by Benjamin Yount
Add one of Wisconsin’s largest hunting groups to the list of people upset at Gov. Tony Evers’ latest vetoes.
Hunter Nation on Friday said the governor turned his back on hunters in the state by vetoing three proposed laws that would have given people more opportunity to get into the field or out on the water.
“Gov. Evers has sent a clear message that he simply doesn’t care about Wisconsin’s outdoor traditions and would rather partner with anti-hunting groups to trample our long-held traditions,” Hunter Nation CEO Luke Hilgemann said.
Evers vetoed three plans.
SB 609 would have increased 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. Evers said he scuttled the plan because lawmakers did not provide enough money to manage the pheasant expansion.
SB 612 would have set a minimum number of 100,000 brook trout that would be required to be raised by the DNR. The governor vetoed this plan because he said it lacked “evidence and science-based practices and processes.”
SB 563 would have given Wisconsin hunters the opportunity to hunt nonnative bovids like bison, buffalo, elk, and goats, some of which are already being raised on Wisconsin game farms. The governor said in his veto message that he vetoed the plan to keep more nonnative animals out of Wisconsin.
“Hunting is a proud part of Wisconsin’s heritage, and I support ethical hunting based on the principle of a fair chase,” Evers wrote in his veto message.
“This governor is no friend to the hunters, anglers, and trappers of Wisconsin who contribute billions to our state economy every year. Hunter Nation will be there to remind this critical voting bloc of this fact come November,” Hilgemann said.
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Benjamin Yount contributes to The Center Square.
