- Wiscampsin Weekly
- Posts
- Sandhill Crane hunt debate heats up
Sandhill Crane hunt debate heats up
Plus: deer hunter numbers declining, Great Lakes ice, "Great Beach Debate"
Forrest Koslowski
February 05, 2026
Wiscampsin Weekly brought to you by:
Mornin’ to everyone who saw that Bobcat in an Onalaska neighborhood. This is the Wiscampsin Weekly, the email that gets you in the know on the Wisconsin outdoors in 5 minutes or less. New reader? Subscribe here.
This week’s weekly:
😔 WI could lose another 190,000 deer hunters by 2040
🧊 Help scientists measure Great Lake ice thickness
🏂 44-year-old UP snowboarder returns to Winter Olympics
🦢 STORY OF THE WEEK: Sandhill Crane hunt debate heats up
😔 WI could lose another 190,000 deer hunters by 2040 LINK
According to new projections, Wisconsin is on track to lose another 190,000 deer hunters by 2040. We’re basically looking at a future with way more deer and a lot fewer orange vests in the woods.
The culprit? It’s a mix of an aging "baby boomer" generation hanging up the rifle and the fact that we aren't recruiting enough new "deer camp" enthusiasts to fill their boots.
This isn’t just about missing out on the Friday night fish fry vibes; fewer hunters mean less money for conservation and a big headache for managing the deer population (and our car bumpers).
🧊 Help scientists measure Great Lake ice thickness LINK
Scientists are asking folks to help measure Great Lakes ice thickness because, believe it or not, satellites are actually pretty bad at seeing through the "white noise" of snow and ice to tell us how deep it really goes.
If you’re already out there ice fishing or braving the cold, you can submit your measurements to the Great Lakes Observing System—they’re looking for data from all over to help make their forecasting models less of a guessing game.
This isn't just for kicks; better data helps keep the Coast Guard safe during rescues and helps big-time shipping vessels figure out if they’re about to get stuck in a "Titanic" situation. Plus, you get to be a scientist for a day without having to wear a lab coat over your Carhartts.
🏖️ Shorewood’s “Great Beach Debate” is heating up LINK
A Shorewood man recently got slapped with a $313 trespassing ticket for simply walking along the Lake Michigan shoreline. He knew the "No Trespassing" sign was there, but he ignored it anyway, sparking a legal battle that could change how we all use the beach.
The whole fight boils down to the "Public Trust Doctrine." While most of us think the wet sand is fair game, a 1923 court ruling says private property owners actually have exclusive rights all the way to the water's edge.
This isn't just about one guy’s walk; he’s appealing the ticket in hopes of taking it to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. If he wins, it could finally open up the Great Lakes shorelines for public wandering, just like they do in Indiana and Michigan.
Please give our sponsors a click!
If you like ice cream, exploring local Wisconsin creameries, or simply need to get out of ‘da house, check out the 2026 Ice Cream Passport from Venture Wisconsin:
The Deal: Get 50% off two treats at over 110 legendary shops
The Route: From Madison custard to Northwoods gems, it’s the perfect road trip excuse
The Perk: Valid through 2026 for maximum dairy-coma potential
🦢STORY OF THE WEEK: Sandhill Crane hunt debate heats up LINK
If you’ve spent any time driving past a Wisconsin cornfield in the fall, you’ve seen them: the Sandhill Cranes.
They look like something straight out of Jurassic Park, standing four feet tall with that iconic crimson cap and a prehistoric rattle that can be heard from miles away.
For decades, they’ve been the ultimate comeback story. After nearly being wiped out in the mid-1900s, there are now close to 100,000 of them in the region.
But as their numbers have climbed, so has the volume of a decades-old debate: Should Wisconsin join its neighbors and finally allow a Sandhill Crane hunt?
On one side of the fence (literally), you have the farmers. To them, cranes aren't just majestic symbols of the marsh; they’re "ribeye in the sky" that treats a newly planted cornfield like a buffet.
A flock can clear out an entire field’s worth of seeds in a single morning, leaving a farmer with a massive bill and a lot of frustration. For many in the ag community, a hunt is a common-sense tool for population control.
On the other side, conservationists and birders point out that the Sandhill’s recovery is still a work in progress.
They argue that because cranes are slow breeders—usually only raising one chick a year—a hunt could send the population back into a tailspin.
Plus, there’s the "look-alike" problem: the ultra-endangered Whooping Crane often hangs out with Sandhills, and one split-second mistake by a hunter could be a catastrophic blow to that species' survival.
Right now, the debate is stuck in a bit of a legislative stalemate.
While hunters and farmers eye the growing flocks with a mix of appetite and annoyance, bird lovers are holding the line. For now, the cranes remain blissfully unaware that they’re the center of Wisconsin’s loudest wildlife tug-of-war.
Now get out 'der.
WISCAMPSIN WEEKLY POLL
Last Week's Trivia Check
We asked for the original European weather-predicting animal that inspired Groundhog Day. 50% of you nailed it!
The Correct Answer: C) The Badger.
The Takeaway: German settlers originally watched for the Badger (or Hedgehog) to come out of its hole on Candlemas Day. Since Badgers were scarce in the eastern U.S., they swapped the tradition to the Groundhog. So, Bucky Badger is technically the original weather prophet!
This Week’s Trivia
The Lake Winnebago Sturgeon Spearing season kicks off soon!
A female Lake Sturgeon typically does not reach sexual maturity to spawn for the very first time until she is how old?Give it a gut check! Click a response below. |
MEME OF THE WEEK 😆
A review from the trail… Welcome neighbor!
Well, how'd we do this week? |
Reply