The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has announced the eagerly awaited opening of the 2025 pheasant hunting season. Mark your calendars for Oct. 18, 2025, when hunters will set out at the break of 9 a.m. to commence the chase through Jan. 4, 2026. On the inaugural weekend, Oct. 18-19, there's a catch, as hunters are capped at bagging one rooster each day. Come Monday, Oct. 20, the limitations slightly ease up with a new daily bag limit allowing two roosters per day, according to a news release by the Wisconsin DNR.
For those with a discerning eye on the hunt, there's the option to pursue either a rooster or a hen pheasant in designated rooster and hen hunting areas, the details of which are delineated on page 18 of the hunting regulation
Reiterating its commitment to maintaining robust pheasant populations, the Wisconsin DNR plans to stock about 75,000 pheasants across more than 80 properties statewide. As per previous years, the pheasants are released in phases - an initial release before the season's onset, followed by bi-weekly releases for the first two to three weeks. Subsequent releases are scheduled to be weekly until the interruption by the nine-day gun deer season starting Nov. 23, after which, stocking is sparser and limited to select venues.
The DNR facilitates hunters with its online tool, the Fields and Forest Lands Interactive Gamebird Hunting Tool, designed to enhance one's hunting strategy. This digital assistant provides users aerial views, topographical details, and measuring tools to distinguish potential hotspots for pheasant presence. Doing so makes the hunt more than just hope; it becomes an educated quest for the winged quarry. Some attentive properties to consider require hunters to wrap up their activities by noon on weekdays from Oct. 20 through Nov. 2, a precaution detailed on page 18 of the hunting regulations.
It's paramount for participants to abide by the fundamental firearm safety rules, encapsulated in the mnemonic T.A.B.K. - 'Treat every firearm as if it is loaded,' 'Always point the muzzle in a safe direction,' 'Be certain of your target, what's before and beyond it,' and 'Keep your finger outside the trigger guard until ready to shoot.' Hunters should also be clad in blaze orange or pink for visibility, especially during gun deer seasons when a minimum of 50% of any hunter’s clothing above the waist must comply with this safety color code, except for waterfowl hunters.
