Wisconsin’s sportsmen largely support increased hunting, fishing and trapping fees, but a 50% increase is too much, according to results of the combined Conservation Congress and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources spring hearings and online survey of 44 questions.
The April 13 hearings in all 72 counties, which also included a two-day online survey, took the DNR about two weeks to compile, according to the April 28 date on the news release at the DNR website.
The public’s responses help the Natural Resources Board make decisions that in theory satisfy a majority of sportsmen, nature lovers and other recreationists.
A series of questions asked about support for increasing license fees to account for the 66% inflation rate over the past 22 years (57 counties said yes, 13 said no and two counties tied).
Locally, 129 of those who recreate in Shawano County said yes, 101 said no and six had no opinion. Oconto County recreationists voted 200 yes, 201 no and 13 no opinion. The question was unclear on whether this was support for a 66% increase in fees.
The survey also offered several options for license fee increases, including 25%, 50% and 75% license hikes, as well as a 0.125% sales tax increase to fund conservation programs. Sportsmen supported a 25% license fee hike in 67 counties, with four counties against and one a tie. When the hike was a 50% increase, just 28 counties saw majority support, with 38 counties against and six tying. The 75% hike saw 65 counties against, six for and one a tie.
Shawano County recreationists supported the 25% license hike, 163-67, with five having no opinion. Oconto County sportsmen supported it 247-154, with 11 having no opinion.
Shawano and Oconto county recreationists rejected the 50% hike plan, voting 129-99 and 237-159 against, respectively.
The 0.125% sales tax increase to support conservation programs (similar to Minnesota and Missouri) received support from 71 counties, with one tie. This Conservation Congress advisory question was virtually the same as the 0.125% sales tax increase suggestion by the DNR, which received support from 70 counties, with one against and one tie. Shawano and Oconto sportsmen supported both versions.
All counties supported plans to eliminate North and South zones for shooting hours and also changing the deadline for registering deer from 5-11:59 p.m. the day after the deer is harvested.
Other results include:
• Seventy-county support of increases from $5.25 to $10 for turkey stamps and 69-county support of an increase from $10 to $16 for inland trout stamps.
• Strong opposition (60-10) to requiring registration fees for non-motorized watercraft (canoes, kayaks and paddleboards) to support outdoor recreational activities. Despite the opposition, Conservation Congress officially advanced it. Paul Reith of Madison, chairman of Wisconsin Conservation Congress, said testimony at the group’s May 15-16 convention supported the measure and the idea of a mandatory or voluntary registration fee for silent sports watercraft remains on the table. Funding for parks maintenance remains an issue and paddlers are user-consumers of those facilities, he noted.
• A plan to charge an access fee for all users of public lands (similar to the state parks sticker) that would apply to fishery, wildlife and state natural areas received a slight majority vote statewide, 2,571-2,457. On a county level, it was rejected 37-32, with tie votes in three counties. Conservation Congress rejected this idea.
• Hunting bobcats at night with the use of calls was rejected 37-32, with the statewide vote 2,895- 2,104 against. Shawano and Oconto county recreationists supported the idea, 146-94 and 208-171, respectively.
• A plan to have a single starting date statewide for cottontail rabbit season, on the Saturday nearest Sept. 15 (rather than separate North and South Zone opening dates), received unanimous 72-0 approval. The total vote in support was 3,719-805.
• There was strong support for an underwater catfish spearfishing season, May 4 to Oct. 15 in all waters currently open to underwater spearfishing. The counties vote was 61-6, and the statewide vote was 2,249-1,490. Shawano and Oconto county sportsmen backed it.
• Using trained hounds to track or harry offending wolves received widespread support, with a 66-5 vote. The individual vote was 3,234-1,569, Shawano and Oconto county sportsmen supported the plan.
• Sportsmen strongly support allowing disabled hunters to leave a single ground blind or tree stand overnight on public land south of Highway 64 but strongly rejected the same idea for other hunters on all state-owned property. The vote was 71 in favor of the first measure, with a tie in the other county. On the second measure, the vote was 49-16 against, with seven ties.
Numerous studies have shown that most tree stand injuries occur when hunters are erecting or taking down their stands, and the current law requires all tree stands and ground blinds to be removed from public lands south of Highway 64 one hour after shooting time ends and can be installed one hour before shooting time. Hunters north of Highway 64 are allowed to leave overnight no more than two portable stands or blinds per county. Oconto County recreationists supported the idea of overnight stands for all hunters, but Shawano County hunters didn’t.
Ross Bielema is a freelance writer from New London and owner of Wolf River Concealed Carry LLC. Contact him at Ross@wolfriverccw.com.
