Background: The Wisconsin State Senate passed a bill allowing hunters to carry uncased and unloaded long guns, bows and crossbows in vehicles. Read the full story…

YES 33%  |  NO 50% |  MAYBE 8%  |  UNDECIDED 0%  |  OTHER 8%

IMPRESSIONS: 407   |   RESPONSES: 12 |   COMMENTS: 3

Background: Wisconsin bowhunters registered more than 41,000 bucks last season. That’s the fourth highest total on record and just about half the total number of bucks taken by gun hunters last year. Bowhunters continue to score on bucks, even when gun hunters struggle. Read the complete story…

YES 10% |  NO 90% |  MAYBE 0%  |  UNDECIDED 0%  |  OTHER %

IMPRESSIONS: 320  |   RESPONSES: 10|   COMMENTS: 1

Instant Survey: Should the  Youth Hunt, Learn to Hunt and Mentored Hunt be consolidated into one New Hunter Opportunity with one set of rules?

Background: Are youth hunting opportunities getting too complicated to keep track of? Currently, Wisconsin offers three special hunts for youth and novice hunters.

1. Youth Hunts for spring turkey, waterfowl and deer precede the regular open season and allow hunters ages 12-15 who are Hunter Education graduates to hunt with adult supervision and with no competition from older hunters.

2. Learn To Hunt (LTH) events for most game species may be scheduled at any time during the year. LTH events involve four hours of training, hands-on shooting, and a one- or two-day hunt that pairs a novice hunter of any age with a mentor who has at least five years experience hunting the species in question. Hunter education is not required prior to participating.

3. The Mentored Hunt program allows any novice hunter age 10 or older to hunt any species during the regular season for that species under the close supervision of a licensed adult hunter. Only one weapon is allowed, and the mentor must remain within arm’s reach or the hunter.

Should Wisconsin’s spring turkey regulations be changed to allow a hunter to buy one permit and hunt anywhere in the state during a six-week spring season?

YES 100% |  NO 0%  |  MAYBE 0%  |  UNDECIDED 0%  |  OTHER %

IMPRESSIONS: 509 |   RESPONSES: 5 |   COMMENTS: 0

Instant Survey: Should hunters without a bear kill tag be allowed to train dogs during the bear hunting season?

Background:

State Assembly Bill 371 would allow hunters without a bear kill tag to train bear-hunting dogs during the hunting season; would allow a Class B license holder to serve as a “backup shooter;” would eliminate the back-tag requirement for Class B license holders; and would create a free weekend (no license needed) for bear dog training in August.

Read Paul Smith’s article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on the Feb. 11 public hearing on this bill.

YES 64% |  NO 18% |  MAYBE 9% |  UNDECIDED 9% |  OTHER %

IMPRESSIONS: 402   |   RESPONSES: 11 |   COMMENTS: 1

Instant Survey: Should Wisconsin’s spring turkey regulations be changed to allow a hunter to buy one permit and hunt anywhere in the state during a six-week spring season?

[Background on POLL s507]

Background:State Senate Bill 481, introduced by Sen. Jim Holperin, would eliminate the lottery system for allotting permits and the six separate hunting periods. Instead, hunters would purchase a turkey permit and hunt in any part of the state any time during the season.

Dan spoke with State Senator Glenn Grothman on Feb. 9. Grothman, a co-signer of the bill, said he was taking his name off the bill. He spoke with Sen. Holperin’s office and learned that most of the feedback they have received so far is against the bill. Sen. Grothman told Dan “It’s dead.”

That may be true, but you can bet someone will raise the issue again. The proper place for discussing regulations changes as sweeping as this is during the Spring Fish & Game Hearings. And we would like to hear what DNR upland game ecologist Scott Hull thinks of the proposal.

Read the history of the bill – download a copy – see for yourself.

Let us know what you think.