MADISON – While a Wisconsin sandhill crane hunting season would easily fit into a federal framework for managing cranes on the Eastern Trunks, the decision to draft such legislation still remains the responsibility of the Sandhill Crane Legislative Study Committee.
This committee met for the third time on October 1, and a decision on a possible hunting season for sandhill cranes will be made at the next committee meeting on Wednesday, November 13.
On October 1, speakers included: David Scott, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Mississippi Flyway representative; Benjamin Sedinger, assistant professor of wildlife ecology at UW-Stevens Point; Jeb Barzen of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin; Jennifer Lazewski, executive director of the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology; and Bruce Ross, executive director of the Wisconsin Waterfowl Association.
Scott of the USFWS said that if a hunt can be held in Wisconsin, it would start as an experimental season with a constrained number of permits. The experimental designation will likely last for three to four years. If the final report finds no major problems, a maximum of 5,100 permits could be issued annually for future seasons in Wisconsin.
MORE COVERAGE FROM WISCONSIN OUTDOOR NEWS:
Costs of livestock killed by wolves this year in Wisconsin
Wisconsin DNR wants 2% budget augment for “cleanup.”
Find out which scratches are worth hunting down to take down the October villain
Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee now hold sandhill crane hunts. In total, they issue 5,950 tags. The maximum number of tags allowed on a flyway is 12,300. If Wisconsin issued 5,100 tags, the four-state total would remain below the maximum flyway value.
Scott said the annual harvest rate in Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee is about 1% of the sandhill crane population in the flyway. Any additional harvest during the Wisconsin season will not be detrimental to the sandhill crane population in the flyway.
The potential season could last a maximum of 60 days between Sept. 1 and Jan. 31, Scott said. The fall hunt will not change farmers’ ability to obtain permits to kill sandhill cranes that cause crop damage.
Scott said the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources will be required to submit an annual report that includes a harvest study. Measures would need to be put in place to protect the 65 whooping cranes that spend spring and summer in Wisconsin before migrating in the fall. The regulations could include hunter identification training and a hunting ban in certain areas where whooping cranes live.
Barzen presented information on the growth of the crane population and the impact of hunting on the population. He said a 3-4% harvest could stabilize the population initially and ultimately reduce the sandhill population in the long term. In his opinion, the crane hunting season is more of a social issue than a population control issue.
Łazewski is against the sandhill crane season. She said there wasn’t enough data to launch a hunt because Wisconsin is a breeding ground for cranes.
Ross said there is overwhelming support for the sandhill crane season from members of the Wisconsin Waterfowl Association and the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation. He advocated for a sustainable and ethical sandhill crane season that would not be harmful to the population.
“It shouldn’t be a firing squad of bird conservationists and pro-hunting activists,” Ross said. “It’s kind of where it’s going. It’s unfortunate, but it doesn’t have to be this way. “I’m very excited about this group (committee) going beyond superficial talking points and getting to the issues that can really be addressed.”
He said Horicon Marsh is an example of how ecotourism and hunting can coexist.
If sandhill crane season opens, farmers will be entitled to compensation for crop damage caused by cranes. Revenues from permit applications and license fees are not expected to be sufficient to fund compensation for crop damage.
Senator Mark Spreitzer (D-Beloit) is a member of the committee. He recommended that the committee consider writing a separate bill to create funding from another source to address the issue of compensation for crop damage. Spreitzer said even if there isn’t hunting, a way must be found to compensate farmers for damage caused by cranes.
Rep. Paul Tittl (R-Manitowoc, committee chairman) said the USFWS and DNR have a responsibility to manage wildlife populations, and providing hunting opportunities is part of that.
“It’s not something that just a group of hunters wanted to create,” Tittl said. “All we would be doing is allowing regulations to be put in place to allow them to expand their hunting.”
The next meeting of the committee is scheduled for November 13. During this time, information from the three previous meetings will be assessed and the committee will make a recommendation on the development of a draft law on the hunting season for sandhill cranes. If developed, the bill should be available for committee review by the end of the year.
If approved, a sandhill crane season in Wisconsin likely won’t happen for several years. The bill or bills would require passage by the state Assembly and Senate, federal approval and the governor’s signature.
Previous bills establishing a sandhill crane season were introduced in Parliament in 2011 and 2021, but did not gain enough support to pass. The fresh bill may have a better chance because it will be crafted by a committee authorized by the Legislature, Tittl said.
