Here’s a summary of regulation changes for this fall’s hunting and trapping seasons. For more details, consult the Minnesota and Wisconsin hunting regulations booklets.
MINNESOTA
Small game
- Youth age 15 and under are now required to obtain a free license.
- Sandhill crane hunt — Minnesota will hold its first modern sandhill crane hunt in several northwestern counties from Sept. 4 to Oct. 10. A sandhill crane permit, but no other license, is required for the hunt.
Deer
- Rules governing use of ATVs and off-highway vehicles during deer season have changed. Hunters must now remain on designated forest roads on public lands during firearms and muzzleloader deer seasons.
- Hunters may now apply for both firearms and muzzleloader lottery either-sex deer permits.
- New procedures are in place for registering deer. In many areas, hunters may now register their deer over the phone or on the Internet.
- An either-sex youth deer seasons runs Oct. 21-24 in the northwest and southeast.
- Several changes have been made in the Zone 3 deer season.
- Several boundaries have changed in deer permit areas, including those in Northeastern Minnesota. Hunters should be sure they designate the right area when buying their licenses.
Trapping
- New restrictions are in effect for the placement of body-gripping traps in road rights-of-way.
- New regulations apply to tending weasel boxes.
- The fisher and pine marten limit is five but may include no more than two fisher.
- Beaver season will close April 30.
- New rules apply to staking muskrat houses.
- The raccoon/fox/badger/opossum trapping season will open Oct. 16 in the north mink/muskrat/beaver/otter zone.
- New rules are in effect for reporting incidental take of certain furbearers.
WISCONSIN
Deer
- No longer is there a three-day waiting period to use an archery license purchased during the open season.
- Non-residents 65 years and older may use a crossbow for hunting with the appropriate hunting license without a special permit authorizing the crossbow’s use. This provision is the same as residents 65 and older.
- A four-day antlerless-only deer hunt will be held in all herd-cotnrol and CWD units Oct. 14-17. Another four-day antlerless-only hunt will be held Dec. 9-12 for all units statewide except in state parks and non-quota areas.
- A two-day youth deer hunt will be held Oct. 9-10.
Small game/trapping
- The bobcat hunting and trapping season is split between two time periods, and permits are valid for only one of the seasons.
- Bobcat harvest must be reported within 24 hours.
- Fall turkey hunting with dogs is allowed statewide.
- Non-residents 65 years and older may hunt with a crossbow.
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