Bear season breakdown

Pursuing one of the state’s most sought-after tags

Wisconsin is often a nationwide leader in black bear harvest, which can make a bear tag one of the most prized opportunities in the state. This year, a modern lottery system (which began in 1986) record of 15,245 tags were issued across six black bear management zones. There were 34,563 applications, with nearly half coming from bear management zones A and B.

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• By Blake Richard
• September 11, 2026