Date of enactment:
2023 Assembly Bill 1030 Date of publication*:
2023 WISCONSIN ACT
AN ACT to repeal 29.016 (4); and to create 29.016 (4) of the statutes; relating to: the regulation of deer hunting
in the northern forest zone.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in
senate and assembly, do enact as follows:
SECTION 1. 29.016 (4) of the statutes is created to
read:
29.016 (4) If the department establishes a northern
forest zone as a deer management area, all of the follow-
ing apply to the regulation of deer hunting in the northern
forest zone:
(a) The department may not establish an open season
for hunting deer in the northern forest zone during which
only the hunting of antlerless deer is authorized.
(b) Except as authorized under par. (bm), the depart-
ment may not issue authorizations to kill antlerless deer
in the northern forest zone.
(bm) If the department authorizes a season for hunt-
ing deer in the northern forest zone that is open only to
hunters under the age of 16, any deer hunting authoriza-
tion that the department issues for that season shall autho-
rize the killing of one deer, which may be antlered or
antlerless.
(c) The department may not issue to a person more
than one authorization to kill an antlered deer in the
northern forest zone during either an open season for
hunting deer with a muzzle−loading firearm or an open
season for hunting deer with a firearm. If a person is
issued an authorization to kill an antlered deer in the
northern forest zone during an open season for hunting
deer with a muzzle−loading firearm but does not use the
authorization, the person may use the authorization dur-
ing an open season for hunting deer with a firearm in the
northern forest zone, and vice versa.
(d) The department may not issue to a person more
than one authorization to kill an antlered deer in the
northern forest zone during either an open season for
hunting deer with a bow and arrow or an open season for
hunting deer with a crossbow. If a person is issued an
authorization to kill an antlered deer in the northern forest
zone during an open season for hunting deer with a bow
and arrow but does not use the authorization, the person
may use the authorization during an open season for
hunting deer with a crossbow in the northern forest zone,
and vice versa.
SECTION 2. 29.016 (4) of the statutes, as created by
2023 Wisconsin Act .... (this act), is repealed.
SECTION 3.0Initial applicability.
(1) The creation of s. 29.016 (4) first applies to an
application for a hunting approval submitted on the effec-
tive date of this subsection.
SECTION 4.0Effective dates. This act takes effect on
the day after publication, except as follows:
(1) The repeal of s. 29.016 (4) takes effect on the first
day of the 49th month beginning after publication.
* Section 991.11, WISCONSIN STATUTES: Effective date of acts. “Every act and every portion of an act enacted by the legislature over the governor’s
partial veto which does not expressly prescribe the time when it takes effect shall take effect on the day after its date of publication.”