Wisconsin Elk Season Ends With 15 Harvested, Including Three by Ojibwe Hunters

By Joe Morey Rez Life Weekly Editor

Wisconsin’s 2025–26 elk hunting season concluded with a total of 15 elk registered, according to a report by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and data provided by the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission.

The harvest included 12 elk taken by state-licensed hunters and three bulls harvested by Ojibwe tribal members. State hunters registered seven bulls and five cows during the season, according to the Wisconsin DNR’s elk harvest summary.

The information was first reported by outdoor writer Paul A. Smith of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and later confirmed through agency reporting cited on Muck Rack, which tracks published journalism and reporter sourcing.

The Wisconsin DNR stated that the elk season ran from mid-October through December for state hunters, while Ojibwe tribal members were able to exercise treaty hunting rights through early January under established tribal and intergovernmental agreements.

According to the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, Ojibwe tribes retain off-reservation hunting rights within the ceded territory under treaties signed in 1837 and 1842. These rights allow tribal members to hunt species such as elk under quotas coordinated with state wildlife managers.

The DNR reported that tribal hunters took three bulls during the season. No cows were included in the tribal harvest. Specific harvest locations for tribal or state hunters were not publicly disclosed. However, the Wisconsin DNR has previously stated that elk hunting activity takes place within designated elk management zones in northern Wisconsin, primarily within and around the Clam Lake Elk Range in Ashland, Bayfield, Price, and Sawyer counties.

The DNR noted that individual harvest locations are generally withheld from public reporting to protect hunter privacy and avoid disturbance to wildlife habitat.

According to the Wisconsin DNR, elk were reintroduced to Wisconsin in 1995, and the population has been managed cooperatively by the state and tribal wildlife agencies since that time. The department stated that limited hunting seasons are intended to help manage population growth, reduce conflicts, and maintain herd health.

GLIFWC reported that tribal harvests are registered in person and are subject to biological sampling and monitoring, similar to state harvest requirements. The commission stated that tribal conservation programs work alongside state agencies to ensure sustainable harvest levels.

The Wisconsin DNR reported that applications for the 2026 elk hunting season are expected to open in March, with the next season anticipated to begin in October.

Image from a past Elk Harvest from the GLIFWC Facebook Page.