By Paul A. Smith of the Journal Sentinel
A group of Wisconsin hunters opposed to the use of dogs to hunt wolves has added its voice to a lawsuit in Dane County Circuit Court.
The group, described as a dozen life-long hunters, received permission Tuesday to file a legal brief in a lawsuit attempting to stop the use of dogs to hunt wolves in Wisconsin.
“Mainstream Wisconsin hunters are concerned that the lack of reasonable rules currently governing the use and training of dogs to hunt wolves will interfere with established deer, turkey, grouse and other hunts,” said Henry Koltz, an attorney representing a group of Wisconsin hunters, in a statement issued Tuesday. “Any interference with Wisconsin’s established hunts has the possibility to negatively impact thousands of Wisconsin jobs and the reported $1 billion economic impact of hunting in Wisconsin. We strongly recommend that DNR approve reasonable restrictions on the use of dogs for wolf hunting in order to protect Wisconsin jobs and preserve Wisconsin landowners’ rights.”
The group’s brief is in support of a lawsuit filed in August against the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and Natural Resources Board. The lawsuit seeks to stop the DNR from authorizing the use of dogs to hunt wolves without the regulations necessary to “prevent deadly confrontations between dogs and wolves.”
Wisconsin is the only state in the country that allows the use of dogs to hunt wolves.
Although the use of dogs to hunt wolves has been barred on a temporary basis under a ruling by Dane County Circuit Court Judge Peter A. Anderson, defendants are seeking to vacate the court’s earlier ruling and asking that dogs be allowed for wolf hunting and training purposes this season.
In opposition, plaintiffs, a federation of over 40 humane societies from across Wisconsin as well as private citizens and conservation organizations, will be asking the judge to find that DNR’s rule violates Wisconsin law by failing to include restrictions to prevent deadly physical encounters between dogs and wolves and will be seeking a permanent injunction until such restrictions are implemented.
The Wisconsin wolf hunting and trapping season opened Oct. 15. The DNR set the statewide wolf harvest quota at 201 wolves, 85 of which are reserved for tribal hunters.
Seventy-two wolves had been taken through Tuesday morning, according to the DNR.
According to the statement released Tuesday, the hunting group includes members in a 700-acre hunting camp in Bayfield County. They support restrictions on the use of dogs for wolf hunting, contending that unleashed dogs in pursuit of wolves will trespass upon their lands, disrupt habitat, and degrade their hunting experience.
“Whether we are hunting, hiking or just enjoying the forest, we don’t want our space disrupted by packs of dogs,” said Bobbi Rongstad of Saxon, who hunts deer with rifle and bow on private lands she owns in Bayfield and Iron counties, in the statement. “By allowing unrestricted, year-round training of dogs on wolves across much of the state—before, during and after the hunting season—DNR is not being fair to the majority of Wisconsin hunters.”
The statement also included this quote from Jeff Baylis of Cross Plains, described as a life-long deer and small game hunter:
“Dogs know no boundaries and are out of their owners control for much of the time. Besides leading to trespass situations and conflicts with landowners, DNR’s failure to set limits on running dogs on wolves will drive wildlife from the areas that I hunt and disrupt my hunting enjoyment. While there is some logic to using dogs on animals that can be treed, wolves cannot be treed but instead will be cornered by a dog pack, which is likely to be a bloody, violent and cruel business.”
The Tuesday statement did not list all the group members.
In early October, hunting organizations U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation, Safari Club International, the Wisconsin Bear Hunters Association and United Sportsmen of Wisconsin filed a motion to intervene in the lawsuit on behalf of the DNR.
Jeremy Rine, attorney for the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation, said the group hopes to assist the DNR in the case by providing additional information from hunters who use dogs.
A hearing on the parties’ cross-motions is scheduled for Dec. 20.