Don't Miss Wisconsin's Youth Deer Hunt Oct. 10-11
MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources encourages experienced hunters to introduce the rich tradition of deer hunting to the next generation during Wisconsin’s annual youth deer hunt. The 2026 youth deer hunt runs from Saturday, Oct. 10 through Sunday, Oct. 11.
The youth hunt offers hunters 15 years old and younger the chance to learn hunting techniques and develop a connection to nature at a time when deer are less pressured than during the traditional nine-day gun season. Wisconsin residents and nonresidents may participate in the youth hunt.
Youth hunters, with or without hunter education certification, are eligible to hunt while under the supervision of a mentor. For all hunters younger than 11 years old or hunters between ages 12-15 who have not completed hunter education, the mentor must be at least 18 years old, be a hunter education graduate, hold a current hunting license and always remain within arm’s reach of the youth hunter.
For hunters ages 12-15 who have completed hunter education, the mentor must be at least 18 years old but does not need to be a hunter education graduate or a licensed hunter. The mentor must always be in both visual and voice contact with the youth hunter.
One mentor may not accompany more than two youths at the same time. Be sure to review DNR’s Youth Hunt webpage for full details.
Practice Safe Firearm Handling
The youth hunt is an excellent opportunity to teach and practice safe firearm handling. Remember the rules of TAB-K:
- T - Treat every firearm as if it is loaded.
- A - Always point the muzzle in a safe direction.
- B - Be certain of your target, what’s before and beyond it.
- K - Keep your finger outside the trigger guard until you are ready to shoot.
Wear Blaze Orange
Any time a firearm deer season is taking place, including the youth deer hunt, all hunters’ clothing above the waist must be at least 50% blaze orange or fluorescent pink. This requirement applies to archery hunters and small game hunters. Waterfowl hunters are exempt from this rule.
New hunters can celebrate this experience with a first harvest certificate. Follow the instructions on the DNR’s First Harvest Certificate webpage to upload information about the experience.
Wisconsin income taxes are not used to directly fund any wildlife projects or to facilitate the hunting/trapping seasons. Instead, 95% of the funding for wildlife management projects comes from hunting, fishing and trapping license fees and a federal tax on firearm and ammunition purchases.
The Wildlife Management Program directly supports key wildlife projects, including population surveys, habitat restoration, wildlife disease monitoring and the maintenance for 650,000 acres of public land managed for hunting, trapping and other outdoor recreation.
Wisconsin has seen the number of purchased licenses drop over the last 20 years, which directly limits available funding for current and future wildlife projects and limits our ability to absorb rising costs from inflation.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
