29.184(3)(br)1.
1. Assist a holder of a Class A bear license in hunting bear by tracking bear, trailing bear or otherwise engaging in an activity that contributes to locating bear and that is authorized by rule by the department.
29.184(3)(br)1m.
1m. Pursue a bear, provided that the licensee does not shoot, shoot at, capture, take, or kill the bear, except as provided under
subd. 4.
29.184(3)(br)3.
3. Train a dog to track bear, to trail bear or to otherwise engage in an activity that contributes to locating bear and that is authorized by rule by the department.
29.184(3)(br)4.
4. Shoot, for the purpose of killing, a bear that was shot, but not killed, by a Class A bear license holder if the Class B bear license holder was hunting in the same hunting party as the Class A bear license holder at the point of kill, if the Class A bear license holder possesses a current unused bear carcass tag that is authorized for use on the bear killed, and if killing the bear is necessary to protect the safety of the members of the hunting party or others.
29.184(3)(c)
(c)
Type of hunting authorized. A Class A bear license authorizes hunting with a firearm, bow and arrow, or crossbow.
29.184(3m)
(3m) Open season requirements. If the department establishes an open season that includes a period during which a Class A bear license holder is allowed to hunt bear with the use of a dog, the department shall allow a Class B bear license holder to engage in the activities specified in
sub. (3) (br) 3. during that period.
29.184(5)(a)(a) A person under the age of 16 years may engage in the activities authorized under
sub. (3) (br) 1. to
4. without holding a Class B bear license.
29.184(5)(b)
(b) If a disabled person holds either a Class A or a Class B bear license, a person who accompanies and assists the disabled person may engage in the activities authorized under
sub. (3) (br) 1. to
4. without holding a Class B bear license.
29.184(5)(c)
(c) Any person may engage in the activities authorized under
sub. (3) (br) 1. to
4. during the 3rd Saturday in August and the immediately following Sunday without holding a Class B bear license.
29.184(6)(a)(a)
Application. A person who seeks a Class A or Class B bear hunting license shall apply to the department.
29.184(6)(b)
(b) Cumulative preference system; random selection. If the number of qualified applications for Class A bear licenses exceeds the number of available licenses, the department shall select applicants to be issued Class A bear licenses based upon a cumulative preference system. This system shall establish preference categories for those applicants who applied for but who were not issued Class A bear licenses or bear harvest permits under s.
29.1085 (3) (b), 1993 stats., in the previous season, with higher priority given to those categories with more preference points than those with fewer preference points. For each season, the department shall allow each applicant under the system to apply for a preference point or for a license. The department shall give a preference point to each applicant who applies for a preference point and to each applicant who applies for a license but who is not selected. Applicants who fail to apply for either a preference point or a license at least once during any 3 consecutive years shall lose all previously accumulated preference points. If the number of applicants within a preference category exceeds the number of Class A bear licenses available in the category, the department shall select at random the applicants to be issued licenses within the preference category. Beginning on April 18, 2002, an applicant for a preference point must meet all of the following requirements on the first day of the bear hunting season that immediately follows the date of application:
29.184(6)(b)1.
1. The applicant is at least 10 years old. If the applicant is under 12 years of age, the applicant is subject to the restrictions specified under
s. 29.592.
29.184(6)(b)2.
2. The applicant is eligible for an approval authorizing hunting.
29.184(6)(c)1g.1g. A person who applies for a preference point or a license under
par. (a) shall pay the processing fee under
s. 29.553 at the time of application.
29.184(6g)
(6g) Issuance of additional Class A bear licenses. 29.184(6g)(a)(a) In addition to any other Class A bear hunting license that the department issues under this section, the department shall issue 2 certificates for Class A bear hunting licenses in a Class A bear hunting season to an organization known as the Wisconsin Bear Hunters' Association, Inc., if the organization applies for the certificates for that season.
29.184(6g)(b)
(b) The organization known as the Wisconsin Bear Hunters' Association, Inc., shall award one of the certificates that is issued under
par. (a) as a prize in a raffle conducted by a subunit of the organization that is licensed to conduct raffles under
ch. 563 and shall award the other to the person who places the highest bid in a public auction.
29.184(6g)(c)
(c) The organization known as the Wisconsin Bear Hunters' Association, Inc., shall transfer the certificate awarded under
par. (b) only to persons who are qualified to receive a Class A bear hunting license. A person who receives a certificate may present that certificate to the department and request a resident or nonresident Class A bear hunting license. Upon receipt of the certificate and the appropriate required fees, the department shall issue the holder of the certificate a resident or nonresident Class A bear hunting license and the carcass tag and back tag under
subs. (8) and
(9).
29.184(6g)(d)
(d) If the organization known as the Wisconsin Bear Hunters' Association, Inc., fails to transfer the certificates under
par. (c), the certificates shall become invalid.
29.184(6g)(e)
(e) The organization known as the Wisconsin Bear Hunters' Association, Inc., shall use the proceeds from the raffle and auction under
par. (b) in this state to promote bear management and education and to further bear research.
29.184(6g)(f)
(f) A person may be issued under
par. (c) only one Class A bear hunting license in his or her lifetime, and the Class A bear hunting license shall be valid for only one Class A bear hunting season. The issuance under
par. (c) of a license to the person is subject to
s. 29.024 (2g).
29.184(7)
(7) Use of fees. Fees received from the issuance of licenses under this section shall be paid into the conservation fund to be used for administering bear licenses and for bear management activities.
29.184(8)(a)(a) The department shall issue a bear carcass tag to each person who is issued a Class A bear license. Except as provided under
par. (b) and
s. 29.349 (2), a person who kills a bear shall immediately validate and attach the carcass tag to the bear. The carcass tag shall be attached and validated according to rules promulgated by the department.
29.184(8)(b)
(b) A person who kills a bear under
sub. (3) (br) 4. shall ensure that the person for whom the bear is killed attaches a current validated bear carcass tag in the manner provided under
par. (a).
29.184(9)(a)(a) The department shall issue a back tag to each person who is issued a Class A bear license.
29.184 Note
NOTE: Par. (a) was renumbered from s. 29.184 (9) (a) by
2011 Wis. Act 28 to s. 29.184 (9). Par. (a) is shown as renumbered back to s. 29.184 (9) (a) by the legislative reference bureau under s. 13.92 (1) (bm) 2.
29.184(9)(b)
(b) No person may hunt bear as authorized under a Class A bear license unless there is attached to the center of the person's coat, shirt, jacket, or similar outermost garment where it can clearly be seen the back tag issued to the person under
par. (a).
29.185
29.185
Wolf harvesting licenses. 29.185(1b)(a)
(a) "Federal endangered list" means the U.S. list of endangered and threatened species, as it applies to this state.
29.185(1b)(b)
(b) "State endangered list" means the list of endangered and threatened Wisconsin species that is established under
s. 29.604 (3) (a).
29.185(1m)
(1m) Department authority. If the wolf is not listed on the federal endangered list and is not listed on the state endangered list, the department shall allow the hunting and trapping of wolves and shall regulate such hunting and trapping as provided in this section and shall implement a wolf management plan. In regulating wolf hunting and trapping, the department may limit the number of wolf hunters and trappers and the number of wolves that may be taken by issuing wolf harvesting licenses.
29.185(2)(a)(a)
Prohibition. Except as authorized under a wolf harvesting license, no person may hunt or trap a wolf. Both residents and nonresidents are eligible for wolf harvesting licenses.
29.185(2)(b)
(b)
Resident archer licenses and trapping licenses. Notwithstanding
ss. 29.171 (2),
29.216 (2), and
29.241 (3), a resident archer hunting license, a nonresident archer hunting license, or a trapping license does not authorize the hunting or trapping of wolves.
29.185(3)(a)(a)
Issuance; generally. Except as provided in
par. (bn), if the department establishes an open season as provided under
sub. (5), the department, subject to
ss. 29.024 and
54.25 (2) (c) 1. d., shall issue a wolf harvesting license to each person who applies for the license, and who pays the required fees for the license.
29.185(3)(bn)1.1. In issuing wolf harvesting licenses under this subsection, the department shall determine the number of licenses that will be available for a given year. The number of licenses to be issued shall equal an even number.
29.185(3)(bn)2.
2. If the number of qualified applications for wolf harvesting licenses exceeds the number of licenses that are available, the department shall issue 50 percent of the licenses by selecting at random the applicants to be issued the licenses.
29.185(3)(bn)3.
3. The department shall issue the remaining 50 percent of the wolf harvesting licenses based on a cumulative preference system. The system shall establish preference categories for those applicants who applied for but who were not issued a wolf harvesting license in previous seasons, with higher preference given to those applicants with more preference points. If the number of applicants within a preference category exceeds the number of wolf harvesting licenses available in the category, the department shall select at random within the category the applicants to be issued the licenses. For each season, the department shall allow each applicant to apply for a preference point or for a license. The department shall give a preference point to each applicant who applies for a preference point and to each applicant who applies for a license but who is not selected. An applicant who applies for either a preference point or a license at least once during any 3 consecutive years shall not lose his or her acquired preference points under the system.
29.185(3)(bn)4.
4. The department shall establish a method for dividing the applications into those that will be included in the at-random system and those that will be included in the cumulative preference system.
29.185(3)(bn)5.
5. A person applying for a wolf harvesting license shall pay the processing fee at the time of application.
29.185(3)(c)
(c)
Preference system; on receipt of license. An applicant who is selected to receive a wolf harvesting license under the cumulative preference system established under
par. (bn) 3. may elect to receive a preference point instead of a license if he or she is serving on active duty in the U.S. armed forces or national guard during all or part of the wolf harvesting season for which the license is issued.
29.185(4)(a)(a) Upon application by a holder of a wolf harvesting license to the department to transfer the license to another person and upon payment of any fee required under
par. (b), the department shall transfer the license if the application is made no later than the 15 days immediately preceding the first day of the wolf harvesting season if the person to whom the license is transferred is at least 18 years of age and is otherwise eligible to use the license. The accompanying carcass tag shall also be transferred.
29.185(4)(b)
(b) If the holder of the wolf harvesting license is a resident and the holder applies to transfer the license to a nonresident, the holder shall pay, at the time of application, any difference between the fee for issuing the license to a resident and the fee for issuing the license to a nonresident.
29.185(4)(c)
(c) A holder of a license being transferred under this section may not receive any consideration for the transfer of the license.
29.185(5)(a)(a) The department shall establish a single annual open season for both hunting and trapping wolves that begins on October 15th of each year and ends on the last day of February of the following year.
29.185(5)(b)
(b) The department shall divide the entire state into wolf harvesting zones and shall identify the zones in its wolf management plan. Each zone shall be open to both hunting and trapping, except as provided in
par. (c). A wolf harvesting license authorizes its holder to hunt or trap or both only in the zone specified on the license.
29.185(5)(c)
(c) The department may close a wolf harvesting zone to both hunting and trapping of wolves if the department determines that the closure is necessary to effectively manage the state's wolf population. Closure of a wolf harvesting zone under this paragraph may not take effect until at least 24 hours after the department has done all of the following:
29.185(5)(c)1.
1. Posted notice of the closure on its Internet Web site.
29.185(5)(c)2.
2. Announced the closure on its telephone registration system.
29.185(5)(d)
(d) If the department closes a wolf harvesting zone to the hunting of coyotes during a season that authorizes hunting of deer with firearms, the department may reopen the zone to the hunting of coyotes if the department determines that the closure is no longer necessary to effectively manage the state's wolf population.
29.185(5)(e)
(e) Notwithstanding
ss. 29.014 and
227.10 (1), the opening and closing of wolf harvesting zones as authorized under
pars. (c) and
(d) need not be promulgated as rules under
ch. 227.
29.185(6)
(6) Authorized hunting and trapping activities. 29.185(6)(a)(a) Authorization; hunting. A wolf harvesting license authorizes the hunting of wolves by using any of the following:
29.185(6)(a)1.
1. A firearm, as authorized under
par. (b), a bow and arrow, or a crossbow.
29.185(6)(a)4.
4. Bait that does not involve animal parts or animal byproducts, other than liquid scents.
29.185(6)(b)
(b)
Firearms and ammunition. A wolf harvesting license authorizes hunting with a rifle, a muzzle-loading firearm, a handgun, a shotgun that fires slugs or shotshells, and any other firearm that is loaded with a single slug or ball. A wolf harvesting license authorizes hunting with shot that is larger than size BB.
29.185(6)(c)1.1. A person may hunt wolves using dogs beginning with the first Monday that follows the last day of the regular season that is open to hunting deer with firearms and ending on the last day of February of the following year.
29.185(6)(c)2.
2. No more than 6 dogs in a single pack may be used to trail or track a wolf, regardless of the number of hunters assisting the holder of the wolf harvesting license.
29.185(6)(d)
(d)
Hunting at night. A person may hunt wolves during nighttime beginning with the first Monday that follows the last day of the regular season that is open to hunting deer with firearms and ending on the last day of February of the following year.
29.185(6)(e)
(e)
Inapplicability of restrictions. A person who is hunting as authorized under a wolf harvesting license is not subject to any restrictions relating to hunting seasons, zones, or times that the department imposes on the hunting of coyote.
29.185(6)(f)
(f)
Trapping; types of traps. The types of traps that shall be authorized by the department for trapping wolves shall include cable restraints.
29.185(7)(a)(a) The department shall issue one wolf carcass tag to each person who is issued a wolf harvesting license under
sub. (3). Each holder of a wolf harvesting license who kills a wolf shall immediately validate and attach the carcass tag to the wolf. No person may possess, control, store, or transport a wolf carcass unless it is tagged as required under this paragraph. The carcass tag shall be attached and validated in the manner required by the department. A person who kills a wolf shall register the carcass with the department on a telephone registration system or through an electronic notification system established by the department, except as provided in
par. (am). The carcass tag may not be removed before registration. The removal of a carcass tag from a wolf before registration results in the wolf being untagged.
29.185(7)(am)
(am) In lieu of registering carcasses by telephone or through an electronic notification system, the department may require that the person who kills a wolf physically present the entire carcass to the department for registration.
29.185(7)(b)
(b) A person who harvests a wolf that has an attached or implanted radio telemetry device shall return the device to the department. The department shall inform the person, upon his or her request, of any information that has been collected through the telemetry device or otherwise by the department that relates that [to] the wolf that was harvested.
29.185 Note
NOTE: The correct word is shown in brackets. Corrective legislation is pending.
29.185 History
History: 2011 a. 169; s. 35.17 corrections in (3) (bn) 3. and (c) and (5) (c) (intro.).
