Wisconsin Gov. Evers vetoes wolf-hunt bill, antlerless ban

Madison, Wis. — Wisconsin’s Democratic Gov. Tony Evers vetoed 41 bills passed by the Republican-led Legislature on March 29 – rejecting a $3 billion Republican tax cut, political loyalty pledges for higher education employees, and a plan setting how many wolves may be hunted each year.

During more than five years as governor with a Republican-controlled Legislature, Evers has vetoed more bills than any governor in Wisconsin history.

The wolf bill Evers vetoed would have required state wildlife managers to set a firm numeric goal for the state’s wolf population.

Republicans passed the measure after the state DNR did not set a hard cap on the state’s wolf population in its new management plan.

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State wildlife officials told lawmakers that a lack of a hard limit gives the DNR more flexibility to manage the species, allows local wolf packs to fluctuate, and gives the population a better chance at maintaining wolf abundance for years to come.

Some hunting advocates support setting a population limit, saying the lack of a goal leaves both wolves and people unprotected.

Evers, in his veto message, said setting a numeric goal does not consider the social, scientific, biological, and legal complexities of a recovered wolf population. He also said he objected to the Legislature micromanaging the DNR.

Evers also vetoed a bill that would have banned antlerless deer hunting in northern Wisconsin for four years, legislation that generated considerable debate.

The bill had many opponents, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, including those who noted the wide range of deer densities across the north as well as supporters of the state’s County Deer Advisory Council process, bodies established a decade ago to help set local harvest goals and antlerless permit levels.

(Story by Scott Bauer / Associated Press)