In October 2021, a package of bills that included a variety of hunting-related proposals was fast-tracked for consideration by the Wisconsin Legislature. The package, and especially the Sandhill Crane hunt bill, was introduced without input from experts, conservation groups, or stakeholders (like you). This brought widespread opposition from the public, conservation groups (including our organization and the International Crane Foundation), and many in the hunting and fishing community. Numerous Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance (then Madison Audubon) members answered the call to contact their legislators and join us to testify at the Senate hearing. Despite overwhelming opposition, the Senate committee voted to move the crane hunt bill forward for consideration by the Wisconsin Senate or State Assembly.

The two companion bills (SB-620 and AB-667) proposing a crane hunt were considered by legislature, but neither passed in March 2022 (read more in the Wisconsin State Journal).

The International Crane Foundation (ICF) published the results of a statewide study from 2023 conducted in close collaboration with the University of Wisconsin-Madison Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies. The response clearly shows that most Wisconsinites are not in favor of a Sandhill Crane hunt—and ever fewer (less than 5% of respondents) were very likely to participate in one.

Despite the recent study results, the Legislative Council announced the formation of a study committee on Sandhill Cranes. Legislative Council study committees are created to provide deeper opportunities for the legislature and the public to come together in the same room, with the intention of fairly addressing complex issues in a way not possible during the legislative session. The committee’s purpose was to focus on the agricultural impact of cranes in our state, with part of the stated scope to “consider whether the Department of Natural Resources should seek federal approval to establish a hunting season for sandhill cranes.” Once again, bird conservation organizations were not included in the initial discussions or planning of the committee and its objectives—research has shown that a Sandhill Crane hunt is not an effective way to prevent crop depredation.

Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance was invited and proactively applied to join the committee, and though we were not selected, were glad that our partners at ICF and Wisconsin’s Green Fire were (read more in our July 1 blog post). Our team continued to closely follow the issue, and were disappointed when the first few meetings spent almost no time on the complex issue of crop damage, instead focusing on the feasibility of a hunt (read more in our September 25 blog post).

We hoped that the result of the committee would be a draft bill centered around proven solutions to crop damage that will support farmers without including a Sandhill Crane hunting season, which is not a solution for crop damage. The committee voted 8-4 to recommend introducing combined legislation rather than separate bills on reimbursement for farmers and a Sandhill Crane hunt. We were disappointed about the outcome, as were other bird conservation organizations (read more in this statement from ICF). After the vote, the bill was moved forward to the Joint Legislative Council (JLC), becoming AB-117/SB-112.

In early 2025, the Governor’s office announced proposed budget investments to support farmers AND Sandhill Cranes in Wisconsin. The proposal includes cost-share funding for treating corn seeds, a method that has been proven to discourage cranes from damaging crops in the spring. The proposed budget allocates “more than $3.7 million to reimburse corn farmers up to 50 percent of the total cost of purchasing seed treatment that discourages fowl, especially Sandhill Cranes, from eating their seed.”

Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance strongly supported the Governor’s plan, which offered a real and effective solution for Wisconsin’s farmers without instating a costly and unpopular Sandhill Crane hunting season. However, the proposal was removed by the legislature during the budget process.

In November 2025, the Wisconsin State Senate Committee on Financial Institutions and Sporting Heritageheld a hearing on SB-112. Prior to the hearing, substitute amendments were attached to the bill that changed several key features of the legislation resulting from the legislative study committee in 2024, including removing the mechanism to reimburse farmers for crop treatments, reducing education requirements related to the protection of endangered Whooping Cranes, and limiting the Wisconsin DNR’s ability to close or limit hunting in certain areas or at certain times. The Wisconsin State Assembly Committee on Sporting Heritage held a hearing on the companion bill, AB-117, in early January 2026. Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance, along with many of our valued partners in conservation and members, testified in opposition to the bill and amendments at both hearings.

Despite strong opposition, both AB-117 and SB-112 were approved and the amendments were adopted—fully removing the reimbursement for farmers that was the keystone of the legislation created by the legislative study committee.

Despite conducting a legislative study committee with the premise of helping farmers avoid crop damage, the amended AB-117 and SB-112 have gutted several key features of the bill as developed by the committee. This includes removing a key mechanism to reimburse farmers for using proven, nonlethal crop treatments; significantly reducing educational requirements and protections for Whooping Cranes; and preventing the DNR from closing certain areas to hunting at certain times.

On February 19, AB-117 was read during the Wisconsin State Assembly legislative session. The bill was passed on the floor. In addition to AB-117, legislators also moved to add a Sandhill Crane hunt as an amendment to AB-1033 (legislation focused on wake-boating). This unexpected political maneuver caused an uproar on the assembly floor—combining these two completely unrelated proposals significantly limits lawmakers’ ability to discuss and debate each as the separate issues that they are. Despite vocal opposition from many assembly members on how this was handled, the bill was also passed on the floor.

Both bills were received by the Wisconsin State Senate in late February. The senate opted to not schedule the bill during the last session of the year. On March 19, 2026, the bills were disposed of having not been passed by the legislature.