The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL) announced Wednesday the filing of a lawsuit against the Wisconsin DNR over canceled in-person education courses for hunter safety.
In a press release, WILL says it is acting on behalf of Hunter Nation and Hunter Nation's CEO Luke Hilgemann out of Marshfield.
They claim the DNR's policy of canceling courses due to COVID-19 concerns as illegal. They specifically point to an announcementfrom the Oneida County Sheriff's Department.
According to the Sheriff's Department, DNR has said it will not honor certificates for anyone who completes in-person courses during the COVID-19 epidemic.
The lawsuit alleges the DNR lacks the authority to eliminate in-person courses, and that the policy violates the Wisconsin constitution, among other things.
Deputy Counsel Lucas Vebber said, “The DNR’s decision to cancel
all in-person hunter education courses occurred without justification or public input. Unfortunately, this is just another example of Evers administration agencies’ illegally creating, adopting, and enforcing policy.”
"Hunter Nation stands ready to protect and defend our hunting rights and heritage against all threats," added Luke Hilgemann President/CEO of Hunter Nation.
"We thank the team at Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty for partnering with us to pursue legal action against the Department of Natural Resources for a clear violation of our constitutionally protected right to hunt by cancelling hunter education courses that are required for new hunters to take up the sport and pursue our outdoor traditions," continued Hilgemann.
