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; CR 24-055: am. (2) Register April 2025 No. 832, eff. 5-1-25; correction in (2) made under s. 35.17, Stats., Register April 2025 No. 832.

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. Except as provided in par. (b), 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 without the property manager’s approval.

NR 12.10(1)(a)4. 4. Live-capture and relocate white-tailed deer, elk, black bear, wolves, turkey, badger, cougar, bobcat, fisher, otter, any wild animal classified as endangered or threatened under s. NR 27.03 or any harmful wild animal under s. NR 16.11.

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.

NR 12.10(1)(b) (b) Exemptions. Written authorization is not required to:

NR 12.10(1)(b)1. 1. Destroy by shooting or trapping:

NR 12.10(1)(b)1.a. a. Any unprotected wild animal under s. NR 10.04; or

NR 12.10(1)(b)1.b. b. Any bird causing depredation under s. NR 12.05 or 50 CFR 21.150; or

NR 12.10(1)(b)1.c. c. Any species listed in s. 29.337, Stats.; or

NR 12.10 Note Note: Animals listed in s. 29.337, Stats., are beavers, foxes, raccoons, rabbits, squirrels, coyotes and woodchucks. However, s. 29.337, Stats., provides for the protection of coyotes from hunting during an open season for hunting deer with firearms in an area that is closed by the department by rule to coyote hunting.

NR 12.10(1)(b)1.d. d. Muskrats damaging dikes, dams, shoreline or roadways.

NR 12.10(1)(b)1.e. e. Mink causing damage or nuisance.

NR 12.10(1)(b)2. 2. Live-trap and relocate any wild animal, except those listed under par. (a) 4., to open unenclosed lands not controlled by the department with the permission of the owner. Pursuit by dogs of animals released under this subdivision may not occur in an area where a wild animal has been released for a period of 2 hours after release of the animal, except dogs may be released to pursue raccoons at any time after the raccoon has reached cover by climbing a tree or pole to a height of at least 10 feet.

NR 12.10(1)(b)2m. 2m. The department may prescribe the manner of disposal for animals destroyed under this paragraph.

NR 12.10(1)(b)3. 3. Remove beaver dams.

NR 12.10(1)(b)4. 4. Harass or disturb protected wild birds not listed as endangered or threatened in s. NR 27.03 in such a way as to relieve a damage or nuisance situation in urban areas, golf courses, or airports provided the bird is not physically harmed, killed or injured, and adult birds sitting on active nests are not disturbed to the point that it causes eggs to not hatch or chicks to die or become injured.

NR 12.10(1)(b)5. 5. Live-trap and relocate rabbits or raccoon to a hound dog training enclosure permitted under s. NR 17.045.

NR 12.10(1)(b)6. 6. Conduct any of the following activities in order to control Canada geese at an airport or within a 3 mile radius of the airport with landowner permission, if the activities are conducted by airport employees or their designees in compliance with the restrictions, requirements and conditions as described by the U.S. fish and wildlife service in 50 CFR 21.159 and provided that all birds are disposed of as directed by the department:

NR 12.10(1)(b)6.b. b. Destroy nests and eggs of Canada geese from March 1 to June 30.