Wisconsin Hunting License: Cost, Requirements & How to Buy
A Wisconsin hunting license costs $18 for a resident adult and $90 for a non-resident adult (fees verified 2026-09-11).
Wisconsin prices small-game and deer as separate licenses, which is why a "Wisconsin hunting license" search result that only quotes $18 is telling half the story. Most Wisconsin hunters who go out in November are buying the gun-deer license, not just small game.
Figures shown are the general small-game license (resident $18 / non-resident annual small game $90). Deer hunting is a separate $24 resident / $200 non-resident gun-deer license. First-time buyers of most license types pay $5.
Fee last verified 2026-09-11.
Heading out for Wisconsin hunting? Game wardens require carrying physical or digital license proof and valid tags. Equip yourself with a waterproof license and tag pouch, rechargeable wide-beam LED headlamp, and corrosion-resistant multi-tool pliers before your trip.
What a Wisconsin hunting license costs
The general small-game license is $18 for residents and $90 for non-residents (annual). Deer hunting is a separate gun-deer license at $24 resident / $200 non-resident. First-time buyers of most license types pay $5. Turkey, bear and waterfowl are additional licenses or stamps on top of whichever base you hold.
License year and hunter education
Figures shown are for the 2026–27 season. Wisconsin requires hunter education for anyone born on or after January 1, 1973 who has not previously held a hunting license. The course is offered through DNR-approved instructors, including a hunter education online-plus-field-day option.
How to buy your Wisconsin hunting license
Go Wild (gowild.wi.gov) is Wisconsin DNR's official licensing system. Licenses are also sold at DNR service centers and authorized vendors. Keep the confirmation; Wisconsin conservation wardens will accept a digital copy.
Hunting in Wisconsin: what to expect
The nine-day gun-deer season in late November is still a cultural event in much of the state, with a mix of private farmland in the south and big public county and national forest in the north. The Central Forest and the farmland/woodlot mosaic of the southwest (the Driftless) hunt very differently from the Northwoods. Public land is extensive by Midwestern standards: county forests, national forest, and DNR wildlife areas are all in play, but pressure on the easy-access units on opening weekend is real.
Public land in Wisconsin
County forests, especially in the north, are the overlooked public-land story: millions of acres that are not a state park and not a refuge, open to hunting under statewide rules. Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest adds another large block. Southern Wisconsin hunters without their own land lean on DNR wildlife areas, which are smaller and more crowded on the gun-deer opener.
Small game vs gun deer, and the $5 first-time fee
The $18 resident or $90 non-resident figure is a general small-game license. Gun deer is a separate $24 resident or $200 non-resident license, which is the number most people actually mean when they ask what it costs to hunt Wisconsin. First-time buyers of most license types pay $5, a one-time fee that shows up at checkout and surprises people who compared forum posts from three years ago.
Turkey, bear and waterfowl are their own licenses or stamps. A federal duck stamp is still required for migratory birds on top of whatever Wisconsin sells you. If you are coming for a November gun-deer weekend, buy the gun-deer license, hunter education proof, and a carcass tag plan before you drive; the small-game license alone will not put a deer in the truck.
Public land, County Forests and the Northwoods
Wisconsin's County Forest system, especially in the north, is one of the better public deer-hunting setups in the Midwest: large blocks, mapped roads, and fewer "no hunting" signs than a southern farmland state. Pressure still stacks on opening morning within walking distance of a paved parking lot. A plat book or the DNR's public access maps will keep you off posted industrial forest that looks public on satellite.
Hunter education is required for anyone born on or after January 1, 1973. Out-of-state certificates usually transfer if they meet IHEA standards, but bring the card, not a photo of a Facebook post. License year follows the hunting season cycle; confirm the current dates on dnr.wisconsin.gov before you assume April 1 or a calendar year.
If the trip is November gun deer, buy the gun-deer license, not only small game. Non-resident gun deer at $200 is the line that matches that weekend; $90 small game will not register a deer. First-time buyers pay $5 once. GoWild is the online system. County forest maps from the county itself beat a generic public-land app in the Northwoods, where industrial forest and county land sit on the same road.
How to renew a Wisconsin hunting license
There is no separate renewal process in Wisconsin. A hunting license is not extended in place; when it expires you buy a new one for the next license year through the same system you used the first time, and your customer profile, hunter or angler ID and any saved payment details carry over so the second purchase takes a couple of minutes. 2026-2027 season.
The fastest route is the official Wisconsin online licensing portal, which also lets you print or download the new license and add any stamps, tags or endorsements in one transaction. In-person license agents (sporting goods stores, bait shops and, in many states, county clerks) sell the same license at the same price, so use whichever is closer. Buying before the old license lapses is not required, but it avoids an accidental gap if a season opens before you get round to it.
Planning more than one? See the Wisconsin fishing license page too, see how much a hunting license costs in every state, compare non-resident hunting fees across states, browse every state, or use the state license finder.