Chapter 29

29.617 29.617 Public hunting and fishing grounds. The department may acquire, lease, develop and maintain public hunting and fishing grounds. The department may agree to adjust and pay damages arising from the operation of public hunting or fishing grounds.

29.617 History History: 1979 c. 34 s. 730; 1997 a. 248 s. 598; Stats. 1997 s. 29.617.

29.621 29.621 Wildlife refuges.

29.621(1) (1) Establishment. The owner of contiguous land comprising in the aggregate not less than 160 acres located outside the limits of any city or village may apply to the department for the establishment of the land as a wildlife refuge. If the department determines that the establishment of the land as a wildlife refuge will promote the conservation of species or varieties native to this state, it may by order establish the land as a wildlife refuge.

29.621(2) (2) Signs. Within 30 days after the date of the order the owner of the land shall post signs or notices as required and furnished by the department, designating the refuge.

29.621(3) (3) Publication. The order is not effective until at least 30 days after issuance and until the department has caused to be published a class 3 notice, under ch. 985, in the county containing the land. The land shall remain a wildlife refuge for not less than 5 years.

29.621(4) (4) Protection. Except as provided in s. 29.091 (1), no owner of a wildlife refuge, and no other person, may hunt or trap within the boundaries of any wildlife refuge or have in his or her possession or under his or her control in the wildlife refuge a gun, firearm, airgun, bow, or crossbow, unless the gun, firearm, or airgun is unloaded, the bow or crossbow is unstrung, and the gun, firearm, airgun, bow, or crossbow is enclosed within a carrying case. This subsection, as it relates to the possession or control of a loaded or unencased firearm or airgun, does not apply to any of the following:

29.621(4)(a) (a) A person who is employed in this state by a public agency as a law enforcement officer and to whom s. 941.23 (1) (g) 2. to 5. and (2) (b) 1. to 3. applies.

29.621(4)(am) (am) A person who is certified as a tactical emergency medical services professional under s. 165.85 (3) while acting in the line of duty.

29.621(4)(b) (b) A qualified out-of-state law enforcement officer, as defined in s. 941.23 (1) (g), to whom s. 941.23 (2) (b) 1. to 3. applies.

29.621(4)(c) (c) A former officer, as defined in s. 941.23 (1) (c), to whom s. 941.23 (2) (c) 1. to 7. applies.

29.621(4)(d) (d) A licensee, as defined in s. 175.60 (1) (d), or an out-of-state licensee, as defined in s. 175.60 (1) (g), if the gun or firearm is a handgun, as defined in s. 175.60 (1) (bm).

29.621(5) (5) Animals procured by department. The department may place wild animals within any wildlife refuge, for the purpose of propagation.

29.621(6) (6) Injurious animals. Nothing in this section may prohibit, prevent, or interfere with the department in the destruction of injurious animals.

29.621 History History: 1971 c. 42; 1989 a. 214; 1997 a. 248 s. 608; Stats. 1997 s. 29.621; 2011 a. 35; 2023 a. 115, 218.

29.621 Cross-reference Cross-reference: See also s. NR 10.001, Wis. adm. code.

29.624 29.624 Senior citizen recreation card.

29.624(1) (1) A senior citizen recreation card entitles the holder to exercise all of the combined rights and privileges conferred by a resident small game hunting license, a wild turkey hunting license, a wild turkey hunting stamp and a resident fishing license, subject to all duties, conditions, limitations, and restrictions of the licenses and stamp. A person may operate any motor vehicle, except a motor bus, as defined in s. 340.01 (31), subject to the admission requirements under s. 27.01 (7) in any vehicle admission area under s. 27.01 (7) without having an admission receipt affixed to the vehicle or otherwise displayed and without paying a fee if the vehicle has as an occupant a card holder who can exhibit the card upon demand in the vehicle admission area. The card permits a card holder to enter Heritage Hill state park or a state trail without paying an admission fee.

29.624(2) (2) Except as provided in this section, possession of a senior citizen recreation card shall not entitle the holder to obtain any other privileges or services for free if the privileges or services may be obtained only through payment of a fee.

29.624(3) (3) The department shall allocate the proceeds from senior citizen recreation card sales among the various affected programs at its discretion.

29.624(4) (4) The department may not issue a senior citizen recreation card after December 31, 1991.

29.624 History History: 1997 a. 248 ss. 189 to 192; Stats. 1997 s. 29.624; 2015 a. 89.

29.627 29.627 Domestic fur-bearing animal farms. The breeding, raising and producing in captivity, and the marketing, by the producer, of foxes, fitch, nutria, marten, fisher, mink, chinchilla, rabbit or caracul, as live animals, or as animal pelts or carcasses shall be considered an agricultural pursuit, and all such animals so raised in captivity shall be considered domestic animals, subject to all the laws of the state with reference to possession, ownership and taxation as are at any time applicable to domestic animals. All persons engaged in the foregoing activities are farmers and engaged in farming for all statutory purposes.

29.627 History History: 1997 a. 248 s. 630; Stats. 1997 s. 29.873; 2001 a. 56 s. 86; Stats. 2001 s. 29.627.

29.630 29.630 Raffling lake sturgeon from state fish hatcheries.

29.630(1) (1) The organization known as Sturgeon for Tomorrow, Inc., may annually request that the department transfer not more than 15 carcasses of lake sturgeon from state fish hatcheries to be awarded as prizes in a raffle, subject to the requirements of subch. VIII of ch. 563.

29.630(2) (2) For any raffle conducted under sub. (1), the organization known as Sturgeon for Tomorrow, Inc., shall do all of the following:

29.630(2)(a) (a) Preserve all sturgeon carcasses received from the department for taxidermy and mounting.

29.630(2)(b) (b) Provide to each person who receives a sturgeon carcass a certificate of transfer furnished by the department, to be retained by the person receiving the sturgeon carcass.

29.630(2)(c) (c) Use all proceeds from the raffle to promote sturgeon management, conduct sturgeon habitat management, promote sturgeon reintroduction, or further sturgeon research.

29.630 History History: 2021 a. 193.

subch. X of ch. 29 SUBCHAPTER X

FISH AND GAME PROPAGATION AND STOCKING

Subch. X of ch. 29 Cross-reference Cross-reference: See also s. NR 19.05, Wis. adm. code.

29.701 29.701 Propagation of fish; protected wild animals.

29.701(1) (1) Nothing in this chapter concerning the protection of wild animals applies to any of the following:

29.701(1)(a) (a) The operation of state fish hatcheries.

29.701(1)(b) (b) The removal of fish which have died from natural causes or the removal of detrimental or rough fish by or as authorized by the department.

29.701(1)(c) (c) The propagation or transportation, collecting and transplanting of fish by the department.

29.701(1)(d) (d) The transportation of fish into or through this state or out of it by the commissioners of fisheries of other states or of the United States.

29.701(1)(e) (e) The transportation and sale of farm-raised fish.

29.701(2) (2) The department may not furnish fish from state hatcheries to private ponds, private clubs, corporations or preserves, and may not introduce, stock or plant them in waters where the general public is not allowed the rights and privileges enjoyed by any individual.

29.701(3) (3) An operator of a fish farm, or an employee of the operator, may capture turtles that are on the fish farm, transport them to different locations and release them into the wild.

29.701 History History: 1997 a. 27, 237; 1997 a. 248 s. 554; Stats. 1997 s. 29.701.

29.701 Annotation Under ss. 29.50 [now this section] and 30.77, the department may refuse to stock waters where public access is inadequate. 68 Atty. Gen. 233.

29.705 29.705 Propagation of fish; removal of fish.

29.705(1) (1) Transplantation of fish. The department may take or authorize to be taken fish at any time of the year from any waters of the state for stocking other waters or for the purpose of securing eggs for propagation. These fish or eggs may be taken only under a permit issued by the department and only in the presence of an employee or agent of the department. The permit shall specify the kinds of fish that may be taken and the manner in which they may be taken.

29.705(2) (2) Furnishing fish; access to stocked waters.

29.705(2)(a) (a) The department may not furnish fish or fish eggs from state hatcheries to private ponds, private clubs, corporations, or preserves unless the private pond, private club, corporation, or preserve is located in this state and has entered into an agreement with the department and the fish or the fish grown from the fish eggs will ultimately be stocked, into waters of the state where the general public is allowed, according to any applicable permits and certificates, and, if the private pond, private club, corporation, or preserve is a fish farm, the fish farm is registered with the department of agriculture, trade and consumer protection. If the private pond, private club, corporation, or preserve creates more fish from fish eggs provided under this paragraph than are required under its agreement with the department, the excess fish are not required to ultimately be stocked into waters of the state where the general public is allowed.

29.705(2)(b) (b) The department may not plant fish from state hatcheries in waters where the general public is not allowed the rights and privileges enjoyed by any individual.

29.705(3) (3) Delivery of fish eggs. Any person fishing in any waters of this state shall deliver, on demand, to the department or its agent any fish for the purpose of being stripped of their eggs and milt. The department or its agent shall, immediately after having stripped the fish, return them to the person from whom received. The department or its agent may enter any boats, docks, grounds or other places where the fish may be, for the purpose of stripping them while alive, and the person possessing the fish shall render any assistance that may be necessary to expedite the work of mixing the eggs and milt for proper impregnation.

29.705(4) (4) Destruction of fish eggs or fish.

29.705(4)(a) (a) The department may seize or destroy, or both, any fish, or any fish eggs, found to be infected with any disease organisms as are designated by the department.

29.705(4)(b) (b) Paragraph (a) does not authorize the department of natural resources to remove fish or fish eggs from a self-contained fish rearing facility or from a preexisting fish rearing facility that is an artificial body of water unless the department of agriculture, trade and consumer protection has requested that the department of natural resources remove the fish or fish eggs to address a problem affecting fish health.

29.705(5) (5) Removal of fish eggs or fish from state. No person may remove any fish eggs or live fish from this state except as authorized by law or pursuant to a permit issued by the department. This subsection does not apply to farm-raised fish or eggs from farm-raised fish.

29.705(6) (6) Fishing for propagation purposes. For the purposes of catching wild fish from the public waters for purposes of artificial propagation or for introduction, stocking or planting in fish farms, no person may take or have possession or control of any kind of fish unless par. (a) or (b) applies:

29.705(6)(a) (a) The person has the approvals required under this chapter to take, possess or control that kind of fish.

29.705(6)(b) (b) The person has been otherwise authorized by the department to take, possess or control that kind of fish.

29.705 History History: 1997 a. 248 ss. 557, 563 to 570, 700; 2017 a. 21.

29.707 29.707 Propagation of fish; department rules.

29.707(1) (1) The department shall promulgate rules that do all of the following:

29.707(1)(a) (a) Define the role and extent that genetics is involved in the department’s fish stocking strategies.

29.707(1)(b) (b) Standardize the department’s fish donation procedures.

29.707(2) (2) The department and the department of agriculture, trade and consumer protection shall review the departments’ rules relating to viral hemorrhagic septicemia, and shall promulgate new rules as the departments determine are necessary.

29.707(3) (3) The department, with the department of agriculture, trade and consumer protection, shall assess the efficiency and utility of the fish hatchery classification system under rules promulgated by the department of agriculture, trade and consumer protection, and the department of agriculture, trade and consumer protection shall promulgate new rules as it determines are necessary.

29.707(4) (4) The department shall assess the viability and use of bait fish and forage fish and of the continued classification of bait fish and forage fish as established nonnative fish species, and shall promulgate new rules as it determines are necessary.

29.707(5) (5) The department shall consider economic factors, healthy fish populations, and fishing opportunities, and shall consult with interested parties, including fishing groups and the aquaculture industry, when promulgating rules under this section.

29.707(6) (6) The final draft of a proposed rule under this section shall be submitted under s. 227.19 (2) no later than June 28, 2019.

29.707 History History: 2017 a. 21.

29.709 29.709 State fish hatcheries. The department may operate state fish hatcheries and may do all of the following:

29.709(1) (1) Breed and propagate fish of such species and varieties as it determines to be of value.

29.709(2) (2) Distribute information regarding the propagation and conservation of fish.

29.709(3) (3) Manage the state fish hatcheries and all other property held by the state for the propagation of fish.

29.709(4) (4) Subject to s. 95.60, receive from any person all fish eggs or fish donated to the state or purchased, and procure, receive, exchange, distribute and dispose of fish eggs and fish.

29.709(5) (5) Transfer the carcasses of lake sturgeon from state fish hatcheries as part of routine rearing practices to be used in raffles as provided in s. 29.630.

29.709 History History: 1997 a. 248 ss. 558, 559, 561; 2021 a. 193.

29.713 29.713 Trespass to state fish hatchery. Whoever does any of the following without proper authority shall be subject to the penalties under s. 29.971 (1):

29.713(1) (1) Enters upon the grounds of a state fish hatchery for the purpose of killing or taking fish.

29.713(2) (2) Kills or takes fish from any waters or grounds of a state fish hatchery.

29.713(3) (3) Injures any fish, or interferes harmfully with the ponds, streams, troughs or other property of a state fish hatchery.

29.713 History History: 1975 c. 365; 1985 a. 29; 1997 a. 248 s. 580; Stats. 1997 s. 29.713.

29.717 29.717 Trespass on riparian land. In an action against a person for damages sustained from trespassing on lands bordering streams stocked by the consent of the owner of the lands, with fish received from a state hatchery, where the damage exceeds $2, the trespasser is liable for double the amount of the damage and all of the taxable costs; and where the damage is $2 or less the trespasser shall be liable for the amount of the damage and costs not to exceed the amount of the damage.

29.717 History History: 1997 a. 248 s. 682; Stats. 1997 s. 29.717.

29.733 29.733 Natural waters used in fish farms.

29.733(1d) (1d) In this section:

29.733(1d)(a) (a) “Artificial water body” has the meaning given in s. 30.19 (1b) (a).

29.733(1d)(b) (b) “Natural body of water” means a spring, stream, pond, lake, or wetland that was historically present in a natural state but may have been physically altered over time.

29.733(1h) (1h) No person may use a natural body of water as a fish farm or as part of a fish farm unless all of the following apply:

29.733(1h)(a) (a) The land that is riparian to the body of water is owned, leased or controlled by the owners of the fish farm.