Section NR 45.09 - Firearms and hunting(1) No person may take, catch, kill, hunt, trap, or pursue any wild animal or bird in any fish hatchery, state campground, picnic area, or other area not open to hunting or trapping. Note: State park hunting and trapping closures authorized under s. 29.089, Stats. are established on property maps that may be obtained on the DNR website (dnr.wi.gov) keyword "hunting state parks". Additional closures of designated use areas may also be established by posted notice. Hunting and trapping closures may be limited to certain species and seasons. See also s. NR 10.275.
(2) Except for blinds used exclusively for waterfowl hunting as provided in s. 29.327 (2), Stats., and s. NR 10.12 (12), and except for blinds constructed entirely of dead vegetation found on the property, no person may do any of the following: (a) Except as provided in subds. 1. to 4., construct, occupy, place, or use any elevated or ground blind or other elevated device except:1. On any land open to hunting not identified in subds. 2. or 3., portable tree stands and blinds may remain placed only during the daily timeframe beginning one hour prior to, and ending one hour after, the shooting hours established in s. NR 10.06.2. On any land not part of the state park system, open to hunting and located north of State Highway 64, portable tree stands and blinds may remain placed throughout the timeframe beginning September 1 and ending January 31.3. On any land that is part of the state park system, open to hunting, and located north of State Highway 64, portable tree stands and blinds may remain placed throughout the timeframe beginning seven days prior to, and ending seven days after, an established fall hunting period.4. Portable tree stands and blinds may be occupied and used while lawfully placed under subds. 1. to 3.(b) Cause damage to trees by the placement or erection of portable tree stands or by any other manner while climbing or hunting from a tree. Careful pruning, flush with the trunk of the tree, of limbs less than 1 inch in diameter on a tree in which a tree stand is used shall not be considered causing damage to the tree.(c) Hunt from any ground blind during any open season or special hunt for hunting deer with firearms unless the outside of the blind displays a minimum of 144 square inches of material that is a solid highly visible color commonly referred to as blaze orange, florescent orange, or florescent blaze orange, or commonly referred to as bright pink or fluorescent pink and is visible 360 degrees around the blind. Blinds that are left unoccupied shall have the owner's customer identification number or name and address written in the English language attached to the outside of the blind in a conspicuous location near the entrance to the blind and be kept legible at all times.(d) Place, use, or own an unoccupied tree stand unless the owner's department customer identification number, or the owner's name and address, is written in the English language, attached to the tree stand in a manner so it is clearly visible to a person standing on the ground, and kept legible at all times.(e) Place more than two portable tree stands or blinds on department lands located in the same county. Note: Section NR 45.04 (3) (g) prohibits any person from destroying, molesting, possessing without permission, removing or attempting to remove the property of another.
(3) Nothing in this section shall prohibit the use of these weapons on designated target ranges within the areas listed in sub. (1).(4) Nothing in this section shall prohibit:(a) Hunting as authorized pursuant to s. 29.089, Stats., and natural resources board determinations under s. 29.089 (1m), Stats.(b) Hunting in state parks as established in s. NR 10.275 or as otherwise specifically established by rule.(c) Possession of uncased or loaded firearms, bows, crossbows or air guns while on foot and in route to a state park area where hunting is allowed. This paragraph does not allow the discharge of a firearm, bow, crossbow, or air gun from or across state park areas where hunting is not allowed.(d) The use of a firearm for the purposes of killing an animal lawfully trapped in a state park.(5) No person may discharge any firearm or air gun while within the exterior boundary of state-owned lands posted with department signs in Brown, Dane, Dodge, Columbia, Fond du Lac, Jefferson, Juneau, Kenosha, La Crosse, Manitowoc, Milwaukee, Outagamie, Ozaukee, Racine, Rock, Sauk, Sheboygan, Walworth, Washington, Waukesha and Winnebago counties, or on state forest lands in the Kettle Moraine or Point Beach state forests, fish hatcheries, state parks, state recreation areas, state natural areas, from or across a state campground, picnic area or other special use area designated by the department which is not open to hunting, or on state trails established on railroad grades, except as follows: (a) While engaged in hunting or dispatching a lawfully trapped animal in compliance with sub. (1) and the open seasons established in s. NR 10.01.(b) At shooting ranges designated by the department.(c) While engaged in dog trials under department permit.(d) While training dogs in designated areas under department permit.(e) When paintball guns are approved pursuant to s. NR 45.04 (3) (u).(f) When authorized by the department upon issuance of a special use permit. Note: State park hunting and trapping closures authorized under s. 29.089, Stats. are established on property maps that may be obtained on the DNR website (dnr.wi.gov) keyword "hunting state parks". Additional closures of designated use areas may also be established by posted notice. Hunting and trapping closures may be limited to certain species and seasons. See also s. NR 10.275.
(6) No person may shoot any bow or crossbow from or across a campground.(7) Unless authorized by the department, no person may pursue, drive or chase animals on lands subject to this chapter that are closed to hunting.Wis. Admin. Code Department of Natural Resources NR 45.09
Cr. Register, December, 1983, No. 336, eff. 1-1-84; am. (4) and (5) (intro.), Register, December, 1987, No. 384, eff. 1-1-88; cr. (6), Register, May, 1993, No. 449, eff. 6-1-93; am. (2) and (5) (intro.), Register, December, 1993, No. 456, eff. 1-1-94; am. (2), Register, November, 1995, No. 479, eff. 12-1-95; corrections in (2) and (4) made under s. 13.93(2m) (b) 7, Stats., Register, November, 1998, No. 515; am. (1) and (2), cr. (7), Register, December, 1999, No. 528, eff. 1-1-00; CR 01-008: am. (5) (intro.), Register November 2001 No. 551, eff. 4-1-02; emerg. cr. (9), eff. 7-3-02; CR 03-016: cr. (9) Register August 2003 No. 572, eff. 9-1-03; CR 03-035: am. (4), Register December 2003 No. 576, eff. 1-1-04; CR 04-092: am. (5) (intro.) and (a), cr. (10) Register April 2005 No. 592, eff. 5-1-05; CR 05-017: am. (2) Register October 2005 No. 598, eff. 2-1-06; CR 05-102: r. (10) Register June 2006 No. 606, eff. 7-1-06; CR 05-086: am. (4) Register June 2006 No. 606, eff. 7-1-06; CR 06-037: am. (2) Register June 2007 No. 618, eff. 7-1-07; CR 07-015: r. and recr. (2) Register September 2007 No. 621, eff. 2-1-08; CR 08-011: cr. (5) (e) Register September 2008 No. 633, eff. 2-1-09; CR 10-042: cr. (10), am. (5) (intro.) and (a) Register December 2010 No. 660, eff. 1-1-11; CR 08-022: am. (1), cr. (11) Register December 2010 No. 660, eff. 1-1-11; CR 11-007: am. (5) (intro.) Register October 2011 No. 670, eff. 2-1-12; CR 13-108: am. (1), renum. (4) to (4) (intro.) and am., cr. (4) (a) to (c) Register August 2014 No. 704, eff. 9-1-14.Amended by, CR 13-071: am. (1), r. (9) Register July 2015 No. 715, eff.8/1/2015.Amended by, CR 16-028: renum. (2) (a) to (a) (intro.) and am., cr. (2) (a) 1. to 4., am. (2) (b) Register July 2017 No. 739, eff. 8-1-17; correction in (2) (a) (intro.) made under s. 35.17, Stats., Register July 2017 No. 739; CR 16-007: am. (1), cr. (4) (d), am. (5) (intro.), (a), (b), cr. (5) (f), r. (6), (10), (11) Register July 2017 No. 739, eff. 8/1/2017Amended by, CR 18-005: am. (2) (c) Register September 2018 No. 753, eff. 10/1/2018Amended by, CR 19-017: am. (5) (intro.) Register January 2020 No. 769, eff. 2/1/2020Amended by, CR 21-078: am. (5) (intro.) Register July 2022 No. 799, eff. 8/1/2022.Amended by, CR 23-013: am. (5) (intro.) Register February 2024 No. 818, eff. 3/1/2024Amended by, CR 23-060: cr. (6) Register July 29 No. 823, eff. 8/1/2024