The Department of Natural Resources Annual Spring Fish and Wildlife Rule Hearings and Wisconsin Conservation Congress Annual County Meetings will convene at 7 p.m. April 12 in all 72 Wisconsin counties.
Commonly referred to as the "Spring Hearings," the event offers Wisconsin's hunters, anglers and trappers an opportunity to weigh in on proposed changes to the regulations that guide their outdoor activities. Citizens can also submit their own resolutions that could become law or be added to DNR administrative rules. In addition, at least two of each county's five delegate slots to the conservation congress are up for election.
This year's compilation of 97 proposed changes carries a considerable number of local questions having little impact on sportsmen and women in our area. As a result, they will receive very little time and attention at your county's event. Several others, however, carry statewide implications and may generate substantial discussion.
Perhaps the most interesting is one the DNR has already scratched. Question No. 9, as stated, attempted to "reduce confusion over what constitutes a 'normal agricultural or gardening practice.'" The proposal would have asserted that "fruit, nuts, grain, hay, corn or vegetable materials harvested or collected and then re-deposited where the materials would be accessible to deer, bear, elk or turkeys may not be hunted over except where it is legal to place bait or feed for such animals."
In support of the change, statute NR 10.001 (19b) would be created to "define manipulation as the alteration of natural vegetation or agricultural or garden crops by activities that include but are not limited to mowing, shredding, disking, rolling, chopping, trampling, flattening."
Paragraph (19c) would define "normal agricultural or gardening practice as a planting or harvesting operation undertaken for the purpose of producing and gathering a crop, or manipulation of the remaining vegetation after a crop has been harvested and removal of the fruit, grain, hay or vegetable material from the lands where grown."
For purposes of enforcement, the rule would state, "placement or storage of salt, mineral supplements, fruits, nuts, grain, hay or vegetable crops in any area accessible to deer, bear, elk, or wild turkeys is not considered a normal agricultural or gardening practice."
Some viewed the measure as a backdoor attempt to ban food plots. Greg Kazmierski of the Hunters Rights Coalition warned that hunters should review the rule language associated with the question. According to him, "Appears food plots are now in the sights of the DNR."
For his part, Conservation Congress Chair Edgar Harvey sent a message to members of the Executive Council acknowledging that the group may have overlooked the problem at its Jan. 6 meeting. He advised councilors that the question might create problems not only for farmers leaving hay bales on the land, but also for those hunting over food plots.
"The rule as proposed would make it illegal to hunt deer, bear, elk or turkeys on a field in which round hay bales are stored or left to sit," Harvey said. "Because mowing is defined as a manipulation, it would also be illegal to hunt on a field or food plot which has been mowed."
Department of Natural Resources Staff Specialist Scott Loomans acknowledged that the rule might create unintended consequences for hunters.
"Storing round bales may be a problem as this is drafted and that would need to be cleared up before this could be adopted. People even use hay bales as blinds," Loomans said. That isn't something that we intended to prevent."
As of March 2, agency officials decreed that it was too late to pull the question since the Natural Resources Board had already approved it. On March 29, however, the agency advised the Conservation Congress that the question would not be asked at the Spring Hearings.
Other items on the Spring Hearing questionnaire include:
• Increasing the penalty for violating damage abatement program requirements.
• Allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to participate in the youth deer and wild turkey hunting season.
• Allowing magnified power scopes on muzzleloaders.
• Reducing lead in fishing tackle.
• Allowing training of hounds during the harvest season without having a Class A harvest permit.
• Allowing a backup shooter without a Class A harvest permit to shoot a bear that had already been shot, but not killed.
• Allowing group bow hunting in the CWD Management Zone.
• Requiring a double gate mechanism on all captive cervid farms.
• Lowering the crossbow eligibility age to 55.
• Extending the trout season to Oct. 31.
• Opening the trout season one week prior to the regular fishing season opener.
Citizens wishing to submit their own resolutions at the Spring Hearings may contact a member of the Wisconsin Conservation Congress for assistance. Or, those who plan to attend the Deer and Turkey Expo in Madison April 9 to 11 are encouraged to stop by the WCC Wall of Fame for more information and pick up a copy of the Spring Hearings booklet.
- Lee Fahrney is the Monroe Times outdoors writer and may be contacted at
(608) 967-2208 or at fiveoaks@mhtc.net.
Commonly referred to as the "Spring Hearings," the event offers Wisconsin's hunters, anglers and trappers an opportunity to weigh in on proposed changes to the regulations that guide their outdoor activities. Citizens can also submit their own resolutions that could become law or be added to DNR administrative rules. In addition, at least two of each county's five delegate slots to the conservation congress are up for election.
This year's compilation of 97 proposed changes carries a considerable number of local questions having little impact on sportsmen and women in our area. As a result, they will receive very little time and attention at your county's event. Several others, however, carry statewide implications and may generate substantial discussion.
Perhaps the most interesting is one the DNR has already scratched. Question No. 9, as stated, attempted to "reduce confusion over what constitutes a 'normal agricultural or gardening practice.'" The proposal would have asserted that "fruit, nuts, grain, hay, corn or vegetable materials harvested or collected and then re-deposited where the materials would be accessible to deer, bear, elk or turkeys may not be hunted over except where it is legal to place bait or feed for such animals."
In support of the change, statute NR 10.001 (19b) would be created to "define manipulation as the alteration of natural vegetation or agricultural or garden crops by activities that include but are not limited to mowing, shredding, disking, rolling, chopping, trampling, flattening."
Paragraph (19c) would define "normal agricultural or gardening practice as a planting or harvesting operation undertaken for the purpose of producing and gathering a crop, or manipulation of the remaining vegetation after a crop has been harvested and removal of the fruit, grain, hay or vegetable material from the lands where grown."
For purposes of enforcement, the rule would state, "placement or storage of salt, mineral supplements, fruits, nuts, grain, hay or vegetable crops in any area accessible to deer, bear, elk, or wild turkeys is not considered a normal agricultural or gardening practice."
Some viewed the measure as a backdoor attempt to ban food plots. Greg Kazmierski of the Hunters Rights Coalition warned that hunters should review the rule language associated with the question. According to him, "Appears food plots are now in the sights of the DNR."
For his part, Conservation Congress Chair Edgar Harvey sent a message to members of the Executive Council acknowledging that the group may have overlooked the problem at its Jan. 6 meeting. He advised councilors that the question might create problems not only for farmers leaving hay bales on the land, but also for those hunting over food plots.
"The rule as proposed would make it illegal to hunt deer, bear, elk or turkeys on a field in which round hay bales are stored or left to sit," Harvey said. "Because mowing is defined as a manipulation, it would also be illegal to hunt on a field or food plot which has been mowed."
Department of Natural Resources Staff Specialist Scott Loomans acknowledged that the rule might create unintended consequences for hunters.
"Storing round bales may be a problem as this is drafted and that would need to be cleared up before this could be adopted. People even use hay bales as blinds," Loomans said. That isn't something that we intended to prevent."
As of March 2, agency officials decreed that it was too late to pull the question since the Natural Resources Board had already approved it. On March 29, however, the agency advised the Conservation Congress that the question would not be asked at the Spring Hearings.
Other items on the Spring Hearing questionnaire include:
• Increasing the penalty for violating damage abatement program requirements.
• Allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to participate in the youth deer and wild turkey hunting season.
• Allowing magnified power scopes on muzzleloaders.
• Reducing lead in fishing tackle.
• Allowing training of hounds during the harvest season without having a Class A harvest permit.
• Allowing a backup shooter without a Class A harvest permit to shoot a bear that had already been shot, but not killed.
• Allowing group bow hunting in the CWD Management Zone.
• Requiring a double gate mechanism on all captive cervid farms.
• Lowering the crossbow eligibility age to 55.
• Extending the trout season to Oct. 31.
• Opening the trout season one week prior to the regular fishing season opener.
Citizens wishing to submit their own resolutions at the Spring Hearings may contact a member of the Wisconsin Conservation Congress for assistance. Or, those who plan to attend the Deer and Turkey Expo in Madison April 9 to 11 are encouraged to stop by the WCC Wall of Fame for more information and pick up a copy of the Spring Hearings booklet.
- Lee Fahrney is the Monroe Times outdoors writer and may be contacted at
(608) 967-2208 or at fiveoaks@mhtc.net.
