I submitted the resolution today , this is how I worded it if anyone else wants to submit it for their county.




Extending Raccoon and Coyote seasons to have better effect for nesting game birds and nuisance management.


studies are showing that late winter and early spring removal of nest raiding predators benefits nesting birds. Fur prices are at or near record lows , there is little incentive to harvest raccoon at these prices and they are a significant nest predator. Coyote Hunting season is already open year round state wide. Making Raccoon hunting season open year round to match as well as extending trapping of Raccoon and Coyote from Feb 15th till March 31 on all lands would provide tools to help maintain habitat as well as remove agricultural nuisance raccoons and coyote. as well as allowing landowners to designate a licensed trapper to control nuisance wildlife species on their lands during the closed season. under current law if I do not live at my cousins farm I can not hunt or trap raccoon when they become a nuisance out of season. The standard for off farm/property help to assist is set with WI 29.337-2 that land owners may allow any individual they give permission to use box traps to take nuisance animals from their land at any time , allowing licensed trappers to use the same traps the landowner is already authorized to use to take the same species of nuisance animals simply extends the ability of off farm family and friends to assist.



Do you support extending the raccoon hunting season to year round to match coyote as well as extending trapping of raccoon and coyote to March 31st of each year and allow land owners to designate a licensed trapper to trap nuisance wildlife using the same traps the landowner may use already?


https://deltawaterfowl.org/predator-management/

https://www.nwtf.org/content-hub/research-examines-overlap-between-predation-and-nesting-habitat

Do you really think that trappers or hunters are going to go out and kill coon when there Is no monetary value In doing so.

Sorry but I don't see this going anywhere.

do you think it should be illegal to do so?

whether they go out or not to trap it shouldn't be illegal for me to go help out a cousin on the farm.

it can't go anywhere until it stops being Illegal

if you get deer , duck , goose hunting rights for helping trap a farm but the issue is always out of season , there is some monetary value in trapping the issues they have when they have them , what's a lease on 600 acres going for these days?

coyote is open year round because it was put forth as an issue and why make it illegal to deal with a year round issue half the year.

I kill as many as I can and they are worth less than $0 (if I tried to sell one I would be losing money on the time spent dealing with it, even if selling skin on carcasses)

Same with everyone else down here

So yes, I do think people will kill them.
You are also mistaken about the monetary value, repair of feeders and waste of feed by coons is a big cost. I may not get $5 for a coon but I saved a considerable amount by preventing loss

I'm with you Pete.

Get it passed in one county. In the past there have been "shot gun" approaches to passing and forwarding resolutions and the WCC and DNR frown on those and it will make it much less likely to move through the committees.
I don't know how many times it will need to pass by a certain majority etc, but if you are successful just be aware that you maybe investing in several years to complete this.

Bryce

thanks , for the advice

makes me wonder how long it took to get year round coyote season passed.

Didn't it take about seven years to revert back to zones for muskrat and mink? It will be awhile.

We don't have those problems In WI.

Pete how many coon did you trap during the season?

I'm not sure I support extending the season...or oppose it.

But, I will give you credit for putting in the effort to put the question out there. Most guys just want to complain on the internet and do nothing.

baiting for deer is illegal in 58 of the 72 counties, so it isn't a problem, most baiting I see are guys just throwing bait on the ground.

I would never tell you not to pursue something that you are passionate about. I wonder if you are trying to fix something that may not be broken? Here is the current State statute on the topic.

29.337  Hunting and trapping by landowners and occupants.
(1)  The owner or occupant of any land, and any member of his or her family, may hunt or trap beaver, coyotes, foxes, raccoons, woodchucks, rabbits, and squirrels on the land without a license issued under this chapter or ch. 169 at any time, except as follows:
(a) An owner or occupant may not hunt any of these wild animals during the period of 24 hours before the time for commencement of the deer hunting season in any area where an open season for hunting deer with firearms is established.
(b) Such persons may not hunt coyotes during an open season for hunting deer with firearms in an area that is closed by the department by rule to coyote hunting.
(2) The owner or occupant of any land, any member of the owner or occupant's family, and any individual with the owner or occupant's consent may take beaver, rabbits, raccoons, woodchucks, and squirrels on the land at any time by means of live trapping with box traps in areas where the discharge of a firearm is illegal.
History: 1979 c. 142; 1987 a. 27; 1993 a. 246; 1997 a. 27; 1997 a. 248 ss. 433 to 436; Stats. 1997 s. 29.337; 2001 a. 56, 105; 2017 a. 64.
Cross-reference: See also ch. NR 12 and ss. NR 10.13 and 10.145, Wis. adm. code.

Could you possibly just ask for the addition of "Land owners Agent" to line (1) of the existing statute?

just some in box traps last summer and fall.
haven't seen one on the farm all winter was out checking den trees Sunday and nothing at the farm for sign. which sounds great as far as the farm is concerned.
What I keep seeing that nothing while season is open at the farm and come April those den trees are full.

they are coming in close to a mile across plowed fields from the hills and creek when ready to drop kits

Could you possibly just ask for the addition of "Land owners Agent" to line (1) of the existing statute?

yes I could but that is state statute and would require legislation as I read it
an open season year round is within the DNRs power to make without legislation and should coon jum to 20 dollars again they could then adjust as needed.
if it gets legislated then it takes legislation to undo.
taking the spirit of the law that anyone can use a box trap the DNR could also just allow licensed trappers to use other means of trapping. by writing it out of the prohibitions in the regs.

face it most people while the won't admit it publicly are already going and helping at the farm or relatives chicken coop to get it done and the DNR probably doesn't even care.


did I wrap all my requests up in one question , Yes

do I think it should be illegal to shoot a raccoon between Feb 15th and Oct 14th no.

To get any movement on any resolution you will need the resolution to be submitted in multiple counties. The resolution will need to be rewritten in the author's own words to present similar ideas. The DNR frowns on any shotgun resolution across counties as Bryce altitudes to. Given multiple approved resolutions from counties, the resolution will be written to represent the conscience of all county versions before moving forward.

(2) The owner or occupant of any land, any member of the owner or occupant's family, and any individual with the owner or occupant's consent may take beaver, rabbits, raccoons, woodchucks, and squirrels on the land at any time by means of live trapping with box traps in areas where the discharge of a firearm is illegal.

Doesn't this cover the problem you have with trapping coon out of season on family land or anybodys land.

that wording doesn't say it is OK to shoot them or use any trap besides a box trap , it almost gets there but then doesn't make it clear that with consent shooting in an area where it is legal to shoot . is allowed. or that any trap besides a box trap is permissible.

it is like they had a thought and stopped half way through while thinking of another thought about when you can't shoot.

I actually wrote the resolution to move raccoon season to February 15 several years ago. The wdnr grabbed ahold of that one and pushed it through in a couple years. I was also involved in the muskrat extension that took many years and edits to get through. Our original offer was to extend the muskrat season to March 31 statewide. It met resistance and landed where it is todAy. A huge improvement over March 3 imo.

You have a legitimate argument And have my support, not enough to get involved tho. I believe under the circumstances it will move through with relative ease. I don’t believe many folks will participate but that really doesn’t matter.

Good luck.

What am I missing here? Nuisance wildlife guidelines already allow year-round hunting and trapping by a landowner or an agent of the landowner for coyote, beaver, fox, RACCOON, woodchuck, rabbit and squirrel. The only trap size/type requirements apply to beaver trapping, not allowing steel jawed traps with a jaw spread less than 5 1/2" outside of the open mink/muskrat season.

Or are you more focused on year-round raccoon hunting on public land? Good luck, but I don't think that dog will hunt, so to speak. But, there's a bill going through the legislative process right now to extend the hound dog training season considerably, so who knows. Maybe get the bear hunter's association behind it if you want it to gain momentum.