NR 17.07(3)(b)3.a.a. The cage is strong enough to contain the bear, bobcat or raccoon securely and comfortably and to withstand the normal rigors of training or trials.

NR 17.07(3)(b)3.b.b. The interior of the cage has no sharp points or edges and no protrusions that could injure the bear, bobcat or raccoon contained in it.

NR 17.07(3)(b)3.c.c. The bear, bobcat or raccoon is at all times securely contained within a cage in a way that it is not likely to result in injury to itself, to handlers, or to persons or animals nearby.

NR 17.07(3)(b)3.e.e. The cage shall be constructed and maintained so as to provide sufficient space to allow the bear, bobcat or raccoon to make normal postural adjustments with adequate freedom of movement to sit, stand on all 4 legs, turn around and lie in a normal manner.

NR 17.07(3)(b)3.g.g. Permanent devices such as handles or handholds shall be provided on the exterior that enables the cage to be lifted and ensures that anyone handling the cage will not come into physical contact with the bear, bobcat or raccoon contained inside.

NR 17.07(3)(b)3.h.h. When the cage is elevated in a tree or on a pole for training or trial purposes, the cage shall be raised a minimum of 10 feet off the ground.

NR 17.07(3)(b)4.4. All individuals except the owner of the captive animal, the owner’s designee or the dog handler shall be kept at least 4 feet from the cage. For bear, a barrier shall be provided to assure that individuals other than the owner, designee or handlers are kept 4 feet from the cage.

NR 17.07(3)(b)5.5. Dogs shall be kept a minimum of one foot from the cage at all times by restraint, cage design or barrier fence except where the cage is covered by solid material, which prevents all physical contact between the dog and the captive animal. The one foot minimum distance does not apply to raccoon training with the use of roll cages.

NR 17.07(3)(c)(c) Training periods. The length of time that captive wild bear, bobcat, coyote, fox or raccoon may be used for training exercises may not exceed 12 hours within a 24-hour period. Captive wild bear, bobcat, coyote, fox and raccoon shall be provided with a minimum of 8 consecutive hours of rest within a 24-hour period, when no dog training or trialing may take place. Additionally, a bear, bobcat or raccoon used for training, may not be housed in an enclosure that does not meet the primary enclosure standards in s. NR 16.30 (4) for a period of more than 72 hours.

NR 17.07 HistoryHistory: CR 03-031: cr. Register October 2003 No. 574, eff. 11-1-03; CR 05-031: am. (2) (a) Register November 2005 No. 599, eff. 12-1-05; CR 05-104: am. (1), r. and recr. (3), Register June 2007 No. 618, eff. 7-1-07.

NR 17.08(1)(1) Authority. Except as described in subs. (2) and (3), any person may trial dogs on free-roaming wild animals without a dog trialing license.

NR 17.08(2)(a)(a) Department lands. On department lands open to public hunting that are not designated open to dog trialing under s. NR 17.10, dogs shall be controlled by a person using a leash which is no more than 8 feet in length from April 15 through July 31 except as described in sub. (3).

NR 17.08(2)(b)(b) Northern restricted zone. Dog trialing on any free roaming wild animal is prohibited May 1 to June 30 on all lands north of the highway described in s. NR 10.07 (1) (i) except as described in sub. (3) (a).

NR 17.08(2)(c)(c) Bear dog trialing. A person may not use dogs to pursue wild bear for dog trialing purposes except as provided in sub. (3) (c).

NR 17.08(2)(d)(d) Killing wild animals. No person engaged in trialing dogs may kill or cause to be killed any free roaming wild animal including unprotected wild animals unless otherwise authorized.

NR 17.08(3)(a)(a) Northern restricted zone hound dog trialing on raccoon and rabbits. An individual may trial dogs on captive or free-roaming raccoons and rabbits May 1 to June 30 provided all the following apply:

NR 17.08(3)(a)2.2. The location of the master of hounds and the name of any approved state properties where the dog trials are to be held shall be listed on the hound dog trial license.

NR 17.08(3)(a)3.3. The applicant complies with any restrictions placed on a license to prevent the intentional or unintentional pursuit of wild bear.

NR 17.08(3)(b)(b) Hound dog trialing on free-roaming raccoons and rabbit. Except where prohibited by s. NR 45.06, from July 1 through the following April 14, hound dogs may be trialed on free-roaming raccoons and rabbits on department lands without a leash.