In an effort to prevent tragedies such as the November shootings in Sawyer County, Wis., in which hunter Chai Vang allegedly murdered six other hunters, state Sen. Bob Jauch, D-Poplar, is working on a proposal that would require background checks for those who apply for hunting licenses.
According to Carl Brook, Deputy Chief Warden of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, current Wisconsin law does not require the state to perform any sort of background check for someone who applies for a hunting license. This includes hunters whose licenses have been revoked in the past and convicted felons. All that is required is the hunter meet age and hunter education requirements.
\If somebody has a hunting- or fishing-related penalty which they have not paid their fine and met their responsibilities, that should be due cause to denial of a license. I'm discussing it with the Department of Natural Resources,"" Jauch told WKOW News.
Jauch's proposal may also influence state officials debating over whether to join the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact, which according to WKOW prevents revoked hunters from crossing state lines to hunt.
Brook said Jauch's proposal holds ""some merit,"" adding it is something the DNR would like to look into. He did say, however, that developing a process or database to identify hunting violators could require an extended amount of work.
