What are the laws for hunting fox in Wisconsin? This article covers many of the fundamental laws you will need to know to get started. It also provides information such as seasons, harvest limits, and required permits for bobcat hunting in Wisconsin. It is not a legal document and is not intended to cover all hunting laws and regulations.
In Wisconsin, red and gray fox may be hunted from Oct. 15, 2022 – Feb. 15, 2023. Fox are listed as an unprotected species (as well as coyote and raccoon) and may be hunted without shooting hour restrictions except if hunting with a bow or crossbow.
Purchase a Wisconsin hunting license here.
Check out all the Wisconsin hunting seasons.
First time hunting fox? Check out these articles:
Read: How to call in a fox.
Read: How to use tracks and scat to hunt a fox.
Related: Read the laws for hunting coyotes in Wisconsin.
Related: Read the rules for hunting bobcats in Wisconsin.
Rules and regulations for hunting fox in Wisconsin.
What does point of kill mean?
Before we proceed any further, let’s get one thing out of the way.
You cannot use lights for hunting at night in Wisconsin except at the “point of kill.”
Point of Kill means the location at which a light is used to illuminate and kill a wild animal whose position or location is known by the hunter. Simply put, you cannot use a light at night to scan, search for, or locate coyotes in Wisconsin.
Related: How does the ATN Thor 4 thermal riflescope perform in the field?
Thermal scopes are permitted. Check Amazon for current thermal prices here.
General regulations for hunting fox in Wisconsin.
Suppressors. When legally owned, they may be used for hunting.
Electronic callers. Legal for fox hunting. Electronic calls may be used to hunt bobcats, coyotes, crows, foxes and raccoons, but not other species. With the exception of crows, written permission of the landowner is required to hunt with electronic calls on private lands. Electronic calls may also be used on public lands (except where specifically prohibited) during periods when the use of firearms is allowed.
While electronic callers are expensive, mouth and hand callers are cheaper but harder to use.
Read this article and watch the video to learn how to use a closed reed rabbit squealer.
You can check the price for an electronic caller on Amazon.
Related: You can read about some highly effective but inexpensive ($20) decoys here.
Weapons and Ammunition rules for hunting fox in Wisconsin.
It is illegal to:
• Hunt with any means other than a rifle, shotgun, handgun, muzzleloader, bow and arrow, crossbow, or falconry.
• Hunt with a machine gun or other fully automatic weapon.
• Hunt a game bird with or while in possession of a shotgun larger than 10 gauge.
• Hunt deer, bear, elk, and turkey with air guns.
• Possess or use any firearm for hunting if you are a felon or have been prohibited from possessing a firearm under Wisconsin law. (A hunting license does not authorize a felon to possess a firearm for hunting.)
• Shoot a firearm within 100 yards of a building devoted to human occupancy while on lands the hunter does not own, including public lands and public waters, without the permission of the owner or occupant of the building.
Ammunition rules for fox hunting in Wisconsin.
It is illegal to:
• Use, possess, or have under control of any of the following while hunting:
• Shot shells containing shot larger than T, except when hunting for furbearing animals.
• Any tracer or incendiary ammunition that is not a distress flare.
• Any bullet, arrow, or bolt that is designed or modified to explode or deliver poisons or drugs.
• Hunt a game bird with any ammunition other than an arrow, bolt, or shot shell that consists of more than one projectile.
• Hunt a deer, bear, or elk with any ammunition other than an arrow, bolt, or bullet that is a single projectile of an expanding design.
• Hunt game birds or wild turkey with lead or other toxic shot while on federal Waterfowl Production Areas (WPAs).
Related: Where is the best place to shoot a coyote? Read here to guarantee a dirt nap every time.
Reasonable equipment:
It is illegal to hunt with any weapon or ammunition that is of inherent design, or used in such a manner, as to not be reasonably capable of reducing a target wild animal to possession.
Muzzleloaders:
Muzzleloaders may be used statewide during any firearm deer season. During the muzzleloader-only deer season, all muzzleloaders must have a solid threaded breech plug, making them capable of being loaded only from the muzzle.
Black powder revolvers are not legal during the muzzleloader-only season because they are capable of being loaded by the cylinder instead of the muzzle.