BK has a friend 
This is striaght from the Wisconsin Regulations –
Frogs and Turtles
A fishing or small game license is required to take turtles. Some species are protected
and may not be harvested.
These regulations apply to native Wisconsin frog and turtle species, regardless of their
origin.
No non-resident harvest or possession of frogs is allowed, except frogs taken and possessed
for use as fishing bait.
License Requirements
All residents and non-residents who collect, attempt to collect, or possess native Wisconsin
aquatic turtles must possess one of the following resident or non-resident licenses:
Fishing, Small Game, Sports, Conservation Patron, Setline*, or Set or Bank Pole*. (*
These licenses are available only to residents). Existing Senior Citizen Recreational
Cards also qualify. In addition to the licenses listed above, residents holding a Commercial
Fishing License may harvest turtles on Mississippi River Boundary Waters.
Note: Residents under the age of 16 do not need a license to take frogs or turtles but
must comply with all other regulations.
Seasons
Frogs. The open frog season runs from the Saturday nearest May 1 through
December 31.
Turtles. The open turtle season runs from July 15 through November 30. Turtles or turtle
eggs may not be taken during the closed season.
Possession Limits
• The possession limit for snapping turtles and softshell turtles is 3 statewide, except
on the Mississippi River, where the possession limit is 10 for snapping turtles and 5
for softshell turtles.
• Licensed bait dealers and registered fish farmers may possess more than 5 specimens
of any unprotected amphibian species which are collected or possessed as part of a
bait collection or shipment.
• More than 5 frogs may be collected for use as fishing bait, but no more than 5 of any
species may be possessed for more than 24 hours.
It is illegal to sell native amphibians and reptiles, except persons with a Class A Captive
Wildlife license may sell:
1) Eastern tiger salamanders, mudpuppies, and northern leopard frogs.
2) Native amphibians and reptiles not considered endangered and threatened, and
collected outside the state, to out of state sources or to education or research in
stitutions in-state.
3) Legally harvested dead turtles and their parts during the open season
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Licensed bait dealers may sell frogs for use as fishing bait.
Size Limits
• Snapping turtle size limits are a 12-inch minimum and a 16-inch maximum carapace
(top shell) length.
• There are no size limits for other turtles.
Harvesting Methods
• It is unlawful to take frogs by firearms or airguns.
• Turtles may be taken by hand, dip net, hook
and line, set line, set or bank poles, hooking, or
hoop net trap (see allowed design below). No
other trap types are allowed.
• Turtles may not be taken by hook and line from trout streams during the closed trout
season.
• Parts of fish, fish by-products including fish meal or prepared parts of such fish may
not be used for bait unless: the fish were caught from the water being trapped, were
obtained from a bait dealer, or were used with written authorization from the WDNR.
Other meats (e.g., chicken and beef livers) may be used for bait for turtles.
• The number of hoop traps that can be operated are 10 in Iowa-Wisconsin or Minnesota-
Wisconsin boundary waters and 3 in all other waters of the state.
Hoop Net Trap Specifications
Traps must be made of stretchable fabric (e.g., nylon) and must have a minimum mesh
stretch of 6 inches.
No wire mesh is allowed. Each trap must have a metal tag stamped or engraved with
the name and address of the operator attached, and must be visible above the water’s
surface. The operator identified on the trap tag is the only person authorized to tend
these traps. Traps must be set with the hoops exposed a minimum of 2 inches above
the water’s surface. Turtle traps must be checked and the entrapped contents removed
at least once each day after the day they are set in all waters.
