Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge no longer carries federal recreational lands passes. Nearby recreation sites to obtain passes includes Upper Mississippi River Wildlife and Fish Refuge in La Crosse, WI and Necedah National Wildlife Refuge. For more information on passes and where to obtain them click on the link below.

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 There are two Hunting Zones on the Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge, the North Zone and the South Zone. 

South Zone: On Refuge land south of the main channel of the Trempealeau River and south of State Highway 35/54, a Refuge Permit is required for all hunting activities. Additional special conditions apply for permitted hunting in the South Zone. Please refer to the information below for season dates, special conditions and application instructions for permitted hunting opportunities. 

2020 Gun Permits and Information  

Dates: November 21, 2020 through November 29, 2020
Hunters may apply to hunt on the refuge during the Wisconsin Nine-Day firearms season (November 21st, 2020 through November 29th, 2020). Hunters may download a Nine-Day Gun Deer Hunt Application or pick one up from the bin at the Refuge Office and send the completed application with a $10 processing fee to the refuge. The bin is available Monday-Friday 7:30 am to 3:30 pm and is located outside the main office door. Applications can either by mailed or placed in the drop box at the Refuge maintenance shop. The drop box is a mail slot on the three-stall garage. There is a sign indicating it is the area to drop off applications. Applications will be placed in a random drawing. Special regulations apply. Read all application information carefully. Only permitted hunters for the gun hunt will be allowed to hunt. The application deadline is 4:00 pm on September 18, 2020.

• Gun Deer Hunt Application - 2020 
• Big Game Harvest Form

When deer hunting on Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge we encourage deer hunters to use lead free (lead-free) ammunition. Ammunition containing lead can break apart leaving dangerous pieces of lead in the gut piles and carcasses of deer. Eagles and other wildlife eat these remains and can become very sick or even die. It only takes a small amount of lead to make an eagle sick, do your part by making the switch to lead free ammunition. To learn more, visit http://huntingwithnonlead.org/ [link to non-toxic page https://www.fws.gov/midwest/refuges/leadfree.html ]

2020 Early Archery Permits and Information

Dates: September 12 through November 15, 2020
For the fourth year, the refuge is opening up archery hunting during the regular state archery season, starting September 12, 2020. The season dates for the refuge early archery hunt is September 12th through November 15th, 2020. Hunters may download an early archery permit application or pick up from the bin at the Refuge Office and send the completed application with a $10 processing fee to the refuge. The bin is available Monday-Friday 7:30 am to 3:30 pm and is located outside the main office door. Applications can either by mailed or placed in the drop box at the Refuge maintenance shop. The drop box is a mail slot on the three-stall garage. There is a sign indicating it is the area to drop off applications.Applications will be placed in a random drawing and selected hunters will be notified. Only selected archery hunters will be permitted to hunt on the refuge. Special regulations apply. Read all information on the permit and fact sheets carefully. The application deadline is 4:00 pm on August 31, 2020.

• Early Archery Application - 2020
• Big Game Harvest Form

2020-21 Late Archery Permits and Information

Dates: November 30, 2020 through January 3, 2021 
The season dates for the refuge late archery is November 30, 2020 through January 3, 2021. Late archery permit applications will be available beginning November 16th, 2020. Applications can be downloaded or picked up from the bin at the Refuge Office. The bin is available Monday-Friday 7:30 am to 3:30 pm and is located outside the main office door. Applications can either by mailed or placed in the drop box at the Refuge maintenance shop. The drop box is a mail slot on the three-stall garage. There is a sign indicating it is the area to drop off applications. The deadline to apply for a permit is December 18, 2019. Late archery hunters should complete and submit an application with a $10 processing fee to the refuge. Special regulations apply. Read all information on the permit and fact sheets carefully. The application deadline is 4:00 pm December 16, 2020.

• Late Archery Application - 2020   
• Big Game Harvest Form

2020 Waterfowl Hunt Information 

This year Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge will be offering the opportunity for persons with a Class A or C hunting permit to hunt on a portion of the Refuge that is otherwise closed to hunting.  However, in the interest and safety of the hunters, volunteers, and staff we will not be offering a program similar to those in past years. 

We will offer the opportunity to hunt the River Bottoms tract from Saturday October 17 – Friday October 23.  This portion of the Refuge will be closed to other public use and hunters will be provided with a code to access the property.  There will be a porta-potty stationed for daily use and a warming shelter for emergency use only. 

It is up to the hunters to get the assistants and equipment they need for their hunt.  Hunters and assistants will need to apply for a permit as they have in the past, and indicate which days they plan to hunt. This hunt is limited to 14 participants per day. If more than 14 applications are received by the deadline, then a random drawing will be held for each day.  Applications are due by October 2, 2020.

Applications are available on the links below or available for pickup outside of the Refuge office in a bin.  The bin is available Monday-Friday 7:30 am to 3:30 pm and is located in front of the main office door. There are multiple applications so please find the one labeled Waterfowl Hunt.

We hope that by next fall the Refuge will be able to return to normal operations and offer a more in-depth managed hunt similar to those in past years.  We appreciate your understanding during these challenging times.

Interested hunters may contact Hallie Rasmussen for more details or questions at 608-779-2392 or email Hallie_rasmussen@fws.gov.  (TTY users may call via the Wisconsin State Relay Service at 1-800-947-3529). To request an application by mail, write to Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge, W28488 Refuge Road, Trempealeau, Wisconsin 54661.

• Waterfowl Hunter Application - 2020
• Waterfowl Hunter Assistant Application - 2020

2020-21 Trapping- ATTENTION NEW PROCESS THIS YEAR!!

This year the trapping auction at the Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge will be run a little differently then it has in past years.  In the interest and safety of trappers and staff we will not be holding a public gathering to auction the units so we’ll be setting up a bidding process by mail to award the units to interested trappers.

Trappers will indicate the unit number and highest amount they would like to bid on that unit and mail to the Refuge in a sealed envelope by September 29, 2020.  The lowest bid amount for each unit will still be $40.  We will be opening bids and contacting any trappers that submitted a bid on Tuesday October 6, 2020.  If identical bids are submitted, bidders will be contacted to submit a counter bid.

Muskrat units are also available for both Youth (18 years of age and younger) and Senior Citizen (65 years of age and older), free of charge. Youth units are Muskrat Unit 13 and 14 and the senior unit is Muskrat Unit 1.  For the youth and senior units we will have interested trappers send in their info, similar to the other units. Any interested names for each unit will be put into a hat and drawn over the virtual meeting as well.

A bidding package with a map and other materials will be posted on the website or available for pickup outside of the Refuge office in a bin.  The bin is available Monday-Friday 7:30 am to 3:30 pm and is located in front of the main office door. There are multiple applications so please find the one labeled Trapping.

Included will also be a permit that you can pre-sign and return with the application (please note this doesn’t mean you are getting a permit, it just saves a step in the mailing process.) You may mail the application/permit to the Refuge or drop it in the drop box. Address: Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge, W28488 Refuge Road, Trempealeau, WI 54661. The drop box is a mail slot on the three-stall garage at the maintenance shop. There is a sign indicating it is the area to drop off applications. Please stay tuned for details on the virtual meeting.

Bidding Package Contents:

Trapping Bidding Application

Trapping Bidding Permit

Muskrat Unit Map

Beaver Unit Map

Muskrat Special Regulations

Beaver Special Regulations 

Trapping Unit History