The Natural Resources Board has approved a new elk management plan for Wisconsin. The plan, which covers the period 2024-34, is based on adaptive management principles.
Elk are the most recent wildlife species in Wisconsin to have a management plan based on “adaptive” principles.
On August 15, the Natural Resources Board approved the 2024–34 Wisconsin Elk Management Plan and the associated administrative rule package.
The plan is intended to “guide elk management at the state level to ensure a healthy, robust and sustainable elk population that provides ecological, social, economic and cultural benefits while minimizing conflict between elk and people in Wisconsin,” according to the Department of Natural Resources.
It follows the state’s original elk management plan from 2001 and an amendment from 2012.
The 2024–34 plan is based on adaptive management principles similar to those used in state plans to protect black bears and gray wolves.
It was prepared by the DNR and the Wisconsin Elk Advisory Committee. The committee includes representatives from the DNR, tribes, outside agencies, conservation organizations, farmer groups and other private landowners.
The new plan will give state wildlife officials more flexibility in managing the state’s growing elk population.
The two herds will be renamed “Northern” and “Central” and the boundaries of the moose management zones will be expanded.
In addition, a system of 15 moose hunting zones will be created to concentrate hunting pressure and distribute hunted prey as needed to areas where conflicts between moose and agricultural producers or others occur.
It also establishes a continuous elk hunting season in the state. Previous regulations called for a mid-season closure.
The Board unanimously approved the plan and the associated rules package.
Moose were native to Wisconsin, but were wiped out in the 19th century by uncontrolled hunting and habitat loss. In 1995, the state began reintroducing moose, bringing 25 animals from Michigan. The moose were released into the Chequamegon-Nicolet State Forest near Clam Lake.
The moose reintroduction project was initially led by researchers at UW-Stevens Point and transferred to the DNR in 1999.
To further increase herd size and genetic diversity, 141 more elk were moved from Kentucky to Wisconsin between 2015 and 2019. Some of these transfers led to the establishment of the central herd in and around the Black River State Forest in Jackson County.
The growth of both herds over the years has caused the number of wild elk in Wisconsin to pass a new milestone in 2023. After last year’s calving season, the DNR estimated there were 515 elk in the state, a modern-day population record and the first time the number has exceeded 500.
The 2023 population estimate represents a 10% increase over the previous year. From a historical perspective, this was probably the largest number of wild elk roaming Wisconsin since the Civil War.
The DNR initiated a limited hunting season for bull elk in the northern herd in 2018. This year, the NRB approved an expansion of the hunt to the central herd.
Funds raised from the sale of moose hunting applications and licenses are used to support moose management efforts.
In Wisconsin, elk live primarily in the northern herd in Ashland, Bayfield, Sawyer, Rusk, and Price counties and in the central herd in Jackson County.
The DNR plans to continue to equip a portion of both herds with GPS tracking collars annually and is in the midst of a study of survival rates and causes of death among elk calves in the state.
To view the 2024-2034 Elk Management Plan or to learn more about elk in Wisconsin, visit the DNR’s Elk Management webpage.
Wisconsin fishing season 2024
The 2024 Wisconsin lake sturgeon fishing season will be September 7-30 in select waters.
All anglers wishing to catch a lake sturgeon must have a 2024 general fishing license and a valid lake sturgeon tag. Licenses and tags can be purchased online through Go Wild or from one of our license vendors. All license requirements and regulations apply.
A minimum length of 60 inches of sturgeon may be harvested during the season. Anglers who catch a lake sturgeon must cancel their tag immediately after harvest and before transport.
All sturgeons caught must be registered at a designated registration station.
A sturgeon tag with line is not required if an angler plans to release the caught sturgeon during the open season. It is illegal to catch sturgeon by snagging, improper hooking, and attempting to hook fish other than in the mouth.
Please leave the tag attached to the fish when you release it.
Wisconsin waters open for sturgeon fishing season include Yellow Lake in Burnett County and the Chippewa, Flambeau, Menominee and Wisconsin rivers. See the 2024–25 Wisconsin Fishing Regulations Brochure for detailed information.
