Wisconsin’s Elk season opens Saturday.
13 hunters participating in the state-administered hunt were randomly selected from a pool of more than 26-thousand applicants.
There were 17,737 applications to hunt in the Clam Lake Elk Range and 8,452 applications for the Black River Elk Range for this season.
An eight-bull quota is established for the Clam Lake Elk Range, with four licenses being awarded to state hunters. Per treaty rights, the Ojibwe tribes have declared four bulls of the eight-bull harvest quota.
In the Black River Elk Range, five antlerless and four bull licenses were issued to state hunters, up from a four-bull quota in 2024.
"Both elk herds experienced strong recruitment through the winter, and staff documented a successful spring calving period," said Christina Kizewski, DNR Central Elk Herd biologist.
"With the introduction of antlerless harvest opportunities in the Black River Elk Range, the department is looking to strike a balance between a strong, robust elk population and managing human-elk conflicts."
Fees paid by those applicants contribute directly to the future of the state’s elk population.
Fore each $10 application, $7 goes to elk management.
This is Wisconsin’s 8th elk hunt since the reintroduction of elk to the state.
For more information on elk in Wisconsin, visit the DNR's Elk webpage
