Wisconsin Ag Connection - Farm Group Urges Hunters to Respect State's Trespassing Law

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Farm Group Urges Hunters to Respect State's Trespassing Law
Wisconsin Ag Connection - 11/13/2019

The state's largest farm organization says it wants to make sure hunters and rural landowners are aware of Wisconsin's trespass law for the upcoming deer hunting season. According to Karen Gefvert, who is the Wisconsin Farm Bureau's Director of Governmental Relations, good communications between hunters and rural landowners can help ensure a safe and enjoyable hunting season.

"Hunters play an important role in managing our state's deer herd, which is important to farmers," Gefvert said. "If landowners are having issues with trespassers, they should call their county sheriff's office as DNR wardens do not have the authority to investigate trespassing complaints."

State law says individuals who wish to hunt on land owned by someone else, must obtain written or verbal permission.

There are two exceptions to when permission is needed to enter private land. If the property is enrolled as 'open' in the Managed Forest Law program; or if its considered 'inholdings,' which is private land that is surrounded by public land. Landowners must post a sign to prevent hunting by the public on such land.

Meanwhile, hunters are also required to make a reasonable effort to retrieve game they have killed or injured, hunters may not trespass to retrieve such game. The one exception to the trespass law is the case of inholdings, which is private land that is surrounded by public land. In that situation, a landowner must post a sign to prevent hunting by the public.

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