By George Ermert, WWA Board Member and Policy Committee Chair
This article appeared in the Wisconsin Waterfowl Association’s September 2026 Newsletter.
Moving Forward on a Responsible Sandhill Crane Season in Wisconsin
The Wisconsin Waterfowl Association remains committed to advancing a responsible, science-based sandhill crane hunting season in Wisconsin, and thanks to the dedication of our members, partners, and supporters, we made significant progress during the last legislative session.
For the past several years, WWA worked alongside many conservation organizations, agricultural groups, wildlife professionals, and lawmakers to advocate for the responsible management of Wisconsin’s growing sandhill crane population. And during the 2025-26 legislative session, momentum for a Wisconsin sandhill crane season reached historic levels. Following the work of the Legislative Council Study Committee on Sandhill Cranes, lawmakers introduced Assembly Bill 117 and Senate Bill 112 to establish a regulated and responsible hunting season. WWA Executive Director Brad Heidel testified in support of the legislation and worked extensively with lawmakers and coalition partners throughout the process.
The legislation advanced farther than any previous effort to bring a responsible sandhill crane hunt to Wisconsin. Both bills successfully passed committee, and the Assembly ultimately passed its version of the proposal on a voice vote. Unfortunately, despite strong support from sportsmen, conservation organizations, and many legislators, the Senate did not bring the measure to a final vote before the legislative session concluded, causing the bill to fall just short. Still, we came very close to getting this bill to the Governor’s desk, and this was the closest Wisconsin has been to establishing a sandhill crane season in well over a decade.
The outcome also demonstrated how far the conversation has come. The legislative study committee spent months reviewing population trends, crop damage concerns, and management options before recommending legislation for consideration. Lawmakers, stakeholders, and the public engaged in meaningful discussions about the current state of the Eastern population of sandhill cranes, the number of birds that are currently killed in Wisconsin with agricultural depredation permits (upwards of 1,400 annually), and the role a regulated hunting season should play in the management of the species in Wisconsin.
And because of that, WWA is not slowing down.
To strengthen our advocacy efforts moving forward, WWA has invested additional resources in this issue by retaining a professional lobbyist to help advance our priorities at the State Capitol in Madison. This investment reflects our commitment to ensuring that lawmakers have access to accurate information about sandhill crane management, conservation, and the benefits of a carefully regulated hunting season.
WWA is already working with legislators and coalition partners to develop a strategy for the next legislative session. Our goal remains unchanged: ensuring that Wisconsin wildlife managers have access to the full suite of science-based management tools available to other states that successfully manage sandhill crane populations.
The progress made over the past two years would not have been possible without the support and engagement of Wisconsin’s waterfowl hunters and conservationists. Your emails, calls, testimony, membership support, and advocacy helped move this issue farther than ever before.
While the work continues, the momentum is real, and WWA remains committed to seeing this effort through. We look forward to working with lawmakers in 2027 and continuing the push for a responsible sandhill crane hunting season in Wisconsin.
