Elk season opens this weekend, 13 hunters chosen at random

13 lucky hunters will begin flocking to tree stands and blinds across the state starting Saturday as the 2025 elk hunting season begins. According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Wisconsin is celebrating its eighth elk hunting season since the species were reintroduced to the state in 1995.   The 13 hunters were chosen at random from a pool of more than 26,000 applicants. They will have an opportunity to hunt five antlerless and four bull elk in the Black River Elk Range. Hunters looking to apply for the 2026 Elk Hunting Season can apply starting March 1, 2026. There is a $10 application fee, of which $7 goes directly to elk management, habitat restoration and research.