Wisconsin · Bear · 2026 Edition
Wisconsin Bear Season 2026: Dates, Zones & Bag Limits
01 — Seasons
| Season | Zone | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Bait & other legal methods, no dogs | Zones A, B, D | Sep 9 – Sep 15 |
| Dogs, bait & all other legal methods | Zones A, B, D | Sep 16 – Oct 6 |
| Dogs only | Zones A, B, D | Oct 7 – Oct 13 |
| Bait & other legal methods, no dogs (dogs prohibited statewide in these zones) | Zones C, E, F | Sep 9 – Oct 13 |
02 — Bag limits & check-in
| Statewide | One bear per Class A bear license. It is illegal to shoot, shoot at, or kill a bear accompanied by a bear that is not an adult (Wis. Admin. Code NR 10.101) |
|---|---|
| Registration | Harvest must be registered electronically (gamereg.wi.gov, phone, or in person) by 5 p.m. the day after recovery |
| Biological sample | Submit two upper premolar teeth to the DNR by October 15 for age analysis |
03 — Shooting hours
Legal light on opening day (September 9, 2026) 06:01 — 19:39
Rule: 30 minutes before sunrise to 20 minutes after sunset, the statewide Zone A/Northern Area baseline for WDNR's 'Deer, Bear, Elk, Small Game and Fall Turkey' shooting-hours table — not bear-specific. Zones B-F and the Southern Area apply their own minute adjustments to this baseline based on longitude; check WDNR's shooting-hours zone map for your exact hunting location. Sunrise/sunset shift daily — the times above are computed for opening day; use your local Wisconsin sun times for any other date.
04 — License
Bear hunters in Wisconsin need a Wisconsin hunting license — a Class A bear license won through the harvest-authorization drawing — apply by Dec. 10 (year prior to season); unsuccessful applicants may buy a preference point to improve future odds Check-in or reporting a harvest is typically mandatory; see the row above for Wisconsin's specific rule.
Wisconsin hunting license cost →
Where to hunt public land in Wisconsin — WMAs by county & access rules →
05 — Scouting gear
Patterning bear activity before Wisconsin's opener usually means glassing feeding areas and running a trail camera through summer — check the state's own rules on baiting before you set one over bait.
- Hunting binoculars on Amazon →
- Trail cameras on Amazon →
- Trail camera SD cards — class, capacity & format explained →
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. These are category links, not a single named pick — we run no product tests of our own.
06 — FAQ
When does bear season open in Wisconsin?
The earliest 2026 opener is September 9, 2026. See the table above for each method and zone.
When does bear season end in Wisconsin?
The latest 2026 closing date is October 13, 2026. Individual segments and zones can close earlier — see the table above.
Do I need a separate bear license or tag in Wisconsin?
a Class A bear license won through the harvest-authorization drawing — apply by Dec. 10 (year prior to season); unsuccessful applicants may buy a preference point to improve future odds
How many bears can you shoot in Wisconsin?
2026 bag limits: Statewide — One bear per Class A bear license. It is illegal to shoot, shoot at, or kill a bear accompanied by a bear that is not an adult (Wis. Admin. Code NR 10.101). Registration — Harvest must be registered electronically (gamereg.wi.gov, phone, or in person) by 5 p.m. the day after recovery. Biological sample — Submit two upper premolar teeth to the DNR by October 15 for age analysis. Limits are set per zone and per permit — check the agency's own regulations before you hunt.
What time can you start shooting bear in Wisconsin?
On opening day (September 9, 2026) legal light runs 06:01 to 19:39. The rule is: 30 minutes before sunrise to 20 minutes after sunset, the statewide Zone A/Northern Area baseline for WDNR's 'Deer, Bear, Elk, Small Game and Fall Turkey' shooting-hours table — not bear-specific. Zones B-F and the Southern Area apply their own minute adjustments to this baseline based on longitude; check WDNR's shooting-hours zone map for your exact hunting location. Sunrise and sunset shift daily, so work the offset against your local Wisconsin sun times for any other date.
Can I hunt bear on my own land in Wisconsin without a license?
Wisconsin's exemption covers only a specific species list — beaver, coyotes, foxes, raccoons, woodchucks, rabbits, and squirrels — for the owner or occupant and their family on their own land. Deer, turkey, bear, and waterfowl aren't included, and the exempt species can't be taken in the 24 hours before firearm deer season opens.
Verified · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources · Last verified 2026-08-15
Publisher's note. Read directly on dnr.wisconsin.gov: the main bear-hunting page (season structure and zone/method dates), the season-dates page (confirmed the same dates), the bear-registration page (registration deadline and premolar-tooth submission), and the Nov. 2025 newsroom release on the 2026 harvest-authorization deadline (dnr.wisconsin.gov/newsroom/release/115971), which gives the 2026 permit count and application totals directly from WDNR. Wisconsin is a genuine draw state even though it is not one of the site's four dedicated 'B' limited-access states — access.note below is sourced from that same release. Cub/non-adult-bear protection is codified at Wis. Admin. Code NR 10.101 (docs.legis.wisconsin.gov), cross-checked against secondary hunting guides describing the same rule. RE-CHECKED 2026-08-15: the shooting-hours gap is now resolved. WDNR's 'Calculating Shooting Hours' page (dnr.wisconsin.gov/node/119956) confirms bear falls under the same 'Deer, Bear, Elk, Small Game and Fall Turkey' shooting-hours table already confirmed for this project's Wisconsin rabbit and squirrel files — baseline 30 minutes before sunrise to 20 minutes after sunset for Zone A in the Northern Area, with zone-specific minute adjustments (Zones B-F, Northern and Southern Areas, matching the same letter-zones used in the bear methods table above) layered on top based on longitude. This is the shared statewide baseline, not a bear-specific exception; only the Zone-A baseline is recorded in startOffsetMin/endOffsetMin below.