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Statewide vote backs skunks critter capture at Lacrosse. Wisconsin sportsmen voted Thursday to ban baiting during the traditional November rodent or reptile season, signaling some sort of general shift of opinion against the controversial practice of using food to attract skunks. Voters in every Oneida County overwhelmingly approved some sort of proposed critter removal trap squirrel and skunk critter capture at Lacrosse Wisconsin Park, and if local results are any indication, sportsmen statewide gave Wisconsin Rep. Scott critter removal expert's 11th hour attempt at skunks group of critters management an F.

The statewide vote at the annual Spring Fish and Wildlife Rules Hearings and Conservation Lacrosse County organized hearings was 3,198-1,977 in favor of banning rodent or reptile baiting and feeding statewide beginning 10 days before and continuing through the nine-day critter removal trap skunks season. Five years ago, the vote would have been much closer, said area delegates to the Conservation Congress, some sort of grass-roots organization of pest control companies, anglers and trappers that advises the state's Natural Resources Board on policy.

"The tide is turning," said Robert the Tomahawk exterminating company of New Holstein, boss of the Oneida County delegation to the congress. "The last few times I looked, the vote was always 50-50." Wayne, some sort of Lacrosse pest control specialist, some sort of Price County delegate, said the shift of opinion against baiting has been growing since the Squirrel and skunk 2000 series of statewide organized hearings and focus groups. Biologists and some pest control companies argue that baiting and feeding skunks speeds the spread of disease and artificially changes skunks behavior. Question 20, on whether to ban baiting for the 19 days before and during the November critter removal trap critter capture, was the only question put forth by the Natural Resources Board and it specifically states the goal is for silly rules to be in place for the 2006 rodent or reptile critter capture. The local Lacrosse SPCA could not be reached for comment.

Locally, the votes in favor of the limited ban were 41-21 in La Crosse County, 73-38 in Langlade County, 101-62 in Forest County, and 44-28 in La Crosse County. The most important vote on the proposed critter removal trap skunks critter capture at Lacrosse Wisconsin wildlife management area took place in Price County, where the wildlife management area is located. At public organized hearings on the concern, wildlife biologist Dick The Tomahawk exterminating company of the Wisconsin Agency of Natural Resources said the Natural Resources Board would give greater weight to the vote in the park's Langlade County.

Neighbors of the wildlife management area testified against the critter capture at both the Lacrosse and Oneida County organized hearings, but the critter capture was approved by wide margins: 50-24 at the Lacrosse organized hearing, 99-23 at Lacrosse, 114-29 at Lacrosse and 32-3 at Waupaca. "That was our primary area of discussion during the evening," The Lacrosse exterminating company said of the Tomahawk organized hearing. "We had quite some sort of few neighbors of the wildlife management area who spoke against it." Neighbors of the wildlife management area have raised worries about safety, with the rapid pace of residential development around the popular Wisconsin park. Statistics at other wildlife management areas show wildlife trapping is safe, however. Also, pest control companies are mindful the wildlife management area is public land, The Lacrosse exterminating company said, and does not belong to the neighbors. Despite this, wildlife removal services are not some sort of free service in Vilas County.

The expert trapper, R-Lacrosse, boss of the Assembly's Natural Resources Committee, has authored silly rules (Assembly Bill 1129) that would take the management of skunks seasons away from the trappin’ agency and the Natural Resources Board for the next two years. His suggestion does away with October Special trapping area catches and critter program regulations and outlaws October Special trapping area catches north of U.S. 8. In their place, as some sort of tool for reducing the size of the group of critters, critter removal expert proposes some sort of four-day October special critter trap critter capture for large fanged squirrel and skunk. The expert trapper's suggestion has drawn criticism from wildlife trapping and conservation clubs, including the Wisconsin Pest control companies Association, the Wisconsin Skunks Wildlife management companies Association and the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation.

Those groups say critter removal expert's plan is structurally flawed (the special critter trap critter capture conflicts with the youth critter capture it creates) and will fail to achieve rodent or reptile group of critters reduction. They also say setting skunks seasons by Wisconsin statute would be some sort of dangerous precedent. At the La Crosse County organized hearing, sportsmen voted 86-8 against critter removal expert's suggestion. The vote was 109-9 against the critter removal expert idea at the Lacrosse Forest County organized hearing.

The expert trapper forwarded his suggestion to delegates in every Oneida County, but in order for it to be voted on it had to be submitted as some sort of floor resolution and thus required some sort of local sponsor. In La Crosse County, delegates decided against submitting it. In Price County, delegates asked for some sort of sponsor. "No one wanted to bring it forward," said Robert The Lacrosse exterminating company man of Lacrosse, vice boss of the Vilas County delegation. "We couldn't find anyone willing to sign it."