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Wisconsin northern bobwhite regulations, 2026
Last updated 2026-09-24 · from WDNR data · 2026 season year
Wisconsin's 2026 northern bobwhite season runs October 17, 2026 to December 9, 2026 — 54 days afield. The bag is 5 per day, 15 in possession. Hunter orange is required. Read against the 2026 season year, from WDNR.
Season and limits
- Season
- Northern bobwhite — October 17, 2026 to December 9, 2026
- Bag limit
- 5 per day, 15 in possession
- Hunter orange
- required At least 50% of clothing above the waist, and any head covering, must be blaze orange or fluorescent pink any time a firearm deer season is in progress. This applies to small game and archery hunters, not only to deer hunters. Waterfowl hunters are exempt.
- Wisconsin requires blaze orange or fluorescent pink only while a firearm deer season is in progress — but then it applies to small game hunters too. This app flags orange as required for the whole season because missing it during gun deer season is the dangerous error. Check the gun deer dates.
- Possession is three times the daily bag, which is the rule WDNR states for upland birds rather than a separate figure for this species.
- Opening day starts at 9:00 a.m., not at first light.
- The season is written statewide and the bird is not: bobwhite hangs on in the far south-west of Wisconsin, at the northern edge of its range, and is thin even there.
Licences
- Small game licence
Everyone hunting small game — Bought through Go Wild, WDNR's licence system. - Hunter education certificate
Anyone born on or after 1 January 1973 — Or a mentored hunting licence, which requires a qualified mentor within arm's reach. - Federal HIP registration
Woodcock and every other migratory bird — Free registration with the federal harvest survey. - Pheasant stamp
Pheasant hunters on WDNR-stocked land — Required in addition to the small game licence to hunt land the state stocks.
The other questions
- How to hunt northern bobwhite in Wisconsin
- When does Wisconsin's 2026 northern bobwhite season open?
- Where to hunt northern bobwhite in Wisconsin
- Wisconsin northern bobwhite hunting report
- Northern bobwhite hunting in Wisconsin — the whole picture
- Northern bobwhite — biology, range and how it is hunted