Deadline for Written Comments: The deadline for written comments is April 11, 2016
Section 1. NR 10 (Index) is amended to read:
NR 10.06 Hunting Shooting hours
Section 2. NR 10.06 (Intro.), (1) to (6) (Intro), and (7) to (9) are amended to read:
hours, when specified in this chapter, mean Central Standard Time, and the daily opening (a.m.) and closing (p.m.) hours listed shall apply to the entire state.
(2) Hunting Shooting zones.
NR 10.06(2)(a)(a) General. Two general hunting shooting hour areas are established as follows: Northern area: all of the following counties and all counties north of them; Pierce, Dunn, Eau Claire, Clark, Marathon, Shawano, Oconto, and Door. Southern area: remainder of state. In addition, the following zones are established across the northern and southern areas: Zone
A—all that part of the state lying east of 88°-00F longitude.
B—all that part of the state lying between 88°-00F and 89°-00F long.
C—all that part of the state lying between 89°-00F and 90°-00F long.
D—all that part of the state lying between 90°-00F and 91°-00F long.
E—all that part of the state lying between 91°-00F and 92°-00F long.
F—all that part of the state lying west of 92°-00F longitude.
NR 10.06(2)(b) (b) General prohibition. Except as provided in subs. (6) to (9), no person may hunt or shoot or shoot at any game species for which an open season is prescribed on any day during the open season before the a.m. times or after the p.m. times established in sub. (5). (5) Hunting Shooting hours. Hunting Shooting hours for bear, bow deer, deer with firearms, elk and small game are 30 minutes before sunrise through 20 minutes after sunset. Hunting Shooting hours for migratory game birds are 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset except for teal during a season for hunting teal species only. The hours for hunting shooting teal during a teal-only season shall be sunrise through 7:00 p.m. except on the first day when hunting shooting hours begin at 9:00 a.m. All pheasant hunting shooting starts at 9:00 a.m. on the first day of the pheasant hunting season established in s. NR 10.01 (2) (c). The department shall establish the specific opening and closing times annually in the hunting regulations pamphlets. Opening and closing times for zone A southern and northern areas shall be based on astronomical data collected by the U.S. naval observatory, Washington D.C., 20392-5420 for Sheboygan, Wisconsin and Powers, Michigan, respectively. The hunting shooting hours for the other zones shall be obtained by adding minutes to the Zone A a.m. and p.m. columns as follows: (6) Pheasant hunting. Except as provided in this subsection, pheasant hunting shooting hours are those hunting hours established for small game in sub. (5). Pheasant hunting shooting hours shall close at 2:00 p.m. on weekdays within the posted boundaries of the following state wildlife areas beginning the third day of the pheasant hunting season established in s. NR 10.01 (2) (c) and continuing through November 3: (7) Wild turkey hunting. The hunting shooting hours for pursuing wild turkeys shall be the same as the hours established in sub. (5) except that spring season hunting shooting hours shall close at sunset daily. (8) Exceptions. There are no hunting shooting hour restrictions for pursuing coyote, fox, raccoon and all wild animals for which no closed season is established except as follows:
NR 10.06(8)(a)(a) Bear, deer, and elk seasons. Hunting Shooting hours established in sub. (5) shall apply to archers and crossbow hunters pursuing any species during the black bear season established in s. NR 10.01 (3) (g), during the archery and crossbow deer seasons established in s. NR 10.01 (3) (em) and (ep), and during the elk season established in s. NR 10.01 (3) (i). NR 10.06(8)(b) (b) Gun deer season. Hunting Shooting hours established in sub. (5) shall apply statewide to archer, crossbow and gun hunters pursuing any species, except migratory game birds listed in s. NR 10.01 (1), during the period beginning on the Saturday preceding the Thanksgiving day holiday and continuing for 9 consecutive days in the central farmland and forest deer management zones established in s. NR 10.28 (4). NR 10.06 NoteNote: The shooting hours for deer hunting with firearms hours do not apply to persons hunting coyote, fox, raccoon, or other wild animals for which no closed season has been established during the muzzle-loader season, an extended gun deer season or the extended gun season dates following the 9-day deer gun season in a metro deer management unit or in the southern farmland deer management zone.
NR 10.06(9)(a)(a) Hunting Shooting hours for certain species shall close at 1:00 p.m. daily within the posted boundaries of the following state wildlife areas on the following dates: NR 10.06(9)(a)1.1. George W. Mead Wildlife Area (Wood, Portage, and Marathon Counties) for waterfowl beginning on the third day of the duck hunting season in s. NR 10.01 and continuing for 16 days. NR 10.06(9)(a)2.2. Zeloski Unit of the Lake Mills Wildlife Area (Jefferson County) for migratory birds beginning on Sept 1 and continuing through the 16th day after the opening weekend of the duck season established in s. NR 10.01 except that normal statewide hunting shooting hours apply on the opening weekend of the duck season. Section 3. NR 10.07 (2) (b) 3. and 4. are amended to read:
NR 10.07 (2) (b) 3. Scent may be used for hunting game and, except as allowed under subd. 4., the scent may not be placed or deposited in a manner in which it is accessible for consumption by deer or elk, and scents shall be removed daily at the end of hunting shooting hours for deer established in s. NR 10.06 (5). NR 10.07(2)(b)4. 4. Two ounces or less of scent may be placed, used or deposited in any manner for hunting game and does not need to be removed daily at the end of hunting shooting hours. Section 4. NR 10.11 (6) is repealed.
Section 5. NR 10.12 (3) (d) is amended to read:
NR 10.12 (3) (d) Blind removal. All open water blinds shall be removed at the close of hunting shooting hours each day. Section 6. NR 10.22 (3) (d) and (Intro.) are amended to read:
NR 10.22 (3) (d) Hunting Shooting hours. The hunting shooting hours for all species shall be the hours established in s. NR 10.06. Section 7. 10.23 (4) (b) and (6) (b) are amended to read:
NR 10.23 (4) (b) Registration station hours shall begin one hour before the start of hunting shooting hours. Hunters shall report to such station immediately after the close of hunting shooting hours each day as established in sub. (6). (6) Season and hunting shooting hours. NR 10.23(6)(b)(b) The commencement of the daily hunting shooting hours shall conform to those in s. NR 10.06 except that hunting shooting hours shall terminate at noon each day unless otherwise indicated by signs posted at the registration station. Section 8. NR 10.24 (4) (f) and (6) (b) to (d) are amended to read:
NR 10.24 (4) (f) Check-in deadline. Any person who obtains a hunting permit reservation and arrives at the department's check-in station after the opening of hunting shooting hours shall forfeit such reservation. Any person with a waterfowl hunting permit reservation shall report at the department's check-in station no later than one-half hour before the opening of hunting shooting hours or forfeit the reservation. Any person may obtain a daily permit on a first-come, first-served basis provided a permit is available. (6) (b) Waterfowl and deer hours. The daily opening of hunting shooting hours for waterfowl and deer are established in s. NR 10.06. NR 10.24(6)(c) (c) Pheasant season exception. The daily opening of hunting shooting hours shall be in accordance with ss. NR 10.01 and 10.06 except during the pheasant season. During the pheasant season the daily opening of hunting shooting hours shall be as follows: (d) Special closure. The daily closing of hunting shooting hours for all species is established in s. NR 10.06 except during pheasant season when all hunting shooting except for waterfowl south of state highway 142 and archery deer shall end at 2:00 p.m. after the Saturday nearest October 17. Section 9. NR 10.275 (2) is amended to read:
NR 10.275(2)(a)(a) Except as provided under pars. (b) and (c), the hunting shooting hours for pursuing small game at Governor Dodge, Mill Bluff and Mirror Lake state parks shall be the same as the hours established in s. NR 10.06 (5) except that hunting shooting hours will close at 12:00 noon daily at times when the Natural Resources Board has made a determination to generally prohibit hunting at other state parks under s. 29.089 (1m) (b) 2., Stats. Hunting is allowed under the specific season frameworks for these parks established in s. NR 10.01. NR 10.275(2)(b) (b) The hunting shooting hours for pursuing migratory game birds at Governor Dodge and Mill Bluff state parks shall be the same as the hours established in s. NR 10.06 (5) except that hunting shooting hours shall close at 12:00 noon daily at times when the Natural Resources Board has made a determination to generally prohibit hunting under s. 29.089 (1m) (b) 2., Stats. Hunting is allowed under the specific season frameworks for these parks established in s. NR 10.01. NR 10.275(2)(c) (c) The hunting shooting hours for pursuing migratory game birds at Mirror Lake state park shall be the same as the hours established in s. NR 10.06 (5). Section 10. NR 13.30 (2) (f) is amended to read:
Section 11. NR 13.42 (3) is amended to read:
NR 13.42 (3) Hunting Shooting hours. No hunting shooting hours apply for any open season authorized by this chapter from March 1 through August 31.
