2024 Wisconsin elk hunt season opens Saturday; what to know
Elk (Courtesy: Jeff Morden via Wisconsin DNR)
MADISON, Wis. - The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources celebrated the start of the 2024 elk hunting season on Saturday, Oct. 12.
This is Wisconsin's seventh elk hunting season since the reintroduction of elk, the DNR said, but it also represents a milestone: The first season hunters have the opportunity to hunt in both the Northern and Central Elk Zones. Previous hunts only occurred within the Northern Elk Zone.
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"Wisconsin's central elk herd has reached an exciting milestone," Christiana Kizewski, DNR Central Elk Zone biologist, said in a news release. "The herd's population is now at a level that allows for a limited hunt. This underscores the successful management of Wisconsin's healthy and growing elk herd."
The DNR approved an eight-bull harvest quota for the Northern Elk Zone and a four-bull quota for the inaugural season in the Central Elk Zone. Per treaty rights, the Ojibwe tribes have declared four bulls of the eight-bull harvest quota for the Northern Elk Zone.
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The eight hunters participating in the state-administered hunt were randomly selected from a pool of more than 25,000 applicants. The DNR received 17,761 applications to hunt in the Northern Elk Zone and 7,750 applications for the Central Elk Zone.
The DNR said the random drawing ensures that each applicant has an equal chance of selection within the respective management zones. Applicants were required to identify their management zone of choice during the elk hunting application process.
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The DNR's elk management is driven by the revenue received as a result of hunter application fees, which contributes directly to the future of the state's elk population. For each $10 application fee, $7 goes directly toward elk management, habitat restoration and research.
The 2025 elk hunt application period for Wisconsin residents is expected to open with the new license year on March 1 and run through May 31, 2025. The 2025 elk hunting season will open on Saturday, Oct. 18. Hunters must select which unit they would like to hunt during the application process.
For more information on elk in Wisconsin, visit the DNR's website.