Hunting in Wisconsin: 4 Things for Landowners to Know About Hunting on Private Property

Wisconsin is a beautiful place to own private property for hunting. But there are a few things landowners should know about hunting licenses, who takes legal responsibility if an accident occurs on private land, and rules about entering and trespassing on private property.

1. Landowners Need a License For Hunting
Owning private property does not mean an individual is allowed to hunt on their property without a license. According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, a landowner is required to have a license to hunt deer, bear, turkey, and game birds or to trap muskrat, mink or bobcat. There are animals that do not require a landowner to have a hunting license, which include beaver, fox, coyote, raccoon, woodchuck, rabbit, and squirrel.

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2. Immunity as a Landowner
When inviting and allowing others to hunt on private property a real concern is whether the landowner is held liable for any accidents that occur while individuals are hunting on their private land. According to Wisconsin state law, landowners are generally immune from liability for injuries individuals receive while on their land. Specifically the law provides landowners with liability protection for injuries or death of people participating in activities such as fishing, hunting, trapping, hiking, camping, boating, and berry picking. These laws have been established to encourage landowners to let others use their land recreationally. There are a few instances when this immunity does not apply. It does not apply if the landowner acted with malicious intent to harm the individual, or if the landowner receives more than $2,000 a year of income from hunting or those hunting on the land.

3. Permission Must Be Granted
It is illegal for someone to hunt or enter private land without the landowner’s permission. A landowner can tell people to vacate or not enter the property. These notifications can be made personally or by postings on the land, stated the DNR. Even if the hunter shoots an animal outside of the private property, they are not allowed to trespass on private land, without permission, to retrieve the game they have killed.

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4. Conservation Wardens Can Enter Land
The DNR specifies that conservation wardens may enter private land without the landowner’s permission while performing duties. This also allows warden to seize game that is taken or possessed in violation of the law.

This article is for information only. Please check current regulations before hunting.

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