Two Sandhill Cranes in a snowy Door County field, March 25, 2024. PC: Fox 11 Online
(WTAQ-WLUK) — As sandhill cranes continue to return to Wisconsin for the season, the species is once again in the legislative spotlight.
Lawmakers are weighing a new bill which could allow for a hunting season for the migratory bird.
“We’ve tried to incorporate as much as we possibly can to help people to understand that this is about game management. This is not about just wanting to shoot something out of the sky,” said State Rep. Paul Tittl, R-Manitowoc, who chaired a 2024 Legislative Council Study Committee on Sandhill Cranes.
A major reason for proposing a sandhill crane hunting season is so the state can better support farmers. Sandhill cranes feed on newly-planted corn and other crops.
Documents from the study committee on sandhill cranes show the birds caused damages of around $1.9 million to Wisconsin farms in 2023.
Under the proposed bill, farmers could be reimbursed up to 50% of the cost for seed treatment to deter cranes from eating the crop.
It’s this portion of the bill that has the backing of Democrats like State Sen. Jamie Wall, who represents Green Bay. What Wall cannot support right now is the hunting season itself, citing worries over hunters harvesting whooping cranes, which are endangered.
“I do think we don’t have any whooping cranes to lose and we’re kind of putting them in danger if we move toward a hunting season for the sandhills,” said Wall.
The proposed bill would require people to complete a free sandhill crane hunter education program before participating in the hunting season.
“To educate people so they do understand,” said Tittl.
The International Crane Foundation sent a statement, saying it is “disappointed by the legislature’s continued attempts to tie crop damage relief for farmers to a Sandhill Crane hunt, which is a widely unpopular proposal for the people of the state.”
If the bill were to be passed and signed into law, a sandhill crane hunting season would need to be approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Mississippi and Atlantic Flyway councils.
Then, if given full approval, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and state DNR would first start with a 3-4 year long experimental season to evaluate rules and regulations.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service does not have a population breakdown by state, but rather does so by region. The eastern population region, which includes Wisconsin, was estimated to have more than 100,000 sandhill cranes in 2023.
“We have a thriving, thriving population,” said Tittl.
If sandhill crane hunting were allowed, Wisconsin farmers could apply for compensation for agricultural damage caused by the cranes.
This bill would raise the wildlife damage surcharge that is on most state hunting approvals. The surcharge helps fund the damage compensation program.
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