A committee consisting of legislators, farmers, and conservationists in Wisconsin is gearing up for its first meeting in August to discuss strategies for managing the state’s sandhill crane population. The 12-member Study Committee on Sandhill Cranes, under the Joint Legislative Council, will convene on August 1 at the Horicon Marsh State Wildlife Area.
The Joint Legislative Council, comprising the Legislature’s attorneys, forms committees to address various issues every even-numbered year with the intention of proposing legislative changes in the subsequent session. The focus of the sandhill crane committee is to devise methods for regulating the population of sandhill cranes in Wisconsin and mitigating the damage they cause to crops, potentially by seeking approval for a hunting season.
Sandhill cranes, which number in the tens of thousands across Wisconsin, either breed in the state or migrate through during spring and fall, reports the International Crane Foundation. These birds are known to consume germinating corn seeds post-spring planting, leading to substantial crop damage. Several states such as Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Texas, and Wyoming already have annual sandhill crane hunting seasons, as indicated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Although a bill proposing a sandhill crane hunt was introduced by Wisconsin lawmakers in 2021, it did not progress to a floor vote. The study committee is chaired by Assembly Representative Paul Tittl, who was the primary sponsor of the bill. The International Crane Foundation is against hunting sandhill cranes due to their slow reproduction rate, raising concerns that hunters might inadvertently target endangered whooping cranes. The foundation advocates for farmers to treat their seeds with non-toxic chemical deterrents to prevent bird-related crop damage.
