The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reminds hunters that the state’s 2023 pheasant season opens at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14 and will run through Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024.
Pheasant hunters need a valid small game license as well as a 2023 Pheasant Stamp, which can be purchased through the Go Wild website or at a license sales location.
There is a special daily bag limit of one rooster per day over opening weekend, Oct. 14-15. Starting Monday, Oct. 16, the daily bag limit will increase to two roosters per day. This limit will remain in place for the remainder of the season. Hunters may harvest a rooster or hen when hunting in designated hen and rooster hunting areas.
Several pheasant hunting properties close at noon on weekdays beginning Oct. 16 and running through Nov. 3. Hunters are also encouraged to double-check the legal shooting hours on the properties they intend to hunt.
The DNR plans to stock approximately 75,000 pheasants from the state game farm on over 80 properties statewide. Pheasants are released once before the pheasant hunting season and will be released twice a week for the first two to three weeks of the season. This is dependent on production levels. After that, birds are released about once a week until the 9-day gun deer season opens on Nov. 18.
Hunters can also use the DNR’s Fields and Forest Lands Interactive Gamebird Hunting Tool (FFLIGHT) to locate properties stocked with game farm pheasants. FFLIGHT allows hunters to use aerial maps, topography and measuring tools to identify areas of interest.
Additionally, hunters are encouraged to wear blaze orange or pink while pheasant hunting to increase visibility for other hunters and outdoor recreators. Blaze orange or pink is required during open gun deer seasons.
For more information, including complete pheasant hunting regulations, hunting hours and helpful tips, visit the DNR’s Pheasant Hunting webpage.
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