zone opens through Feb. 15, 2009.
• Coyote trapping season opens in the northern zone through Feb. 15, 2009.
• Hunting and trapping season for bobcat north of Hwy. 64 through Dec. 31.
• Muskrat season in the northern zone opens through Feb. 28, 2009.
• Mink season in the northern zone opens through Feb. 28, 2009.
• Fisher trapping season opens in various zones, through Dec. 31.

October 25

• Fox season opens in the southern zone, through Feb. 15, 2009.
• Coyote trapping season opens in southern zone through Feb. 15, 2009.
• Mink season opens in central (through Dec. 31) and Winnebago (through March 15) zones.
• Muskrat season opens in south zone (through Feb. 28) and Winnebago zone (through March 15).

October 26

• Period 2 Collins Zone Canada goose closes.

October 27

• Period 3 Collins Zone Canada goose runs through Nov. 21.

October 30

• Mourning dove season closes.*

October 31

• Lake trout season closes on waters of Green Bay and Lake Michigan and their tributaries.*
• Deadline to purchase Lake Winnebago system sturgeon spearing licenses.*

November 1

• Periods 1 Horicon Zone Canada goose closes.
• Wild ginseng season closes.*
• Beaver trapping season opens in the northwest zone (A), northeast zone (B) through April 30 and in the southern zone (C) through March 31.
• Otter trapping season opens in all zones and runs through April 30 in the North zone and through March 31 in the Central zone and South zone.
• Non resident raccoon season opens through Jan. 31.

November 9

• Sharp-tailed grouse season closes.
• correction - Mourning dove season closes.* Season was extended 10 days after hunting regulations were published and new closure is not reflected in current regulations.

November 15

• Trout and salmon fishing closes on downstream section of Lake Superior tributaries that remained open after Sept. 30. (see current trout fishing regulations for stream sections).*

November 20

• Early archery deer season closes statewide. Reopens Dec. 1 through Jan. 4, 2009.
• Fall turkey hunting season closes.
• Fall crow season closes.

November 21

• Collins zone Canada goose hunting period 3 closes.
• It is illegal to hunt with a firearm the day before the gun deer season opens, except for waterfowl hunting or hunting on licensed game farms or shooting preserves.

November 22

• Regular gun deer season open through Nov. 30.

November 25

• Northern zone duck season closes.

November 30

• Regular gun deer season closes.
• Muskellunge season closes.*
• Turtle season closes. *

December 1

• Late archery season opens through Jan. 4, 2009.
• Muzzleloader season opens through Dec. 10.
• Lake trout season on Lake Superior opens, through Sept. 30.*

December 7

• Southern zone duck season closes.

December 8

• Ruffed grouse season closes in the eastern zone.*

December 10

• Spring turkey permit application deadline.*
• Application deadline for bear hunting kill permit.*
• Muzzleloader deer season closes.
• Bobwhite quail season closes.*

December 11 - 14

• Late statewide antlerless-only firearm hunt. Hunters may use Herd Control and Earn-a-Buck antlerless deer carcass tag in deer management units with those designations. Hunters in regular units must purchase a unit-specific antlerless deer carcass tag to hunt in those units. Archery season will also remain open in these units during these four days but is restricted to the harvest of antlerless deer. Blaze orange requirements apply for all hunters during this time period.

December 13

• Canada goose season in the north exterior zones closes at sunset. Check current waterfowl regulations for subzone season dates.

December 16

• Horicon zone Canada goose hunting periods 2 closes.

December 18

• Canada goose season closes in the south exterior zone. Check current waterfowl regulations for subzone season dates.

December 24

• Holiday firearm season in CWD management zone through Jan. 4 (Earn-a-buck).

December 31

• Pheasant season closes.*
• Hungarian partridge season closes.*
• Bobcat hunting and trapping season closes.*
• Fisher trapping season closes.*
• Frog season closes.*