Madison, Wis. – The Wisconsin State Assembly held a public hearing today  on legislation that is  part of the Wisconsin Sporting Freedom Act. These bills would expand the enjoyment of our God-given natural resources, make it easier for more people to get involved in hunting and fishing, and recognize the positive contributions outdoorsmen and outdoorswomen make to our state’s economy and way of life.

Hunter Nation CEO, Luke Hilgemann, who testified at the hearing, highlighted the importance of passing the bills in the Wisconsin Sporting Freedom Act: “It’s time to prioritize our state’s hunters and hunting resources to make sure that our heritage is preserved. If we do not adapt our hunting traditions to match the realities of today, our sport will be at risk. This package of commonsense bills will modernize our system and make it easier for our heritage to survive for generations to come, and for our state to embrace the economic and community benefits hunting brings to Wisconsin.”

Today’s hearing provided oversight on bills that include:

Pheasant Management Bill 

• This bill would increase the minimum number of pheasants being planted to 200,000 and would improve the identification of the properties where the pheasants are planted, increasing access to hunting.

Turkey Hunting Simplification Bill

• This bill would modify administrative rules relating to the hunting of wild turkeys to combine hunting zones and seasons to just two zones and two seasons (down from the complicated and restrictive six seasons that makes it difficult for many hunters to participate), and to modify youth hunting restrictions.

Dog Training Bill 

• This bill would require the DNR to make available on the Go Wild website dog training licenses. Currently, this license is not available there and that makes it harder for hunters to comply.

DNR Rule Making Bill

• This bill would require the DNR to repeal three existing rules relating to hunting, fishing, or trapping, for every new rule they propose.