The DNR offers opportunities for disabled hunters to try to bag a deer, but they need places to go.
Landowners interested in sponsoring a Gun Deer Hunt For Hunters With Disabilities need to enroll their properties by July 1st.
Landowners must have at least 60 acres available, be able to host at least three hunters and complete an online application.
Sponsors are encouraged to keep the hunter density to at least one hunter per 20 acres of land.
Lands with fewer than three participants enrolled or less than 60 acres will be approved by the DNR on a case-by-case basis.
Sponsoring landowners must also provide a complete list of the names, phone numbers and DNR
Customer IDs of all hunters they will be hosting by Sept. 15.
"This special hunt has been providing hunters with disabilities accessible opportunities to deer hunt for over 30 years," said Brooke VanHandel, DNR assistant deer and elk specialist. "This hunt is only possible through our landowner sponsors. Their willingness to partner with hunters and open their properties each year allows more individuals the opportunity to participate in Wisconsin's deer hunting tradition."
There have been some changes to the program dates for fall 2026.
- For the first seven days of the Gun Deer Hunt for Hunters with Disabilities, Oct. 3-9, hunts will need to be conducted on a property that is sponsored and enrolled in the program.
- On the weekend of Oct. 10-11, the same weekend as the Youth Deer Hunt, eligible hunters may hunt statewide on public land or any private property they have permission to hunt regardless of if the land is enrolled in the program.
The Gun Deer Hunt For Hunters With Disabilities began in 1992 and provides hunting opportunities for approximately 400 hunters each year.
Visit the DNR’s Deer Hunting For Hunters With Disabilities webpage for more information.
