The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) encourages waterfowl hunters and wild rice harvesters to take a few simple steps toward ensuring a safe harvest ahead of this year’s hunting season opener.   

Waterfowl hunters and wild rice harvesters both enjoy Wisconsin’s native wild rice beds from late August through September. As you head out, remember to give each other plenty of space, be aware of your surroundings and respect one another.

Many of the most popular wild rice waters in northern Wisconsin have a date-regulated harvest season, meaning harvesters can only gather rice on those waters when they are posted as open for harvesting. Notice of openings and closings will be posted to the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC)’s website and along lakeshores at public access points 24 hours before opening a date-regulated water for harvest.

Wild rice harvesters’ activity ranges from 10 a.m. to sunset from late August through September.

The waterfowl hunting season opens on Sept. 1 with early teal. Between Sept. 1-9, shooting hours begin at sunrise and then move up to 30 minutes before sunrise for all other waterfowl seasons. Shooting hours for all waterfowl seasons close at sunset.

While on the water, everyone can do their part to protect Wisconsin’s wild rice beds, especially in the early summer through early fall months when wild rice is most vulnerable. Rice harvesters can put an elevated flag on their canoe or push pole and wear bright colors to make themselves more visible. Waterfowl hunters can raise a flag on their boats as they move to and from their hunting sites and pay close attention to others recreating nearby in wild rice beds. The DNR also encourages waterfowl hunters to be mindful of their shallow water outboard usage to avoid disrupting wild rice beds.

How Boaters Can Help

Boaters should not drive through wild rice beds. If traveling through a bed can’t be avoided, boaters should minimize propulsion, use the same path going in and out of the bed and avoid turning the boat around inside the bed. Boaters and canoers should use push poles that minimize damage to wild rice plants. 

Before heading out, the DNR encourages boaters to check the DNR’s Surface Water Data Viewer to see if wild rice has been documented in the lakes, rivers or flowages they plan to visit. This layer in the mapping tool is not inclusive of all wild rice waters but will show water bodies where wild rice is more abundant.

Support Wild Rice

The DNR, GLIFWC and the tribal governments in Wisconsin work together with partners to benefit wild rice by restoring, protecting and establishing new wild rice beds. Wisconsin waterfowl hunters and wild rice harvesters contribute funding to restore this vital habitat through the purchase of state and federal waterfowl stamps and rice harvesting licenses.

Learn more about wild rice in Wisconsin on the DNR’s Wild Rice Harvesting webpage and find detailed information on waterfowl hunting, hunting dates and shooting hours in the Fall 2026-Spring 2027 Wisconsin Hunting Regulations. 

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