Wisconsin waterfowl hunters will have a 60-day duck season with a six-duck daily bag and an 85-day exterior goose zone season, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources announced Wednesday.
The season will open at 9 a.m. Sept. 24 in the Northern Zone and continue through Nov. 22.
The six-duck total may include no more than four mallards, of which only one can be a hen; three wood ducks; two redheads; one black duck; two pintail; two scaup; and one canvasback. For duck species not listed, such as teal and ring-necked ducks, the combined total with all other species cannot exceed six ducks.
The youth waterfowl hunt will be Sept. 17-18. Youth can harvest Canada geese in all zones during these two days. All bag limits and tag requirements apply for the zone hunted. These days overlap with open goose seasons in most areas so adults also will be able to harvest geese but not ducks during the youth hunt.
Canada geese
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The state is apportioned into two goose hunting zones: Horicon and Exterior. Other goose management subzones within the Exterior Zone include Brown County and the Mississippi River.
Exterior Zone: 85 days. Daily bag of two Canada geese.
North Zone: Sept. 16-23 and Sept. 24 (9 a.m.)-Dec. 9.
South Zone: Sept. 16-30, Oct. 1 (9 a.m.)-Oct. 9 and Oct. 15-Dec. 14.
Mississippi River Subzone: Sept. 24 (9 a.m.)-Oct. 2, Oct. 15-Dec. 29.
Horicon Time Periods: Hunters with Horicon zone permits will be issued six tags for the time period that they are awarded. The daily bag limit will be two geese with a possession limit of six.
Horicon: 92 days. Period 1, Sept. 16-Oct. 30; Period 2, Oct. 31-Dec. 16
Other Geese: Brant and light geese seasons will be the same as for the Canada goose zones/subzones. The daily bag limit will be one brant and 20 snow, blue or Ross' geese. White-fronted geese season will be the same as Canada geese for the Exterior zone, and within the Horicon zone the season will be from Sept. 20-Dec. 16. The daily bag limit will be one.
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Mentored hunting
Wisconsin's mentored hunting law allows any registered hunter 18 and older to introduce anyone 10 and older to hunting without the mentored hunter first passing a hunter safety education course.
