OUTDOORS CALENDAR
*Indicates date remains the same each year, except some permit deadlines may be extended one day if they fall on a Sunday or Federal Holiday.
September 15 through First Saturday in May
• From Sept. 15 through the first Saturday in May, hook and line fishing is prohibited from one-half hour after sunset to one-half hour before sunrise in all Lake Michigan tributaries except the Oconto River and its tributaries and the downstream portion of the Peshtigo River (see regulations for details).*
February 15
• Coyote trapping season closes.*
• Red and gray fox gun and trapping seasons close.*
February 9
• Lake Winnebago Sturgeon Spearing Season opens. Season runs for 16 days or until the harvest level is reached. Season hours are 6:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. daily. The season will close after one day if one of the harvest caps is reached. Sturgeon must be registered by 1:30 p.m. the day they are harvested. There are separate, annual spearing seasons for Lake Winnebago and for the system’s upriver lakes of Butte des Mort, Winneconne and Poygan. Previously the Upriver Season occurred only once every five years but was open to anyone who wanted to participate in it and bought a license. Spearers who wanted to participate in the Upriver Lakes season had to submit an application by Aug. 1, 2007. Licenses for the upcoming season must have been purchased by Oct. 31 of the previous year.
February 20
• Ice fishing shelters must be removed from Wisconsin-Iowa boundary waters.*
February 24
• Lake Winnebago system sturgeon spearing season closes unless season is closed earlier due to spearers reaching harvest caps.
February 28
• Cottontail rabbit season closes in northern and southern zones.*
• Mink trapping season closes in the northern, central and southern zones.
March 1
• Early catch-and-release only trout season opens statewide, with exception of spring ponds and Great Lakes tributaries; barbless hooks required. Season runs to midnight April 29.
• Ice fishing shelters must be removed from Wisconsin-Minnesota boundary waters.*
• Lake trout season opens on Lake Michigan, Green Bay & Lake Michigan tributaries through Oct. 31.*
March 2
• The fishing season for all game species closes on inland waters that do not remain open all year. Check the current fishing regulations for waters that remain open to fishing.
• The game fish season closes on tributary streams and ditches of Green Bay and the Fox River up to the first dam or lake (except yellow perch is open until March 15). There is an exception to this closure for portions of 9 major Green Bay Tributaries. Check the current fishing regulations for waters that remain open to fishing.
March 5
• Ice fishing shelters must be removed from inland waters south of Highway 64.*
March 10
• 2008-2009 hunting and fishing licenses go on sale.
March 15
• Ice fishing shelters must be removed from Lake Michigan, Green Bay, Lake Superior, inland lakes north of Highway 64, and Wisconsin-Michigan boundary waters.*
• Yellow perch season closes on Green Bay and its tributary streams and the Fox River from the mouth up to the De Pere Dam.*
• Beaver trapping season closes in the Mississippi River zone.
March 20
• Winter crow season closes.*
March 28
• Remaining permits not issued through the spring turkey permit drawing will be available for sale beginning at 10 a.m. on a first-come, first served basis through license sales outlets, and DNR service centers. In addition, licenses can be purchased on line through the DNR Web site or by phone at 1-877-945-4236.beginning at noon. A complete list of units with the number of permits is available on the DNR Web site at [http://dnr.wi.gov/org/caer/cs/springturkey/index.html].
March 31
• Hunting, fishing, sports, and conservation patron licenses expire.*
• Otter trapping season closes in central and southern zone.
• Trout season opens on designated sections of some Lake Superior tributaries. See the current Wisconsin Trout Fishing Regulations and Guide for more information. NOTE: There is an error in the 2007-2008 Trout Fishing Regulations and Guide pertaining to the open season date for some Lake Superior tributary streams. Those streams listed under the "Specific Waters Listed By County" section for Ashland, Bayfield, Douglas, and Iron Counties that show an "Open Season" date of March 21 are incorrect. The correct Open Season date for these streams should be March 31.
