After several successful years, Rhinelander's city council decided not to hold an in-city bow hunt for deer this year. But if a bill circulating in Madison becomes law, the city might have to open a hunt again.
City council member Alex Young says Assembly Bill 8 allows for bow and arrow and crossbow hunting within city limits statewide. Young says Rhinelander has set forward restrictions during its hunts that aren't in the state bill. He says the bill preempts local restrictions..
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"...in the city's bowhunt, we had a number of restrictions that both the hunters and parcels of land had to be background checked before they were admitted to the program...all restrictions would be pre-empted under this bill...."
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In the bill, a local governmental unit may prohibit a person from hunting with a bow and arrow or crossbow within a specified distance, not to exceed 100 yards, of a building used for human occupancy that is located on another person's land.
The restriction does not apply if the person owning the land allows the hunter to hunt with a bow and arrow or crossbow within the specified distance of the building.
Rhinelander began the hunt in 2006 after several car-deer accidents and complaints the deer were eating homeowners plants. No hunt was held in 2010.
