Wisconsin lawmakers are again debating whether to allow a sandhill crane hunt, reviving a long-running fight between farmers seeking relief from crop losses and conservationists worried about the birds’ survival.
During a Senate sporting heritage committee hearing Wednesday, supporters argued the proposal would give hunters new opportunities while helping growers hit hardest by cranes feeding on freshly planted corn. The measure marks the third attempt since 2012 to authorize a hunt for a species some hunters call the “ribeye of the sky.”
Backers point to long-standing flyway management guidelines that open the door to a hunt once population levels rise. Rep. Paul Tittl, R-Manitowoc, noted that the eastern sandhill crane population now exceeds 100,000, saying, “This is a well-thought-out proposal to address relief to farmers and promote new opportunities for hunters,” according to Wisconsin Public Radio.
The bill would also reimburse farmers for half the cost of a seed treatment that deters cranes, though a proposed amendment from Sen. Rob Stafsholt, R-New Richmond, would cut those reimbursements and reduce fee increases meant to fund wildlife damage claims. (RELATED: Government Shutdown is Over – Here’s How Wisconsin’s Congressmen Voted)
Opponents warned the legislation would do little to reduce losses and could threaten other species. Anne Lacy of the International Crane Foundation said a hunt risks the federally endangered whooping crane, which has been mistakenly shot in Wisconsin and other states. “This proposal comes on the heels of unprecedented outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza…posing a significant and novel risk to the stability of crane populations worldwide,” she said.
Even if federal regulators approve a hunt, any season would be limited to fall to avoid nesting periods, a timing that DNR game bird specialist Taylor Finger said would have “very little impact” on spring crop damage. Roughly 200 farmers report crane-related losses each year — up to $2 million annually — but they cannot qualify for state wildlife damage aid without an authorized hunt.
Supporters note that 17 states already allow sandhill crane hunts. Wisconsin farmers with depredation permits kill up to 1,300 cranes each year, though the carcasses must be left in the field. Ducks Unlimited’s Tim Andryk argued that practice wastes a valuable resource, saying, “They are such good eating that people that are opposed to hunting them, I think they’re opposed primarily because they’ve not eaten one.”
A 2023 survey funded by the International Crane Foundation found only 17 percent of nearly 2,800 respondents supported a Wisconsin season. Last year, hunters in Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee — the only states that currently hunt the eastern population — killed 1,311 cranes.
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