WI moving to bear, deer hunter self-reporting
The Legislature and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources continue to loosen oversight of hunting wildlife belonging to all the people of the state - - full bill text, here - - by eliminating, for example, the time-honored and in-person required presentation of a deer carcass with the DNR-issued tag, along with other changes to the rules:
It's great to serve the public, but this Legislature and DNR and the PSC are always play favorites.
This comes at the same time that the Legislature seems set to ban photographing, and even observing hunters and certain controversial practices, like the training of bear hounds against caged animals.
Which plays right into poachers' hands.
The current Legislature and DNR management are eager to service certain constituencies, like the powerful bear hunting lobby, which has been the lead driver of the wolf hunt, too.
Similarly, remember that the Legislature summarily closed thousands of acres of forest land to which the public had access at the request of GTac, the mining company which did withdraw the absurd destruction of the Penokee Hills and much of the Bad River watershed.
But only after roads were cut to extract and truck tons of rock samples, disturbing the land and neighbors who had a lower priority than the mine and its political allies in the north woods and the State Capitol.
The main State Senate proponent of the forest-closing bill was mining proponent Tom Tiffany of Hazlehurst, the lead Senate Sponsor of the bill that ends the mandatory in-person registration of hunters' animal carcasses, too.
In other words, some citizen outdoors' rights are more equal than others.
Current law requires DNR to issue a carcass tag to each person who is issued a deer hunting license, an elk hunting license, a wolf hunting license, a bear hunting license, an archer hunting license, a crossbow hunting license, a sports license, or a conservation patron license, and a certain number of carcass tags to a person who is issued a sturgeon spearing license. Generally, a person who kills a deer, elk, bear, or wolf or who spears a sturgeon must immediately validate and attach the carcass tag to the animal. Current law also allows DNR to promulgate by rule a requirement that hunters tag each sharp-tailed grouse killed with a tag issued by DNR. This bill eliminates the requirement that a carcass tag be attached to an animal and requires only that the carcass tag be validated in the manner required by DNR.The hunters I know are honest conservationists, and I assume most in Wisconsin are, too but encouraging hunters to e-report their kills rather than show the carcass as has been the practice is going to encourage some cheating (poaching).
It's great to serve the public, but this Legislature and DNR and the PSC are always play favorites.
This comes at the same time that the Legislature seems set to ban photographing, and even observing hunters and certain controversial practices, like the training of bear hounds against caged animals.
Which plays right into poachers' hands.
The current Legislature and DNR management are eager to service certain constituencies, like the powerful bear hunting lobby, which has been the lead driver of the wolf hunt, too.
Similarly, remember that the Legislature summarily closed thousands of acres of forest land to which the public had access at the request of GTac, the mining company which did withdraw the absurd destruction of the Penokee Hills and much of the Bad River watershed.
But only after roads were cut to extract and truck tons of rock samples, disturbing the land and neighbors who had a lower priority than the mine and its political allies in the north woods and the State Capitol.
In other words, some citizen outdoors' rights are more equal than others.
3 comments:
In addition to these slackened rules, the legislature wants to get rid of backtags. Is this so criminal/unethical hunters cannot be easily identified by witnesses? And it is often well-to-do hunters feeling entitled, that are caught breaking the rules. See the lion-murdering dentist for example. He was busted for bear hunting 40 miles outside of his tagging area in Wisconsin.
And about the blazepink bullshit...when is blazeblue going to be available for the boys? Outdoor equipment companies have been selling women-sized blazeorange apparel for years, negating the bill-stated need for blazepink.
You would think the legislature would have more important things on its agenda - like meaningful job growth (and I'm not talking about creating jobs for their donors and donor's children).
They want to dissolve "traditional hunting" in Wisconsin. All the the changes lead to changes it long term tradition in hunting groups. Folks who have been hunting together for year have traditions within the group. Small things that keep getting passed from generation to generation. The 'thanksgiving deer hunt" is a tradition inbreed in Wisconsin. Each little part they break away dissolves the tradition. How long before they shift the season to say a week sooner or a week later. Think of the results.
Do some research.... they want the Texas hunting model. You want to hunt deer you go to a deer farm pay your money and shoot your deer. No planning out a year in advance. Not introducing the young kid when they reach the age. No traditional meal on the first night at deer camp etc...etc...etc.
Remember Waker is a "divide and conquer" psycho. Break the tradition, divided the group, conquer the long held structure.
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