Bill would allow the use of airguns to hunt deer and other big game in Wisconsin

Hunters would have another option to take white-tailed deer and other wild game in Wisconsin if a new bill becomes law.

Senate Bill 586 would allow the use of airguns in any hunting season now open to firearms.

The proposal defines an airgun as "a weapon originally manufactured to expel one or more metal projectiles by the expansion of compressed air."

Current state rules allow airguns for hunting small game such as gray squirrels and cottontail rabbits. The major impact of the bill would be to expand the use of airguns to include big game hunting in Wisconsin, including deer, black bear and elk.

The bill was introduced Monday in the Legislature and assigned to the Senate Committee on Financial Institutions and Sporting Heritage.

If the measure becomes law, Wisconsin would join 28 other states that allow airguns for big game hunting, said Mitch King, president of the Airgun Sporting Association, a trade group promoting expanded use of airguns across the nation.

Airguns have been used for hundreds of years for big game hunting, including by explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on their Corps of Discovery from 1804-06 across what is now the western U.S.

Modern airguns are available in a wide range of calibers and designs. Among the most common is a class called pre-charged pneumatic, or PCP. The guns are filled with air similar to the process used to fill a SCUBA tank and are designed to keep constant the energy used for each shot. The design allows multiple shots, sometimes dozens, before needing a recharge.

King said benefits of airguns include their quiet, clean operation and lack of recoil.

Most models, however, are designed for hunting big game at ranges of less than 100 yards; centerfire rifles have much longer effective ranges.

In the Midwest, states that allow airguns for deer hunting include Michigan, Ohio and Indiana.

Under SB586, if the Department of Natural Resources establishes an open season for hunting an animal with a firearm, the season must also be open for hunting that animal with an airgun.

The bill also provides that each license that currently authorizes the hunting of an animal with a firearm also authorizes the hunting of that animal with an airgun.

The bill is notably broad and does not include specific requirements such as calibers or energy levels. Instead it says the DNR "may promulgate rules limiting the types of airguns" that are "similar to permitted firearms and firearm ammunition with regards to effectiveness for hunting."

The bill is expected to receive little opposition since it restricts airguns to seasons now open to firearms.

Previous proposals considered in Wisconsin might have allowed air-propelled arrows or bolts to be used during the state's bow seasons. Such "airbow" technology has been opposed by the Wisconsin Bowhunters Association.

Senate Bill 586 was introduced by Senators Mary Felzkowski (R-Irma), Rob Stafsholt (R-New Richmond) and Cory Tomczyk (R-Mosinee).

A companion bill is expected to be introduced soon in the Assembly.

2023 FIPSed Street Fishing World Championship in Mantova, Italy

With a roster dominated by Wisconsinites, the USA Street Fishing Team traveled across the pond last week to prepare for the 2023 FIPSed Street Fishing World Championship.

The competition is being held Nov. 11 to 12 in Mantova, Italy.

The U.S. team is comprised of the following anglers: Chuck Earls of North Ridgeville, Ohio; Chris Ledvina of Shawano; Adam Schumacher of Sheboygan; Patrick Sinnott of Stevens Point; and Lee Young of Green Bay. Young is also captain of the squad.

Street fishing is angling in urban waters. The Street Fishing World Championship is organized by the Federation Internationale de la Peche Sportive en Eau Douce, a governing body of about 20 competitive angling categories.

The street fishing competition will include teams of anglers fishing from shore and using only artificial lures. Each fish caught is measured, photographed and released. The winner is the team with the greatest total length of fish caught over two days.

A Dutch team won the inaugural FIPSed Street Fishing World Championship held in 2022 in The Netherlands.

This year's location features lakes built before Italy was a country and was a collection of city states. The waters in Mantova are mostly lakes, moats and fortifications built in the 1500s to protect the city, Young said.

The only species allowed in the competition are asp, black bass, perch, pike and zander.

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