Federal court allows Wisconsin Chippewa tribes to shine deer at night starting Nov. 1
By Dean Bortz, MN Outdoor News
October 14, 2015
Tribal members from the state’s six Chippewa tribes in northern Wisconsin may begin on Nov. 1 shining and shooting deer at night on publicly-accessable lands in the ceded territory, according to an Oct. 13 federal court decision.
The season will run through Jan. 4, 2016, the first Monday in January, as allowed by the court. The tribal off-reservation night deer hunt will shut down during the nine-day gun deer season.
The ruling came from U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb after the Federal 7th Circuit Court of Chicago remanded the case to Crabb for implentation of the season in question.
“The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources remains disappointed with the Federal 7th Circuit Court’s decision to allow tribal night hunting despite the concerns raised over public safety,” the DNR said in a press statement.
In earlier discussions about this season, the DNR said that “publically accessible” lands includes private land enrolled in the Managed Forest Law (MFL) program if those lands are enrolled in the MFL “open” program.
Tribal members who wish to participate in the hunt are expected to pass a shooting test and file a hunting plan that includes a description of how and where the shooting will be done. They must also use a spotlight and shoot into a backstop.