Ha Ha not the college sports! I have been noticing that other states bordering Wi can trap badgers. I understand that it is our state mascot but it is also a furbearer. I live in an area where I have seen quite a few and think I could catch one. What are the odds that they would ever change the law that trappers could ever try taking one?

NEVER

Our badgers are not furred like the ones from the western Dakotas. More value in Wisconsin coon or skunk

I would never say never. The folks from the DNR have tried pushing for one, but likely needs more grassroot support to get it going.


The science says we could support a harvest and we should work to move another animal from the nuisance bucket into the asset bucket. Right now, it has the same value as the wolf--none.

I would love to see a season. I'm guessing it would be a draw like otter, fisher or bobcat. I would apply and head south to trap if given the chance!!!

Here is where you can find a little more information on efforts up to this point...

https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/wildlifehabitat/documents/committees/furbearer/fur060116.pdf

Regulated badger season: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee established that Wisconsin has a
healthy, viable, genetically diverse badger population in all 72 counties. The researched showed
that Wisconsin had the healthiest population when comparing it to neighboring states. The
committee approved the 2014 proposal to create a statewide badger trapping season but it did get
support from the Wildlife Policy Team.
The committee recommends drafting rule language to open a trapping season on badger.

Then again this year it was discussed....
https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/wildlifehabitat/documents/committees/furbearer/fur052318.pdf


The proposed badger season is brought up. We have a recent study showing that we have a robust
badger population that could sustain a harvest. The nuisance issues that arise with badger could likely
be mitigated by a harvest season. This issue was put forward as a rule proposal and ended somewhere
along the way. We can try to send this along the line again.

Were any of you around when we had the hearings to make hunting morning doves legal ?

I can't imagine the black eye trappers would get over a badger trapping season. And like Handitrapper said our badgers don't measure up fur wise.

You wouldn't have to go to far from home Oconto cty has lots of badgers.

Black eye? For what? Helping shift the badger from the nuisance bucket back into the asset column? Sure our badger don't measure up fur wise to a western Dakota badger, but how do our coyotes measure up to a Dakota dog? Instead of being a drain on sportsmen resources (hint-that study on badgers was likely funded out of our pocket), the badger pays for itself. Better yet, we actually understand how the badger is doing in the state so should they start to decline, we will actually know it. See that is how this conservation model works. If you want to preserve something long term, create a season. We shouldn't be afraid of doing what is right. Legislators should just push the crane and badger season together--lean heavy on science. They should find an ally in DNR Secretary Preston Cole. After all, he said he was going to lean heavy on science?

Black eye for what?

The bunny huggers would be out In force wining and crying about us bad trappers killing the state animal. I don't think we need to rustle any feathers. Let the sleeping dog lay.

Doesn’t South Dakota shoot their State Bird? I would much rather be able to shoot Sandhills, than trap badgers.

They deffinatly arent very pretty. This is one of those oconto county badgers. Had to take a picture because nobody believed me that there were even badgers around the area. Same scenario with the snapping turtles I trap. The general public doesnt see these animals so they assume they are very rare.

I actively avoid areas I know badgers usually have a burrow, just so I don't have to deal with them clogging sets. Worse yet is after I released this guy he dove right back into the hole he started and burrowed in.

Any one who looks can see a mound of dirt in a hay field this time of year and should wonder why it is out there. We know it was a badger making a living. Beav I was at the fish and game hearings back in the early 70's and remember the debate about dove season, bird of peace and all the rest. The fact that it is a migratory bird and is shot just over the border helped us get that season, I do not see us ever having a badger season in WI. A most unpleasant animal to come up to, never very passive.

Let's apply that same logic to badgers--are they harvested across the border? You can pursue them in MN, IA, MI, and IL. MN and IA appears to have no limit while Illinois allows two badgers per person in the north zone and one badger per person in the south zone. MI is one per trapper, but does have two different seasons for different zones.

Well I think we would be wrong to pursue It. The antis have been pretty quite for a while so I say let a sleeping dog sleep.

You think they are sleeping? Take a look around. They are out spreading falsehoods across this country, including in this state. Lots of big battles going to happen in multiple states this year. They might as well waste a bunch of their time / resources trying to keep us from doing something instead of us wasting resources trying to not lose something.

When we are afraid to take this fight to them, we lose an opportunity to defend the high ground and educate the general public about the benefits of trapping. Managing a specie through trapping brings tremendous value to the state, its residents, and the animal being persued. With federal legislators still holding up the wolf harvest, this would give state legislators a way to draw attention to the wolf issue. Time to page state senator Tom Tiffany.

What ever.

I couldn't agree more. If you are silent about an issue, the whacko types just assume you submit to them and move on to next thing("Why doesn't Wisconsin have non-binary gender deer tags? Bigots!"). Why be on defense all the time? It's very hard to gain any ground that way. Pick sixes are rare in the political world. If you have facts on your side speak out without shame instead of keeping your head down. Cede them nothing!

I would welcome both a badger and especially a crane season.