Increased aid for snowmobile trails and a change in state parks stamps among other measures signed by Gov. Tony Evers

Gov. Tony Evers on Thursday signed 15 bills into law, including six related to hunting, fishing or outdoor recreation.

Arguably the most notable was Senate Bill 586, now Wisconsin Act 115, which will allow hunters in the state to use airguns during any season open to firearms.

Since state rules for many years allowed airguns for hunting small game such as gray squirrels and cottontail rabbits, the major impact of Act 115 is to expand the use of airguns to include big game hunting in Wisconsin, including white-tailed deer, black bear and elk.

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The law defines an airgun as “a weapon originally manufactured to expel one or more metal projectiles by the expansion of compressed air.”

The legislation received lots of support and essentially no opposition. Wisconsin now is among at least 29 states that allow airguns for big game hunting, according to Mitch King, president of the Airgun Sporting Association, a trade group promoting expanded use of airguns across the nation.

Proponents tout the quiet, clean operation and lack of recoil of airguns. Most models are designed for hunting big game at ranges of less than 100 yards; centerfire rifles have much longer effective ranges.

In the Midwest, states that allow airguns for deer hunting include Michigan, Ohio and Indiana. Act 115 passed easily because it was restricted to use of airguns during Wisconsin’s firearm hunting seasons; versions of the proposal introduced in previous years would have allowed “airbows” to be used during archery seasons and were opposed by several groups, including the Wisconsin Bowhunters Association.

Among other bills signed by Evers, SB 34, now 2023 Wisconsin Act 109, establishes the full weekend prior to the third Monday in January as “free fishing weekend” so it lands just before Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a federal holiday.

The governor also signed SB 136 (Act 110) to increase the cap on county supplemental snowmobile trail maintenance aid from the current limit of no more than three times the per mile maximum to no more than five times the per mile maximum. It is expected to increase the supplemental aid limit from the current rate of $900 per mile to $1,500 per mile.

Evers also signed SB 411 (Act 112) which allows a person to transport a dressed or filleted game fish from inland or outlying waters if they provide a physical or digital photograph upon request that proves the time and date of the photograph and physical evidence of the fish’s length prior to the head and tail being removed.

In addition, the governor inked SB 415 (Act 113) to make DNR annual vehicle admission receipts such as state park stamps good for 12 months from the date of issue, rather than the calendar year. The change will go into effect Jan. 1, 2025.

And Evers signed SB 587 (Act 116) to statutorily define a muzzle-loading firearm as a firearm that shoots a projectile loaded exclusively from the muzzle.

For more details, visit legis.wisconsin.gov.

Leftover turkey tag sales begin this week

The DNR this week will begin selling bonus harvest authorizations for the 2024 spring turkey season. As in past years, the tags will be offered first with a designated sale date for each zone, then all remaining authorizations will be available for purchase.

Sale dates are Monday for Zone 1, Tuesday for Zone 2, Wednesday for Zone 3, Thursday for Zone 4 and Friday for Zone 5 and Zone 7. No permits are available for Zone 6. All remaining tags will go on sale Saturday.

Sales are offered through the Go Wild license portal and at all license sales agents. Sales begin at 10 a.m. and run through midnight each day. Bonus harvest authorizations are $10 for residents and $15 for non-residents.

Visit dnr.wi.gov for more information.