DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp on federal court conference concerning Chippewa Tribal night hunting of deer
CONTACT: Laurel Steffes, Office of Communications, 608-266-8109 Bill Cosh, DNR spokesperson, 608-267-2773
“This afternoon Judge Barbara Crabb of the Western District Federal Court ruled that the State may enforce state shining laws against any Chippewa Tribal member hunting deer at night within the Ceded Territory (roughly the northern third of the state) until the preliminary injunction hearing scheduled for Dec. 12 and further order of the court. Chippewa Tribal members have been prohibited from night hunting/shining deer since 1990 in line with a 1989 federal court decision.
“The State is pleased that shining will be prohibited until such time as we can adequately address these issues within the appropriate court setting. We will continue to try to work with the Tribes to resolve this issue.”