Sun anchors · sourced state rules
Shooting hours calculator
Sunrise, sunset, and civil twilight for any coordinate and date, computed with NOAA solar equations. Choose a sourced planning reference, then verify the current regulations below.
Sun times calculator
- Civil dawn
- 4:58 AM
- Sunrise
- 5:33 AM
- Sunset
- 8:37 PM
- Civil dusk
- 9:12 PM
Selected planning reference
Wisconsin deer
5:03 AM to 8:57 PM
30 minutes before sunrise through 20 minutes after sunset. Verify the current state, species, zone, season, and printed regulations before hunting.
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: 30 minutes before sunrise to 20 minutes after sunset. Most small game follows published hunting-hours tables by date and zone. Wisconsin DNR hunting regulations and hours |
| Minnesota | Deer: 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset. Species-specific tables in the current regulations handbook. Minnesota DNR hunting regulations |
| Waterfowl (federal framework) | Ducks and geese: 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset, except where a state season sets narrower hours. US Fish and Wildlife Service migratory bird hunting frameworks |
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.
Straight answers
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.