MADISON, Wis. (AP) - Gov. Scott Walker has signed a bill establishing limits on deer baiting and feeding bans in counties affected by chronic wasting disease.
Right now the Department of Natural Resources indefinitely bans baiting and feeding in counties where CWD has been confirmed as well as any other county within a 10-mile radius of the infected county. The ban is designed to slow the disease's spread by preventing deer from congregating over feed and bait piles.
The Republican bill limits the ban in infected counties to 36 months and in neighboring counties to 24 months.
Whitetails of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Bear Hunters Association both registered in support of the bill. The Sierra Club's Wisconsin chapter, the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters and the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation all opposed the bill.
