Chapter NR 12

NR 12.17   Conditions of permits to shoot Canada geese causing damage.

Subchapter II — Wildlife Damage

NR 12.30   Purpose.

NR 12.305   Enrollment Eligibility.

NR 12.31   Definitions.

NR 12.32   County application.

NR 12.33   WDACP technical manual.

NR 12.34   Administrative and abatement costs and fund advancement to counties.

NR 12.35   Wildlife damage abatement.

NR 12.36   Open hunting access requirement.

NR 12.37   Wildlife damage claims.

NR 12.38   Woven-wire and electric barrier fence construction.

NR 12.39   County recordkeeping.

NR 12.40   Termination.

NR 12.41   Permits to hunt Canada geese causing agricultural damage.

Subchapter III — Endangered/Threatened Wildlife and Gray Wolf Damage

NR 12.50   Purpose.

NR 12.51   Applicability.

NR 12.52   Definitions.

NR 12.53   Depredation verification procedures.

NR 12.54   Depredation reimbursement procedures.

NR 12.55   Personal property.

Ch. NR 12 Note Note: Corrections made under s. 13.93 (2m) (b) 7., Stats., Register, January, 1999, No. 517.

subch. I of ch. NR 12 Subchapter I — Wildlife Abatement Program

NR 12.001 NR 12.001 Definitions.

NR 12.001(1) (1) “Contiguous land” means lands under the same ownership which are connected to lands on which wildlife are causing damage including lands separated by a roadway, easement, license or waterway.

NR 12.001(1m) (1m) “Damage” means physical harm to forest products; streams; roads; dams; buildings; orchards; apiaries; livestock; and commercial agricultural crops, including Christmas trees and nursery stock. “Damage” includes flooding and culvert blockages caused by a beaver or muskrat.

NR 12.001(2) (2) 

NR 12.001(2)(a) (a) “Lands suitable for hunting deer” has the meaning given in s. NR 12.31 (4e).

NR 12.001(2)(b) (b) “Lands suitable for hunting or trapping” means lands where the conduct of hunting or trapping is not likely to result in a violation under ss. 29.301 (1), 167.30, 167.31 and 941.20 (1) (d), Stats., or damage to buildings and where it is probable an animal causing damage may be harvested.

NR 12.001 Note Note: Sections 29.301 (1), 167.30, 167.31 and 941.20 (1) (d), Stats., concern shooting near hospitals, schools, sanatoriums, parks, buildings and highways.

NR 12.001(3) (3) “Landowner” means any person over 18 years of age and any partnership, firm or corporation that holds title to land whether or not this land is subject to easement, mortgage, lien, lease or restrictive covenant, except that this term does not include any person who is under guardianship, a person who is incompetent or a person who is mentally ill. A person, partnership, firm or corporation is deemed to hold title to land if the person, partnership, firm or corporation has any of the following:

NR 12.001(3)(a) (a) Title as sole owner.

NR 12.001(3)(b) (b) Title as a joint owner.

NR 12.001(3)(c) (c) Title as owner of an undivided interest.

NR 12.001(3)(d) (d) Title as sole or joint trustee or as sole or joint assignee.

NR 12.001(3)(e) (e) A land contract vendee’s interest therein.

NR 12.001(4) (4) “Lessee” means any person possessing a written lease for use of land for the production of commercial seedlings, crops, orchard trees, Christmas trees, nursery stock, honey, and livestock.

NR 12.001(5) (5) “Management unit” and “hunting zone” mean those management units established for deer in s. NR 10.28, elk in s. NR 10.37 and those management zones established in ss. NR 10.30 and 10.31 for bear and Canada geese.

NR 12.001(6) (6) “Municipality” means a county, city, village or town.

NR 12.001(7) (7) “Participant” means any hunter or trapper authorized by the permittee, in writing, to assist the permittee in removing wild animals causing damage or nuisance.

NR 12.001(8) (8) “Permanent barrier fence” means a fence erected for year-round protection from white-tailed deer and elk that meets the specifications in s. NR 16.45 (1), authorized under s. NR 16.45 (4) or adopted by a county participating under s. 29.889, Stats.

NR 12.001(9) (9) “Permittee” means any person or municipality issued a permit by the department to remove or destroy wild animals causing damage or nuisance.

NR 12.001(10) (10) “USFWS” means the United States department of the interior, fish and wildlife service.

NR 12.001 History History: Cr. Register, May, 1990, No. 413, eff. 6-1-90; renum. (6) and (7) to be (8) and (10), cr. (6), (7) and (9), Register, May, 1994, No. 461, eff. 6-1-94; renum. (2) to be (2) (b) and cr. (2) (a), Register, January, 1999, No. 517, eff. 2-1-99; CR 03-018: am. (5) and (8) Register December 2003 No. 576, eff. 1-1-04; corrections made to (2) (a) under s. 13.93 (2m) (b) 7., Stats., Register December 2003 No. 576; CR 23-025: cr. (1m) Register March 2024 No. 819, eff. 4-1-24.

NR 12.01 NR 12.01 Purpose. This chapter is established to administer s. 29.885, Stats., relating to the removal of wild animals causing damage or nuisance.

NR 12.01 History History: Cr. Register, May, 1990, No. 413, eff. 6-1-90.

NR 12.05 NR 12.05 Birds causing depredation.

NR 12.05(1) (1) Findings. The natural resources board finds that unlimited shooting or trapping of cowbirds, crows, grackles, house sparrows, monk parrots, starlings, and red-winged blackbirds is necessary when causing depredation.

NR 12.05(2) (2) Permit waiver. Neither a federal nor state permit are required of any person to shoot or trap birds listed in sub. (1) when found committing or about to commit depredations upon agricultural crops, livestock, ornamental or shade trees or when constituting a health hazard or other nuisance provided:

NR 12.05(2)(a) (a) Disposition. Birds killed and their plumage may not be sold or offered for sale.

NR 12.05(2)(b) (b) Premises inspection. Any person taking these birds shall at all reasonable times, including during actual operation, permit any federal or state game law enforcement officer, free and unrestricted access on the premises over which the operations have been or are being conducted, and shall furnish promptly to the officer whatever information he or she requests about the operation.

NR 12.05(3) (3) License waiver. Hunting and trapping licenses are not required for shooting or trapping these birds when causing the depredations described under sub. (2) (intro.).

NR 12.05(4) (4) Shooting hours. The hours for shooting depredating birds during the open season for migratory birds as specified under s. NR 10.01 (1) shall be the same as those established for migratory game bird hunting under s. NR 10.06 (5).

NR 12.05 History History: Cr. Register, May, 1990, No. 413, eff. 6-1-90; cr. (4), Register, September, 1990, No. 417, eff. 10-1-90; correction in (4) was made under s. 13.93 (2m) (b) 7., Register November 2001 No. 551; CR 17-013: am. (1), Register February 2018 No. 746 eff. 3-1-18.

NR 12.06 NR 12.06 CWD-affected area deer removal permits.

NR 12.06(1) (1) Findings. Pursuant to s. 29.885 (4), Stats., the natural resources board finds that deer within any CWD-affected area cause a nuisance and that the shooting of deer with nuisance permits is necessary within any CWD-affected area defined in s. NR 10.001 (6p) in order to reduce the spread of disease within the CWD-affected area and to reduce the risk of disease spreading outside any CWD-affected area.

NR 12.06(2) (2) Permits. Unless otherwise authorized by the department, landowners, lessees, occupants or their duly authorized agents of a single parcel of land at least 5 acres in size, all within the CWD-affected area may, under a department issued permit, remove deer from lands under their ownership or control in accordance with this section. Both antlerless and buck deer may be harvested unless otherwise restricted as a condition of the permit.

NR 12.06(3) (3) Participation by others. Persons other than the permittee may assist as a participant in the removal of deer in accordance with this section on the land for which the permit is valid.

NR 12.06(3)(a) (a) Number and selection of participants. All participants shall be selected by the permittee.

NR 12.06(3)(b) (b) Age and safety training. All participants, including the permittee shall meet the requirements of ss. 29.304 and 29.593, Stats., pertaining to hunter safety and age.

NR 12.06(3)(c) (c) Approval. All participants shall possess written approval obtained from the permittee and the appropriate, valid hunting license unless exempted under sub. (4) when carrying on removal activities. Written approval may include: name, address and phone number of landowner; name, address, phone number and DNR customer identification number, if applicable, of the person removing wild animals; property location and removal activities, authorized period of removal, signature of the permittee, or other form of approval authorized by the department.

NR 12.06(3)(d) (d) No fees. The permittee may not charge any form of fee to a participant.

NR 12.06(4) (4) Licenses, stamps and permits. The permittee and participants are not required to possess the appropriate state hunting license or harvest authorization for deer, unless otherwise required as a condition of the permit.

NR 12.06(5) (5) Carcass disposition. Unless otherwise directed by the department, carcasses shall be disposed of in accordance with the procedures outlined on the permit issued by the department. Any part of any deer harvested under this section may be collected by the department for disease testing purposes.

NR 12.06(6) (6) Harvest periods. Permits issued to landowners under this section are valid only for the periods specified by the department on the permit.

NR 12.06(7) (7) Shooting hours. Permittees and participants shall comply with shooting hours described in s. NR 10.06 (5), unless exempted by the department.

NR 12.06(8) (8) Firearm use. The following conditions shall apply to the use of firearms, bows or crossbows on deer shooting permits:

NR 12.06(8)(a) (a) Permittees and participants shall comply at all times when hunting with the blaze orange clothing regulations of s. 29.301 (2), Stats., unless exempted by the department. Exemptions to the blaze orange requirement are allowed where local ordinances prohibit the discharge of firearms and bow hunting by the general public, or a trained sharpshooter during the closed deer gun season is the only methods available to remove deer.

NR 12.06(8)(b) (b) Except as provided under par. (c), and unless otherwise directed by the department, the weapons designated by the department on the permit shall be valid to harvest deer under the authority of the permit under sub. (2).

NR 12.06(8)(c) (c) In counties with deer shotgun seasons, a permittee and participants that have been authorized by the permittee may use a rifle that is not otherwise prohibited by s. NR 10.09 (2) (c).

NR 12.06(9) (9) Registration. Permittees and participants shall register deer taken under this section in accordance with the procedures designated by the department on the permit.

NR 12.06(10) (10) Validation. Any person who kills a deer or if s. 29.324, Stats., applies, the person providing the carcass tag shall immediately validate and attach the carcass tag as designated by the department. The requirements for registration of deer established under s. NR 10.086 apply unless otherwise indicated by the department on the permit.

NR 12.06(11) (11) Baiting. The use of bait to attract or hunt deer for removal purposes by the permittee and participants is not allowed unless specifically authorized by the department and under the conditions specified in the permit.

NR 12.06 History History: Emerg. cr. eff. 7-3-02; emerg. r. and recr. eff. 1-11-03; CR 03-016: cr. Register August 2003 No. 572, eff. 9-1-03; CR 04-020: am. (2), (3) (a) and (4) (b) Register August 2004 No. 584, eff. 9-1-04; CR 08-013: am. (title), (1), (2) and (4) (b) Register August 2008 No. 632, eff. 9-1-08; CR 13-071: am. (title), (1), (2), r. (4) (b) Register July 2015 No. 715, eff. 8-1-15; renum. (4) (a) to (4) under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 1., Stats., Register July 2015 No. 715; correction in sub. (3) (c) under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 7., Stats., Register November 2015 No. 719; EmR1613: emerg. am. (10), eff. 3-12-16; CR 17-061: am. (10) Register February 2018 No. 746, eff. 3-1-18; correction in (10) made under s. 35.17, Stats., Register February 2018 No. 746; correction in (8) (c) made under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 7., Stats., Register March 2021 No. 783; CR 20-087: am. (10) Register August 2021 No. 788, eff. 9-1-21; CR 23-025: am. (4) Register March 2024 No. 819, eff. 4-1-24.

NR 12.10 NR 12.10 Authorization to remove wild animals causing damage or nuisance. Landowners, lessees or occupants may remove from lands under their control wild animals and their associated structures causing damage or constituting a nuisance in accordance with this section.

NR 12.10(1) (1) Written application required.

NR 12.10(1)(a) (a) General prohibitions. Unless otherwise approved by the department, a municipality, landowner, lessee or occupant may not engage in the following without applying in writing and receiving written approval from the department to:

NR 12.10(1)(a)1. 1. Destroy any wild animal, provided that all game and furbearing animals are disposed of as directed by the department, which is classified as:

NR 12.10(1)(a)1.a. a. A furbearing animal or game fish, animal or bird under s. 29.001 (30), (33), (36) and (39), Stats.; or

NR 12.10(1)(a)1.b. b. Protected under s. NR 10.02; or

NR 12.10(1)(a)1.c. c. Endangered or threatened under s. NR 27.03;

NR 12.10(1)(a)2. 2. Use any restricted-use pesticides listed in s. NR 80.01 (4); or

NR 12.10(1)(a)3. 3. Live-capture and relocate any wild animal to department controlled lands.

NR 12.10(1)(a)4. 4. Live-capture and relocate white-tailed deer, elk, black bear or any wild animal classified as endangered or threatened under s. NR 27.03.

NR 12.10(1)(a)5. 5. Live-capture and relocate any coyote to a hound dog training enclosure permitted under s. NR 17.045.

NR 12.10(1)(a)6. 6. Discharge a firearm from within 50-feet of a roadway center to shoot beaver or muskrat that are causing damage to a highway.  Authorization may only be issued to an agent of a city, village, town, or county if the discharge of a firearm does not pose a risk to public safety.

NR 12.10 Note Note: Application forms are obtained from department field stations.