Small game hunting

Purchase A Hunting License

Wisconsin has made it easy to buy licenses and registrations. Hunters can manage all their hunting applications and licenses through Go Wild. Please refer to the tables below to know which license is needed to hunt each species.

NOTE: A person authorized to purchase a license for a permit or harvest authorization issued under a cumulative preference drawing may transfer their awarded permit or harvest authorization to another who meets the required qualifications on the Authorization Transfer webpage.

Upland Game Birds

Migratory Game Birds

Small Game Mammals and Furbearers

Where To Hunt

Find Properties Open to Public Hunting

• Voluntary Public Access program
  • Through this program, hundreds of landowners have opened their land to the public for hunting, fishing, trapping and wildlife viewing. Over 30,000 acres of private land are accessible to the public and can be found using the VPA interactive map.
• Public land access
  • From hunting and fishing to camping and hiking, use this resource to find everything you need to enjoy the outdoors.

Find Properties Stocked with Pheasants

• Fields & Forest Lands Interactive Gamebird Hunting Tool (FFLIGHT)
  • Use this interactive mapping tool to locate properties stocked with pheasants. FFLIGHT also allows users to generate aerial, topographic and landcover maps while hunting.

Where to Hunt for Ruffed Grouse

Ruffed grouse use various habitat types, but young, early successional forest types are most important when finding a good grouse hunting spot. Seeking out the densest woody cover available is usually the quickest way to locate grouse in a new hunting area.

• Fields & Forest Lands Interactive Gamebird Hunting Tool (FFLIGHT)
  • Use this interactive map to find public land and suitable habitat for grouse and woodcock.
• Grouse hunting maps in Wisconsin county forests
  • The Wisconsin County Forest Association created a collection of maps showing various ruffed grouse management areas on county-owned forests throughout Wisconsin.
• Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest [exit DNR]
  • The Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest is over 1.5 million acres in northern Wisconsin open to outdoor recreation, including hunting, fishing and camping. See the website or contact the forest headquarters office for more information.
• Public land access
  • From hunting and fishing to camping and hiking, use this resource to find everything you need to enjoy the outdoors.

Where to Hunt Mourning Dove

Doves use a wide range of habitats, but fields with abundant weed seeds or grain, open gravel areas and water sources are good locations to find doves.

• Mourning dove fact sheet
• Fields & Forest Lands Interactive Gamebird Hunting Tool (FFLIGHT)
  • Use this interactive mapping tool to locate properties with managed dove fields. FFLIGHT also allows users to generate aerial, topographic and landcover maps while hunting.

Hunting Safety Tips

• Follow the four rules of basic firearm safety – TAB-K.
  • T = Treat every firearm as if it is loaded. Never assume a gun is unloaded and never treat it that way, even if you watch as it is unloaded. Make it a habit to treat guns like they are always loaded.
  • A = Always point the muzzle in a safe direction. About one-third of all hunting incidents are self-inflicted injuries. That means the muzzle was pointed at some part of the hunter's body. A safe approach is where the bullet will travel and harm no one in the event of an unwanted discharge. There are no accidental discharges with firearms, only unwanted discharges.
  • B = Be sure of your target and what's beyond it. Positive target identification is a must. To shoot at something you only think is a legal target is gambling. In the case of human injury, that means gambling on human life. You must be specific and correct in judgment before deciding to shoot. Otherwise, it's reckless behavior. In addition to identifying the target, a hunter must know that a safe backstop for their bullet is present in every shooting situation. We don't always hit our target; in some cases, the bullet passes through the target. A safe backstop guarantees that no one will get hurt.
  • K = Keep your finger outside the trigger guard until ready to shoot. If a hunter stumbles with a firearm in one hand and nothing in the other, whatever that person does with their free hand will automatically happen with the hand holding the gun. If a finger is inside the trigger guard, that hand will likely close around the gun's pistol grip and on the trigger causing an unwanted discharge.

Hunter Resources

• The Basics of Dove Hunting in Wisconsin
• Decoy Tactics
• Wingshooting
• Tom Roster's nontoxic shot lethality table
• Game Bird Brood Observations

Register A Harvest

Bobcat

You must register your bobcat harvest with the DNR by 5 p.m. the day after recovery by visiting GameReg or by calling 844-GAME-REG (844-426-3734) AND you must exhibit your bobcat to an authorized DNR representative for certification no later than seven days after the month of harvest. The bobcat pelt must be separated from the carcass and both parts must be presented at the time of certification.

Other Small Game Species

Registration isn't required for the remaining small game species.

Small Game Health and Diseases

Information on Game Birds and HPAI

In the spring of 2022, a strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) was detected in numerous domestic and wild birds throughout Wisconsin. It is expected that the virus will continue to circulate in wild bird populations this year. In general, upland birds such as pheasants have behaviors and prefer habitats that make them less likely to encounter avian influenza viruses in the wild.

Hunters should never harvest wild birds that appear sick. If you observe a sick pheasant, ruffed grouse, or other game bird, contact the DNR's Wildlife Switchboard by emailing DNRWildlifeSwitchboard@wisconsin.gov or leaving a voicemail for a return phone call at 608-267-0866.

This strain of HPAI does not pose a food safety risk. However, hunters should always ensure the proper handling of game meat. Harvested birds should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F.

Additional recommendations for hunters are on the USDA website. Visit the DNR's wildlife diseases page for more information on avian influenza and other diseases affecting wildlife health.

West Nile Virus Sampling Project 2018-2021

2021 was the fourth and final year of a region-wide effort to understand better the West Nile virus in ruffed grouse in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. The primary objectives of this multi-year monitoring effort were to:

1. Assess the feasibility of utilizing hunter-harvested ruffed grouse to obtain biological samples from harvested birds for disease screening and collecting relevant metadata.
2. Determine the prevalence of exposure to WNV in ruffed grouse populations and if there is a significant change by year in Wisconsin.
3. Evaluate whether samples can be collected sufficiently to assess prevalence across different state regions.
4. Examine submitted samples for evidence of clinical disease associated with WNV infection.

Self-Sampling Kits

Thank you to all hunters who submitted a self-sampling kit for the 2018-2021 seasons; a final report on results by year can be found below. 

• Monitoring West Nile Virus in Wisconsin's ruffed grouse population
• 2018 West Nile virus results report
• 2019 West Nile virus results report
• 2020 West Nile virus results report
• 2021 West Nile virus results report