Cyclists, runners, hikers and skiers have launched a late surge to limit the expansion of hunting and trapping in state parks, set to take effect on Jan. 1
Outdoor enthusiasts pursuing non-lethal recreation have called on teammates and friends to petition the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, by a Friday deadline, and demand the agency impose tighter restrictions in implementing the Sporting Heritage Bill.
The Sierra Club John Muir Chapter also encouraged its members to make their case for safer recreation, without hunting, in state parks.
Comments to the board should be emailed to DNRWisconsinParks@Wisconsin.gov by Nov. 23, or mailed to Wisconsin State Parks – Act 168, PO Box 7921, Madison, WI., 53707-7921. The DNR Board will act on the department recommendations at its meeting Dec. 11 and 12.
The legislation signed into law in April opens all state parks to hunting and trapping, with limitations to be determined by the DNR Board of Directors. A preliminary recommendation allows hunting in nearly all state parks from Oct. 15 to the Thursday before Memorial Day weekend, prohibits hunting and trapping within 100 yards of a designated trail or recreation area and creates hunting-free zones in some high-use areas.
Skiers could encounter hunters and trappers near trails like this under the Sporting Heritage Bill. Photo by Mike Healy
DNR staff touted the approach as one that balanced the interests of hunters and non-hunters who share access to the state parks.
A number of silent sports enthusiasts disagree, and voiced objections at a series of listening sessions around the state.
The Sierra Club called the expanded hunting a threat to hikers, bikers and others who enjoy the parks year-round.
“Non-hunters are not required to wear blaze orange, and the potential for a tragic accident or a conflict is real,” the group said in a letter to members. “Additional restrictions should be considered, especially in Wisconsin’s smallest state parks and parks that are located near urban areas. Other ideas for reducing risk include limiting the number of hunters allowed in any given state park, and further narrowing the time of day or year when hunting is allowed.”
The Door County Silent Sports Alliance called for parks in that tourist-based area to be off-limits for hunters.
“To us, common sense makes a lot of sense on this topic,” said Bob Richards, vice president of the Alliance. “To us, adding small game seasons in these parks during the height of the winter sports season and into the early spring makes little or no sense at all.”
Richards and others said the extended hunting in state parks would create hazards for mountain bikers and cross-country skiers, who ride and glide year-round. The 100-yard buffer zone around the trails they use provides little safety from stray bullets that could travel much greater distances.
State Rep. Gary Bies (R-Sister Bay), one of the sponsors of the Sporting Heritage Bill, also sought to curb the hunting season recommendations proposed by DNR staff.
Bies asked that the hunting season in state parks in Door County be limited to Nov. 1 to April 30, to lessen the conflicts on the trails and threaten the tourism draw for the area.
In a letter to the DNR, the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin pressed the agency to give parks managers more authority to impose hunting restrictions at the local level. Their request asked that state parks managers allow hunting and trapping in the park based on local demand, limit the location of hunting and trapping within the park, limit the number of hunters and trappers within the park and limit the time of day and year when hunting is allowed.
Under the Sporting Heritage Bill, those decisions would be left to the DNR Board of Directors. Prohibiting or restricting hunting in a state park – Blue Mound or Peninsula, for example – would require a majority vote of the board.
James Broennimann, a skier, bicyclist and member of the Hollander Benelux Racing Team in Milwaukee, also argued that local control would be a better approach.
“The four or five main parks I ski, hike, and ride at have amazing park staff and I feel they have the best interest in mind for the majority of people utilizing the park, however I’d feel way more comfortable if they had the control to make decisions about restrictions on the park they manage,” Broennimann wrote on the team web page. “So what does this mean…it means I’m going to write a letter and make my voice heard and will most likely pick out some blaze orange for my ski gear this year.”
The Sierra Club John Muir Chapter also encouraged its members to make their case for safer recreation, without hunting.
“Non-hunters are not required to wear blaze orange, and the potential for a tragic accident or a conflict is real,” the group said in a letter to members. “Additional restrictions should be considered, especially in Wisconsin’s smallest state parks and parks that are located near urban areas. Other ideas for reducing risk include limiting the number of hunters allowed in any given state park, and further narrowing the time of day or year when hunting is allowed.”
