If It's Brown, It's Down

Would it be possible to NOT have a hunting season for every animal that lives in Wisconsin?

I have to admit I was surprised that it took a whole week after gray wolves were removed from the endangered list in the state before some lawmaker proposed a hunting season on them.  I fully expected a bill to be introduced the same day--voted on--and passed so we can start getting our guns ready to shoot something else.

Representative Scott Suder is using the old "Hunting is the best way to control the population" argument for his wolf season.  Heaven forbid we actually let natural selection and the natural cycle of the wolf eco-system determine how many animals the state can support.  If a wolf is attacking your livestock or your dogs--fine, you can shoot them.  But do we really need thousands of people traipsing through the Northwoods shooting wolves in their natural habitat?

Another bill that will likely raise plenty of protest comes from Representative Joel Kleefisch, who wants a hunting season on sandhill cranes.  Here again, the argument is that cranes eat farmers' corn and there are a lot more of them around than there used to be--so we need to step in and start shooting them.

I give this measure ZERO chance of passing.  The International Crane Foundation is headquartered in Wisconsin and they are very opposed to idea.  They have concerns about hunters shooting endangered whooping cranes instead of sandhills--and when you consider that people have been killed here in Wisconsin because a fellow hunter thought they were a squirrel--they have a pretty good point.

Besides, the sandhills that I see (on golf courses or in my parents' retirement village in Florida) don't seem particulary skittish around people.  How much of a challenge would it be if you can walk up to about ten feet away from the bird and shoot it?

Hunters in Wisconsin already have dozens of species that they can hunt, trap and fish for already.  What do you say we let a few animals just live out their lives without being turned into dinner?