From State Senator Janet Bewley
Happy Thanksgiving
and Happy Hunting
Every
fall, my husband, David, and our beloved black lab, Pearl, head out to eastern
North Dakota for their annual duck hunting trip. Although I miss them terribly,
I know that they both love this trip. Pearl is one heck of a retriever and my
husband’s a pretty good shot. We love to share the fruits of this hunt with
friends and neighbors.
While
that specific hunting excursion may be over for the two of them, another one is
just getting started here in Wisconsin. Rifle season is upon us and if you’re a
hunter, perhaps you’ve already restocked your freezer with fresh venison for
the year by the time you’re reading this. Or you’ve already sat down for a
thanksgiving meal with your friends and family members. Regardless of how you
choose to spend your time this winter, I hope it’s safe for those that you love
and care about.
Safety
is definitely on my mind when it comes to hunting. In addition to worrying
about loved ones out hunting, I also worry about the safety and wellbeing of
our deer herd. So far Northern Wisconsin has been lucky in that Chronic Wasting
Disease (CWD), a degenerative and fatal brain ailment that spreads among deer
and similar species, has not decimated our herd in the way that it has done in
other parts of the state.
This
year, further precautions are in place so that hunters can have peace of mind
that any deer they harvest is not afflicted with CWD. If it is discovered to be
infected, the deer carcass can be disposed of in a way so that it cannot infect
any further deer in the local area. There are numerous stations throughout
Northern Wisconsin where harvested deer can be tested and if necessary,
properly disposed of. For a list of these locations, I encourage you to either
call your local DNR station or go to https://dnr.wi.gov/wmcwd/RegStation.
In
the spirit of the season, I’m thankful that the DNR is being proactive when it
comes to managing this disease. Down in Madison, I have been working with my
colleagues in the democratic caucus to pass legislation that would authorize
even more testing kiosks throughout the state, but unfortunately our efforts
have been unsuccessful. I hope that with the New Year, we as legislators can
find a way to cut through the partisan gridlock and do more to understand and
combat this disease.
I’m
looking forward to celebrating Thanksgiving with my husband, my daughters and
their husbands, and my grandchildren. And Pearl is looking forward to grabbing
whatever food she can from under the table. I hope everyone has a safe
and festive Thanksgiving holiday!