TO BEGIN IN A LITTLE MORE THAN
THREE WEEKS, ON NOVEMBER 6.
BUT JUST DAYS BEFORE THAT, A
FEDERAL JUDGE IN MADISON WILL
CONSIDER A LAWSUIT FROM SIX
CHIPPEWA TRIBES CALLING TO HALT
THE HUNT.
WE INVITED HUNTER NATION, WHICH
SUED TO HOLD FEBRUARY'S WOLF
HUNT, BUT THEY WERE UNABLE TO
JOIN US TONIGHT.
WE ARE JOINED BY PETER DAVID,
BIOLOGIST WITH THE GREAT LAKES
INDIAN FISH & WILDLIFE
COMMISSION AND THANKS VERY MUCH
FOR BEING HERE.
>> IT'S A PLEASURE.
THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY.
>> SO LET'S UNPACK THE REASONS
THE OJIBWA TRIBES WANT TO
PREVENT THE WOLF HUNT FROM
HAPPENING.
WHAT ARE THE CONCERNS ABOUT THE
WOLF POPULATION IN WISCONSIN,
ESPECIALLY AFTER THAT FEBRUARY
HUNT?
>> WELL, THE FEBRUARY HUNT WAS
CERTAINLY AN UNPRECEDENTED EVENT
COMPARED TO WOLF HUNTING IN
HISTORY.
THAT IMPACT WAS ENTIRELY NESTED
INTO THE HEART OF THE WOLVES'
BREEDING SEASON, SO WE'RE FAR
FROM UNDERSTANDING THE
BIOLOGICAL IMPACT OF WHAT
HAPPENED IN FEBRUARY AND YET
WE'RE PROCEEDING HERE WITH
ANOTHER HUNT.
THAT'S REALLY UNCONSCIONABLE I
THINK TO THE TRIBES.
THEY HAVE TREMENDOUS CONNECTIONS
TO THE WOLF AND THEY ALSO VALUE
THE INCREDIBLY ECOLOGICALLY AND
RELY ON THEM TO KEEP THE DEER
HEALTHY, WHICH THE TRIBES DEPEND
ON VERY MUCH.
SO THE TRIBES' REAL GOAL IS TO
LET THE WOLVES REACH THEIR
NATURAL LEVEL, WHICH THEY WERE
CLOSE TO DOING BEFORE THE
FEBRUARY HUNT.
>> THE TRIBES' LAWSUIT DAT STATS
THE DNR VIOLATED TREATY HUNTS
SAYING THE QUOTA SHOULDN'T BE
300 OR 130, BUT ZERO.
HOW WERE TREATIES VIOLATED?
>> WELL, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF
WAYS, FRANKLY.
THE QUO ATHERE'S A REAL QUESTIOR
THERE'S A NEED FOR A QUOTA AT
ALL.
IS THERE A LEGITIMATE REASON TO
HUNT WOLVES?
I THINK BOTH IN THE SPORT
HUNTING ETHIC I GREW UP IN AND
IN THE OJIBWA WORLDVIEW, WE
APPLY ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS TO
HUNTING ANY ANIMAL, ESPECIALLY
SOMETHING THAT'S AS SOCIAL AND
CULTURAL SIGNIFICANT AS THE
WOLF.
SO THAT'S THE FIRST QUESTION.
THEN THE STATE UNFORTUNATELY HAS
A SITUATION WHERE THEY HAVE A
LAW THAT REQUIRES A HUNT TO TAKE
PLACE.
IF YOU HAVE TO LIVE WITH THAT,
IT AT LEAST NEEDS TO BE APPLIED
WITH THE BEST AVAILABLE SCIENCE.
IT WAS CLEAR THAT THE ACTIONS
THAT THE NATURAL RESOURCES BOARD
WAS TAKING WERE AN EFFORT TO GET
AROUND THE TRIBES' RIGHT TO
PROTECT THE WOLF.
AND SO THAT'S A TREMENDOUS
CONCERN.
AND THEN THE LACK OF SOUND
SCIENCE BEHIND THE PROCESS THAT
WAS USED TO REACH THIS QUOTA IS
ANOTHER TREMENDOUS CONCERN OF
THE TRIBES.
AND THE MANY PEOPLE IN THE
NONTRIBAL COMMUNITY.
>> THERE ARE THOSE AS WELL.
NOW, SUPPORTERS OF A ROBUST WOLF
HUNT SAY THAT THE ANIMALS PREY
ON LIVESTOCK AND THEIR NUMBERS
NEED TO BE REDUCED.
WHAT ABOUT THAT?
>> YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S
INSTRUCTIVE TO LOOK AT OUR
NEIGHBORING STATES.
THERE ARE WOLVES OBVIOUSLY IN
THE UPPER PENINSULA OF MICHIGAN
AND MINNESOTA.
NEITHER RUSHES TO KILL WOLVES.
THE POPULATION IS SIMILAR TO
WISCONSIN.
THEY HAVE A LIVESTOCK INDUSTRY
AS WELL.
HUNTING HAS VERY LITTLE TO DO
WITH ADDRESSING LIVESTOCK
DEPREDATION CONCERNS.
WE LOOK AT THE FEBRUARY HUNT.
NINE OUT OF TEN WOLVES KILLED IN
THAT HUNT WERE TAKEN MORE THAN
TEN MILES FROM THE NEAREST
DEPREDATION EVENT.
SO WHILE THERE ARE LIVESTOCK
CONCERNS, WE KNOW THAT HUNTING
IS NOT A LEGITIMATE WAY TO
ADDRESS THEM.
AND WISCONSIN I THINK NEEDS TO
EMULATE THE OTHER TWO STATES AND
TAKE A THOUGHTFUL AND PRACTICAL
PATH FORWARD.
THOSE STATES ARE DOING SOCIAL
SURVEYS.
THEY'RE TALKING TO THEIR
CONSTITUENTS.
THEY'RE CONSULTING WITH THE
TRIBES.
THEY'RE GOING TO DEVELOP A
LEGITIMATE AND SCIENCE-BASED AND
DEFENSIBLE PATH FORWARD AND
THAT'S SOMETHING I THINK
WISCONSIN NEEDS TO CATCH UP TO.
>> AS TO THE CULTURAL
SIGNIFICANCE OF WOLVES FOR THE
OJIBWA, WOLVES ARE SACRED.
FOR THEM, WHAT KIND OF A
VIOLATION IS KILLING THEM?
>> IN THE OJIBWA WORLD VIEW IT'S
UNDERSTOOD THAT WOLF IS AN
ANIMAL THAT THE TRIBES' FATE IS
INTERTWINED WITH AND THE
RELATIONSHIP IS REALLY ONE OF A
BROTHERHOOD.
THIS IS LITERALLY LIKE COMING
INTO YOUR FAMILY AND KILLING
FAMILY MEMBERS TO TRADITIONAL
OJIBWA PEOPLE.
SO IT'S THAT WRONG AND IT'S THAT
CLOSE TO HOME AND YOU CAN
IMAGINE HOW THIS FEELS TO TRIBAL
PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE
JUSTIFICATIONS GIVEN FOR THIS
EVENT REALLY DON'T HOLD UP TO
ANY SCIENTIFIC SCRUTINY.
>> SO WE WILL BE LOOKING TO SEE
WHAT HAPPENS IN FEDERAL COURT
JUST DAYS BEFORE THE HUNT IS SET
TO BEGIN.
PETER DAVID, THANKS VERY MUCH.
THANKS FOR YOUR INFORMATION.
>> IT WAS A PLEASURE.
TAKE CARE.
BE WELL.
>> THANK YOU.
>> SPEAKING OF LAWSUITS, THE
GROUP THAT SUED TO GET THE
FEBRUARY WOLF HUNT ON THE BOOKS
MAY GO TO COURT AGAIN, THIS TIME
OVER DUELING DUELING QUOTA NUM.
LUKE HILGEMANN OFFERED A
STATEMENT ABOUT THE LOWER QUOTA
SET BY THE DNR SAYING, QUOTE,
THE NATURAL RESOURCES BOARD IS
THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE
DEPARTMENT AND WE BELIEVE THIS
MAY BE ANOTHER ILLEGAL MOVE BY
THE DNR AND THE EVERS
ADMINISTRATION TO OVERRIDE THE
WILL OF THE PEOPLE.
HUNTER NATION IS ACTIVELY
REVIEWING THIS MOVE WITH OUR
LEGAL TEAM AND WILL CONTINUE TO
LEAD THE FIGHT TO MAKE SURE THAT
THIS SEASON'S WOLF HUNT
CONTINUES AT THE 300 QUOTA
APPROVED BY THE BOARD.
>> AT THE STATE CAPITOL THIS
WEEK, ASSEMBLY AND SENATE
REPUBLICANS RELEASED A SLATE OF
PRO-HUNTING BILLS THEY'RE
CALLING THE WISCONSIN SPORTING
FREEDOM PACKAGE.
PROPOSALS INCLUDE LEGALIZING THE
HUNTING OF SANDHILL CRANES,
EASING OR ELIMINATING DNR
HUNTING REGULATIONS AND A BILL
TO ALLOW GUN OWNERS TO CONCEAL