Sun anchors · sourced state rules
Legal shooting hours calculator
Sunrise, sunset, and civil twilight for any coordinate and date, computed with NOAA solar equations. The same service powers the Ice & Water Report. Choose a sourced planning reference, then verify the current regulations below.
Sun times calculator
Coordinate source: Central Wisconsin example. Replace the example or use your device location before relying on the times.
- Civil dawn
- 5:41 AM
- Sunrise
- 6:12 AM
- Sunset
- 7:51 PM
- Civil dusk
- 8:21 PM
Selected planning reference
Wisconsin deer
5:42 AM to 8:11 PM
30 minutes before sunrise through 20 minutes after sunset. Verify the current state, species, zone, season, property, and special-hunt rules. Open the official source.
Source reviewed July 20, 2026.
Times shown in Central Time. NOAA solar equations are computed locally with accuracy of about one minute at mid-latitudes.
State rules, sourced
| Jurisdiction | Rule and source |
|---|---|
| Wisconsin | Deer planning offset. Wisconsin publishes northern and southern shooting-hour tables by date and area; use the current table for the exact hunt location. Wisconsin DNR regulations and shooting hoursSource reviewed July 20, 2026. |
| Minnesota | Big-game planning offset from the current Minnesota hunting regulations. Check the current booklet for season, area, and special-hunt changes. Minnesota DNR Hunting and Trapping RegulationsSource reviewed July 20, 2026. |
| Waterfowl framework | Traditional federal framework. State, refuge, species, and special-season rules can be narrower and always control the actual hunt. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service waterfowl frameworkSource reviewed July 20, 2026. |
Always verify the current year's regulations for your state, species, zone, and season before hunting; rules change, and printed regulations control. More states are added here only with agency citations.
Common questions
Are shooting hours the same as sunrise and sunset?
No. Most states anchor legal hours to sunrise and sunset with an offset, commonly 30 minutes before sunrise to a fixed number of minutes after sunset, and the offset varies by state, species, and season. Compute the sun times here, then apply your state's published rule.
Which sunrise do regulations mean?
Official sunrise and sunset for your location, not first light. Civil twilight (shown by the calculator) begins earlier than sunrise; some migratory bird rules reference it, most big-game rules do not.
How accurate is the calculator?
It uses the NOAA solar equations computed for your exact coordinate and date, accurate to about one minute at mid-latitudes. Print times in your regulations pamphlet control if they differ.
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