Public lets its position be known

[Lee Borgersen]

Paul Smith | Outdoors Editor




Public lets its position be known on matters of fishing, hunting
April 13, 2011

Voters overwhelmingly supported a statewide 40-inch minimum size limit for musky and the use of quick-strike rigs when using large minnows.

Though they supported lowering the crossbow age limit to 55, they opposed crossbow use for hunters of all ages during the archery deer season.

And when it comes to political involvement in conservation, 83% said hunting, fishing, land and water matters should go through the Wisconsin Conservation Congress process before the legislature can act on them.

These and 80 other issues were on the docket at the 2011 Department of Natural Resources spring rules hearings and annual Wisconsin Conservation Congress meetings.

The meetings, Wisconsinites' annual opportunity to comment on fishing, hunting, conservation and environmental issues, were held Monday in all 72 counties.

Statewide attendance was 5,574, compared with 4,360 in 2010 and 7,939 in 2009. Dane County led with 357, followed by Waukesha (240) and Milwaukee (217).

Votes at the meetings are non-binding but are used as a gauge of public sentiment as the Natural Resources Board and DNR set policy and establish regulations. DNR fish and wildlife managers will analyze the results and develop recommendations for the NRB at its May meeting.

A statewide 40-inch minimum length limit for musky is likely to be put on the books in 2012. DNR managers offered the proposal as a way to improve the state's musky fishery, noting 95% of female muskies aren't sexually mature until they reach 40.8 inches, and 70% of musky anglers in a 1999 survey favored a 40-inch limit. Voters supported the proposal, 3,221 to 1,091.

In a musky-related question, voters also liked the idea of requiring quick-strike rigs when using minnows 10 inches or longer. The tally was 3,547 for, 1,091 against.

Anglers in 19 southern Wisconsin counties, including Dane, Jefferson, Walworth, Washington and Waukesha, will likely see a three-fish daily bag limit and 18-inch minimum length limit for walleye in 2012. An 18-inch minimum size limit is expected to increase walleye populations in southern Wisconsin waters and, in turn, increase angler catch rates, according to DNR fisheries managers. The measure was supported by 2,459 to 1,856.

Turkey hunters are likely to have the traditional five-day spring hunting periods extended to seven in 2012. Voters supported the longer periods by 3,024 to 1,974. The seven-day periods would run Wednesday through Tuesday.

Voters supported two of three questions to expand crossbow use in Wisconsin. On the matter of lowering the legal age for crossbow use from 65 years to 55, the vote was 2,806 for, 2,198 against.

And there was significant backing for allowing crossbows while bowfishing for carp and other rough fish. The tally was 3,693 to 1,023.

But on the matter of allowing all hunters regardless of age to use crossbows during the archery deer season, the vote was 1,969 for, 3,017 against.

The Wisconsin Bowhunters Association has long been opposed to crossbows during the archery deer season.

"We're happy with the way the season is now," said Mike Brust of Wausau, president of the Wisconsin Bowhunters Association. "We are concerned with the potential changes in the Wisconsin bowhunting experience that could be brought on by allowing crossbows to everyone."

The public was also against the use of bear hunting with dogs statewide.

On the controversial issue of baiting deer, voters backed an advisory question from the Natural Resources Board that asked: "Would you support legislation to ban deer baiting and feeding statewide 10 days before and during the nine-day gun deer season?"

The vote was 3,066 in favor, 1,928 against.

With regard to wolf management, voters expressed a strong desire to federally delist the wolf (4,402 to 526), establish the Wisconsin wolf population goal at 350 or fewer (3,989 to 827) and implement "meaningful population controls" in the next state wolf plan (4,254 to 581).

And as they have repeatedly over the last 15 years, voters at the spring hearings rejected political involvement in conservation issues.

This year's question asked: "Would you support legislation requiring the Conservation Congress process of public input on all matters concerning conservation, hunting, fishing, trapping, habitat, wildlife, land and water issues to take place before a law on these matters can be acted on by the legislature?"

The tally was not unanimous, but about as close as you can get in a public vote: 3,794 for, 561 against.

We have links to complete statewide and county results from the spring hearings, as well as a copy of the questionnaire, at www.jsonline.com/sports/outdoors.

Deer hunting legislation: Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Hazelhurst) and State Sen. Terry Moulton (R-Chippewa Falls) plan to introduce a bill that would eliminate the October antlerless hunt, prohibit the DNR from holding Earn-A-Buck deer hunting regulations outside the Chronic Wasting Disease management zone and restore a nine-day gun deer season for the entire state.

Tiffany and Moulton plan to hold a press conference Friday in Chippewa Falls to announce details of the proposed legislation. "We've heard from hunters and these are some of the things at the top of the list," Tiffany said. "We wanted to act now because we didn't think the DNR would be able to get this type of change in place for this fall's hunt."

Tiffany said the bill would allow the DNR flexibility to "manage for diseases like CWD and set antlerless deer permit levels in areas that get too high."

Calls to the DNR for reaction to the proposed legislation were not returned as of press time.

Bear hunting, bass culling bills to Assembly: Bills on bear hunting (AB24) and bass culling (AB35) are scheduled for votes Thursday on the Assembly floor.

Despite — or perhaps because of — votes at last year’s spring hearings in strong opposition to portions of AB24, the bear hunting bill has steamed through a committee hearing and executive session in less than two weeks, escaping most public notice and hitting the floor while backers feel they have the necessary support.

The bill would allow hunters without a bear kill tag to train bear-hunting dogs during the hunting season; would allow a Class B license holder to serve as a “backup shooter;” and would eliminate the back-tag requirement for Class B license holders.

Under current regulations, all bear hunters can train dogs in July and August. But after the bear hunting season starts in September, only those with Class A kill tags can run their hounds after bears.

The bill would allow training to continue into the hunting season, including when bear hunters using bait, archery deer hunters and small game hunters are in the woods.

The bill is supported by the Wisconsin Bear Hunters Association and opposed by the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation. In a reversal of its position from last year, the Wisconsin Bowhunters Association testified in support of the bill at the March 30 hearing in Madison.

Supporters cite the increased training opportunities for hound hunters; opponents have concerns of increased conflicts between bear hunters with hounds and other recreationists in the autumn woods, including bowhunters, small game hunters and hikers.

And there is the matter of public opinion.

“The public’s voice was loud and clear at last year’s spring hearings,” said George Meyer, executive director of the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation. “Several components of the bill just aren’t supported by a wide majority.”

Walleye bag limits: Daily walleye bag limits for sport anglers have been reduced on 539 lakes in the Wisconsin Ceded Territory in response to tribal spearing declarations, the DNR announced Tuesday.

As a result, 311 lakes will have a two-walleye daily bag limit for sport anglers, 226 lakes will have a three-walleye limit and two lakes (Potato in Rusk County and Grindstone in Sawyer County) lakes will have one-walleye limits.

The daily sport bag limit in most Wisconsin waters is five.

The Chippewa Flowage, Big St. Germain and North and South Twin lakes are among waters listed Tuesday with two-walleye daily bag limits.

The declarations are part of an annual process between six bands of Chippewa in Wisconsin and the state. As part of a 1983 federal Appellate Court decision affirming Chippewa off-reservation hunting, fishing and gathering rights, the bands set annual harvest quotas for off-reservation lakes in the Wisconsin Ceded Territory.

The DNR subsequently reduces sport bag limits on the affected waters in an effort to maintain self-sustaining walleye populations.

Once the actual harvest is known, the DNR may adjust the daily bag limits for the remainder of the hook-and-line season. Any such adjustments are typically made in mid-May.

Last year, the state revised walleye sport bag limits on 530 lakes (190 with a three-fish limit and 340 with a two-fish limit) after the tribal declarations.

The tribes have speared about 180 lakes in recent years. The average tribal walleye harvest has been about 25,000 but has been increasing.

The tribes speared 34,157 walleyes in 2010, the most since off-reservation harvests began in 1985. The six bands harvested 32,198 walleyes in 2009 and 28,106 in 2008.

The Chippewa Flowage had 2,902 walleyes taken by spearers in 2010, followed by the Turtle-Flambeau (1,665), Kentuck Lake in Vilas County (1,128), Rice Flowage Chain in Lincoln County (1,107) and the Twin Lake Chain in Vilas County (1,079).

The Mole Lake band speared the most walleyes in 2010 (12,982), followed by the Lac du Flambeau (6,188), Lac Court Oreilles (6,050), Bad River (3,427), St. Croix (3,118) and Red Cliff (2,392).