This summer, state lawmakers will lead a committee to review and recommend options for sandhill crane management in Wisconsin, possibly to include a hunting season for the species.
The Legislative Council’s Sandhill Crane Study Committee is scheduled to begin meeting in July, said committee chair Rep. Paul Tittl (R-Manitowoc).
The group “will examine demographic trends and determine whether any changes to state law would effectively address the incidence and consequences of crop damage caused by sandhill cranes in this state,” according to the committee’s description.
His charge includes recommending “legislation to manage the sandhill crane population and address the agricultural impact of sandhill cranes.”
As part of its review of policy options, the committee may consider whether the Department of Natural Resources should seek federal approval to establish a sandhill crane hunting season.
But Tittl said it would be a “deep dive” and would also consider options other than hunting to provide funding to farmers suffering crop losses from cranes.
In addition to Tittl, the sandhill crane study committee will include Vice Chair Sen. Romaine Quinn (R-Cameron), Rep. Dave Considine (D-Baraboo), Sen. Mark Spreitzer (D-Beloit) and likely eight members public, mostly representatives of conservation groups, wildlife and farmers.
Tittl said he reviewed the applications and recommended eight public members on May 21; the requests were approved for review and likely approval by the Republican-led Wisconsin Joint Legislative Council.
The sandhill crane committee is one of five Legislative Council study committees scheduled for this summer. A handful of these committees, selected by the Joint Legislative Council, meet in even years.
Sandhill crane numbers have increased substantially in Wisconsin in recent decades. In fall 2022, 61,098 sandhills were counted in Wisconsin, part of the species’ eastern population of 107,140 birds, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The eastern population count was conducted in 10 states and two Canadian provinces. Wisconsin forms the core of the eastern population’s breeding range and typically has the largest number of cranes of any state or province in the region.
In recent years, cranes have caused about $1 million in damage to crops in Wisconsin each year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Most of it occurs in spring on newly planted corn, but potato and bean growers also report losses later in the year.
However, the state currently has no program to compensate farmers for losses caused by sandhill cranes.
The sandhill crane is currently protected in the state. In addition to approval from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a hunting season would require the Legislature to approve and the governor to sign a bill allowing sandhill crane hunting in Wisconsin.
Under current laws, farmers who suffer damage to their crops can shoot sandhills on their property after obtaining a federal permit, but they cannot eat or use the carcasses. According to the USDA, about 1,000 cranes are killed each year under federal depredation permits in Wisconsin.
If state law were changed to allow a sandhill crane hunting season, farmers would be eligible to receive compensation for crop damage caused by cranes.
Three states in the Mississippi Flyway have fall or winter sandhill crane hunting seasons: Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee. In the 2021-22 hunting season, states reported a harvest of 835 sandhills, according to the USFWS.
However, the Wisconsin Legislature failed to advance two bills seeking to allow sandbank hunting, one in 2011 and the other introduced by Tittl in 2021. The lack of support for the bills is notable, as they were written by Republicans in Republican-controlled legislatures. .
A December study by the University of Wisconsin Polling Center found that 17% of state residents would support a sandhill crane hunting season, while 48% opposed the idea.
The work, funded by the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo and the UW-Madison Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, was the first controlled, science-based look at public support for crane hunting in the state. It surveyed 2,769 members of the UWSC WisconSays survey panel.
The panel is chosen to match Wisconsin’s population in terms of economic status, education, race, gender, political leanings, party affiliation, place of residence and other factors. It launched in 2023 and has panelists in all 72 counties in Wisconsin.
A statewide advisory question at the 2017 Wisconsin Conservation Congress spring hearings, an open process and not a controlled study, showed limited support (2,349 votes in favor and 2,049 against) for an arena hunt. The Wisconsin Waterfowl Association and the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation are known to support crane hunting.
The Wisconsin Corn Growers Association, Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation and Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Association also registered in favor of the 2021 sandhill crane hunting bill.
Animal Wellness Action and the Wisconsin chapter of the Sierra Club registered against the proposal.
It’s unclear whether political support among lawmakers has changed over the past two years regarding a possible crane hunting season.
Other points the committee will likely review: Would a limited fall hunting season reduce crop damage from sandhills? How much funding would a hunting season raise to support farmers? How much could be raised to support farmers from other potential funding sources?
Dave Scott, a representative of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said that based on recent population levels, Wisconsin could offer a maximum of about 5,100 sandhill crane hunting permits, but would likely offer fewer if it were carried out. an experimental season.
Hunting would be carried out by special permit and the season could last a maximum of 60 days between September 1 and January 31. Additionally, any sand hunting proposals would have to address concerns about whooping cranes and be designed to try to limit or avoid conflicts. with birds in danger of extinction.
Tittl, a hunter and representative of a district with a significant number of agricultural producers, said he had been following crane issues for at least 10 years and sought the opportunity to chair the Sandhill study committee.
“I’ve heard about farmers in my area who are experiencing damage to their crops,” Tittl said. “And right now we don’t have any programs to help them.”
Tittl said the study committee would allow for a comprehensive view of all aspects of the sandhill crane population and possible management tactics, including non-lethal means such as the Avipel treatment of corn kernels and possible funding sources unrelated to a season. hunting.
The committee will be composed of attorneys or analysts and an administrative assistant from the nonpartisan staff of the Legislative Council.
Tittl said he hopes the committee will be “very balanced.”
“I didn’t select members of the public to make it a sure bet,” Tittl said. “If we get to the end of this and a hunt doesn’t seem right or necessary or the way to go, I’m fine with that. I’m a hunter, but I’m not going into this with any predetermined goal.” result. “I want us to find the best possible solutions.”
Public members not only participate in meetings and provide their perspective on issues, but they also vote on proposals aimed at solving problems. As such, the opinions of members of the public may determine the committee’s recommendations.
Public members do not receive payment for their participation on study committees, but are entitled to reimbursement for certain travel expenses, including mileage, parking, meals, and overnight stays, if necessary.
Because the selections were not finalized during the interview, Tittl did not reveal the names of the potential public members.
He said the committee is likely to meet four times, the first in July, and finalize its recommendations in early November.
Tittl said he hoped the committee’s first meeting would be a field trip to Horicon Marsh.
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