Bear Chat

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to host online bear chat May 19 at noon

Join DNR staff for an online bear chat Thursday, May 19 at noon. Species experts will be on hand to answer questions ranging from homeowner tips to avoid bear conflicts to habitat and behavior. Visit the DNR website, dnr.wi.gov, and search keyword "chat" to submit questions and view responses from DNR experts. Here, you can also view past chats and sign up to receive email notifications.

For more information regarding bears in Wisconsin, search keyword "bear."

Buy a Duck Stamp

Do you do your hunting with a camera or your eyes?  If the latter, you already buy a license.  If the former, you should do the same.  

North America's wild places are supported in part by fees and licenses paid by sportsmen.

If you love public land, if you support your state DNR, do your part to help keep North America the wild continent that it is.  Buy a fishing license, even if you don't know a walleye from a perch.  Buy a hunting license, even if the only hunting you do is with your senses.

We've got coyotes living in the city.  We've got wolves venturing out of their established habitat.  Those are the good problems to have.  They're not that lucky in Europe.  The difference is the North American model of wildlife conservation.

It's paid for by taxes on firearms, ammunition, and licenses charged to anglers and hunters.  The tax money is distributed to the states based on a formula dependent upon the number of licensed hunters in the state.  Even if you don't own a gun or a bow, you can still support wildlife by buying a license.

Be kind to your web-footed friends.  Buy a duck stamp.
Keep America wild.  Buy a hunting license.

Wolf Management Requires Hunting

Wolves are an important part of our ecosystem.  

Wolves exist in the ecosystem due to goodwill of the people who live in the same area.

Therefore, maintaining human goodwill toward wolves is good for the ecosystem.

This simple syllogism demonstrates what the "no hunting wolves anywhere" fail to understand.  I doubt even the most extreme police state technologically possible can protect the wolves from human depredation if the humans who live near them resent their presence.

"Dual use technology" is not just about outlaw states seeking chemical or nuclear weapons.

The wolf/human relationship needs to be managed.  We've seen what happens when that relationship is allowed to follow their natural course: wolves go extinct.

With that I am hopeful that granting Adrian Wydeven a podium at the debate will lead to the rationalization of the debate about Wisconsin's wolves that will allow long term management that is good for the wolves, good for people, and good for the ecosystem.