Wisconsin, 2027 shed season

Wisconsin Shed Antler Season 2027

Q: When is shed hunting season in Wisconsin?

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources lists its Wisconsin shed rules without dated closures, so they hold year round. The weeks that matter most are the ones when antlers drop.

Q: Do I need a permit to collect sheds in Wisconsin?

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources's published shed rules name no permit, course or license for collecting. Landowner permission and the land manager's own rules still apply wherever you walk.

Q: When do deer shed antlers in Wisconsin?

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources names white-tailed deer and elk among the antlered animals of Wisconsin. For whitetails, Iowa Department of Natural Resources puts the drop at mid January to mid March: "Whitetail deer have about a two-month shedding period in Iowa, beginning mid-Jan. and ending mid-March."

Q: Who sets the shed antler rules in Wisconsin?

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. The rules here were read from its own pages on September 21, 2026, and each one links to the page it came from. Rules change between winters, so the agency page is the one to check before a trip.

Wisconsin DNR allows shed antlers to be collected on department lands from animals with an established open season.

“A person may collect shed antlers, clean skulls, and clean bones of wild animals for which an open season has been established under ch. NR 10 , and as long as the collection of the antlers, skulls, or bones follows all state and federal laws.” Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

Agency statement

Rule type

from Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

Rules quoted

each linked to the agency page

None named

Course or permit

in the agency rules quoted below

September 21, 2026

Rules read

from the agency page

The rule

Shed antler rules in Wisconsin

Agency statement

The allowance is in DNR rule NR 45.04, which governs the use of department properties such as state wildlife areas. It covers clean skulls and bones too, provided the collecting follows state and federal law.

Wisconsin DNR lands

Shed antlers of animals with an established open season may be collected on department lands, following all state and federal laws.

A person may collect shed antlers, clean skulls, and clean bones of wild animals for which an open season has been established under ch. NR 10 , and as long as the collection of the antlers, skulls, or bones follows all state and federal laws.

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, read September 21, 2026. Read it at the source

Courses, sale and state land

More Wisconsin shed rules

State wildlife land

The collecting allowance sits in DNR's rule on use of department properties, so it covers DNR lands such as wildlife areas.

A person may collect shed antlers, clean skulls, and clean bones of wild animals for which an open season has been established under ch. NR 10 , and as long as the collection of the antlers, skulls, or bones follows all state and federal laws.

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, read September 21, 2026. Read it at the source

When antlers drop

When deer shed antlers in Wisconsin

For white-tailed deer, Iowa Department of Natural Resources puts the drop at mid January to mid March.

Whitetail deer have about a two-month shedding period in Iowa, beginning mid-Jan. and ending mid-March.

Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Read it at the source

A large elk antler lying in green grass with snow covered mountains in the distance — An elk shed on the National Elk Refuge, Wyoming, with the Tetons behind. Elk winter range in the West is where most dated shed closures fall, because the closures exist for the animals wintering there. “Shed Antler on the National Elk Refuge (53662858076)”, USFWS Mountain Prairie, Public domain

Wisconsin shed antler questions

Is it legal to pick up shed antlers in Wisconsin?

Wisconsin DNR allows shed antlers to be collected on department lands from animals with an established open season. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources puts it this way: "A person may collect shed antlers, clean skulls, and clean bones of wild animals for which an open season has been established under ch. NR 10 , and as long as the collection of the antlers, skulls, or bones follows all state and federal laws."

When is shed hunting season in Wisconsin?

Do I need a permit to collect sheds in Wisconsin?

Can I collect sheds on state wildlife land in Wisconsin?

The collecting allowance sits in DNR's rule on use of department properties, so it covers DNR lands such as wildlife areas. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources: "A person may collect shed antlers, clean skulls, and clean bones of wild animals for which an open season has been established under ch. NR 10 , and as long as the collection of the antlers, skulls, or bones follows all state and federal laws."

When do deer shed antlers in Wisconsin?

Who sets the shed antler rules in Wisconsin?

Shed antler rules in other states

Wisconsin deer seasonArchery and firearms dates for Wisconsin, read from Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.Wisconsin deer rutWhen bucks breed in the fall, months before those antlers drop.Wisconsin elk rutWhen bulls bugle in September and October, on the same animals that shed in spring.Shed antler rules by stateEvery state's shed rule, the dated western closures and when each species drops.

A bull moose with broad palmate antlers walking across a snowy flat — A bull moose near Soda Butte, Yellowstone. Colorado Parks and Wildlife dates the moose drop from November through January, the earliest of the antlered animals it names. Photo: Jacob W. Frank, NPS. “Bull moose near Soda Butte (b95e1acc-f297-4abd-8b01-bd4f25a9a6a5)”, Jacob W. Frank, Public domain

Compiled September 21, 2026. Every rule above is republished from NR 45.04 Use of department properties, Wisconsin Administrative Code (Wisconsin DNR rule) and the other Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources pages linked beside each quote, read on September 21, 2026. Rules change between winters, so the agency page is the one to check before a trip. Every state is in the national shed antler guide.