Wisconsin Legislative Council
ACT MEMO
One Ea st Ma in Stre e t, Suite 401 • Ma dison, W I 53703 • (608) 266-1304 • le g.council@le gis.wisconsin.gov • http://www.le gis.wisconsin.gov/lc
Prepared by: Anna Henning, Principal Attorney March 20, 2024
2023 Wisconsin Act 116
[2023 Senate Bill 587]
Muzzle-Loading Firearm
Definition
BACKGROUND
The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) currently provides for a deer hunting season that is open
for hunting deer only with a muzzle-loading firearm. For that purpose, DNR’s prior administrative rules
had required a muzzle-loading firearm to have a solid breach plug attached with threads to qualify as a
muzzle-loading firearm for that season.
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2023 WISCONSIN ACT 116
For purposes of Wisconsin statutes and rules relating to hunting, 2023 Wisconsin Act 116 defines
“muzzle-loading firearm” to mean a firearm that shoots a projectile loaded only from the muzzle. The
act does not require that a muzzle-loading firearm have a solid breach plug attached with threads.
Effective date: March 16, 2024
For a full history of the bill, visit the Legislature’s bill history page.
AH:jal
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A DNR rule change, which was finalized earlier this year, removed that requirement. In its analysis for the rule change,
DNR explained that “[r]ecent advancements in firearm technology have made this requirement no longer necessary.”