MADISON, Wis. -
A federal judge has ruled
Chippewa tribes can hunt deer at night beginning next month across most of northern Wisconsin, a decision that restores a tribal right lost after the bands gave the land to the government in the 19th century.
The state Department of Natural Resources has long banned hunting deer at night out of safety concerns. U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb issued an order Tuesday saying the tribes' new night hunting regulations are stricter than the state's rules for shooting wolves and deer at night. The regulations mandate that hunters take a 12-hour training course; hit a 6ΒΌ-inch bull's eye from 100 yards eight out of 10 times in the dark; ensure hunting sites have earthen backstops; and submit shooting plans with safe zones of fire.
The ruling cements those rules in place and clears the way for the tribal night season to run from Nov. 1 to Jan. 4 in the so-called ceded territory, a 22,400 square-mile swath of northern Wisconsin the tribes handed to the U.S. government in 1837 and 1842.
http://www.thenorthwestern.com/story/sports/outdoors/2015/10/14/central-wisconsin-outdoor-report-oct-14/73954544/
