Whether you prefer calling the sandhill crane a majestic migratory bird worthy of photos or the “ribeye in the sky” earning a spot on the dinner table next to the mashed potatoes, one thing is certain: this distinctive bird is plentiful.
These 3-foot-tall, 10-pound birds with their distinctive rusty-gate call have moved a step closer to having a hunting season in Wisconsin, and biological evidence suggests there is no reason not to do so.
A 12-member Wisconsin Legislative Council Study Committee on sandhill cranes held five meetings from August through December and voted Dec. 10 to forward a bill that would establish a hunting season. The Wisconsin Legislative Council will now review the draft and potentially introduce it to the state Assembly and Senate for consideration.
Delta Waterfowl is one of the conservation organizations that was represented on the study committee and has endorsed the hunt.
Paul Wait, Delta Waterfowl’s senior communications manager, was one of eight citizen committee members and noted the bird’s comeback on the group’s website.
“The eastern population of sandhill cranes is such a wonderful conservation success story, growing at more than 4% per year and now numbering more than 110,000 birds,” Wait said. “As we were directed, the study committee considered the science, the agricultural damage caused by sandhill cranes, and potential hunting opportunity. The bill we ultimately recommended would establish a hunting season, help to manage the crane population and provide crop damage relief to farmers.”
Cranes cause nearly $2 million in crop damage annually in Wisconsin, including corn, potatoes, winter wheat, cranberries, strawberries and other crops, the Delta Waterfowl release noted. A total of 1,405 sandhill cranes were killed under U.S. Department of Agriculture crop damage permits, but by law, the meat can’t be eaten and the birds must be discarded or left in the field. Farmers are not reimbursed for the damage, because cranes are not a hunted species.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which supports a Wisconsin hunt, says the eastern population must be at a minimum of 30,000 birds for a sustainable hunt. That minimum was reached about 20 years ago, according to the agency.
A total of 17 states currently allow sandhill crane hunting.
A 2020 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service report called “Status and Harvests of Sandhill Cranes” estimates the mid-continent population of cranes to be nearly 840,000 birds, far exceeding the population goal of 350,000-475,000 birds. This primary population has been stable from 1982 through the mid-2000s, the report states.
Additional sandhill crane populations in the Rocky Mountains, lower Colorado River Valley and Eastern states are monitored separately, and have seen either slight decreases or stable numbers, but all exceed population goals.
Cranes are regulated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (just as ducks and geese are), with general hunting guidelines handed down to the states for fine tuning by state departments of natural resources.
If the state legislature approves a hunt, the wildlife service would then have to provide parameters.
Not all committee members back a hunt.
“The decision to have a sandhill crane hunt is a political, social and cultural decision,” said committee member Meleesa Johnson, executive director of Wisconsin’s Green Fire. “From a science perspective, there is no biological reason to not hold a hunt and there is no biological reason to hold a hunt. From a science perspective, a wildlife management plan is the somewhat objective tool that is the repository of data, evaluations, studies, methodologies and observations to make sound decisions for hunting species like deer, ducks, geese, bear and other game.”
The International Crane Foundation also opposes a hunt.
“Advocates for a hunting season on sandhill cranes have long promoted it as the solution to crop damage, but we know a hunting season is not going to help farmers,” said Rich Beilfuss, ICF executive director, on the group’s website. “We have three or more separate issues to address: crop damage by cranes, hunting cranes for recreational purposes and crane-based tourism in Wisconsin. I hope we can look holistically at how best to support farmers and cranes.”
ICF’s suggested solution to combat crop damage is to fund a seed corn additive called Avipel, which claims to cause digestive issues in cranes and other birds. Farmers would apply Avipel to seed corn and the birds would learn to avoid it, according to the Avipel website.
A recent poll suggested that only one in five people support a crane hunt but the Wisconsin Waterfowl Association, Wisconsin Wildlife Federation and the farm groups represented on the committee all support a hunt.
Ross Bielema is a freelance writer from New London and owner of Wolf River Concealed Carry LLC. Contact him at Ross@wolfriverccw.com
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