The last thing anyone should ever want to do is get involved with the Byzantine rule book of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
From hunting deer to fishing for bass to camping under trees, the DNR and its Natural Resources Board have a history of creating enough rules that you might mistake them for the Internal Revenue Service.
The latest set of rules, however, has raised the ire of humane societies and other organizations through the state who have filed a suit against the DNR.
It all stems from the fact that wolves are now no longer an endangered species. Once the federal government made that decision you could almost hear the salivating by hunters. A wolf on my wall? Holy cow!
The problem is that the DNR said it was OK to use dogs in the hunt for the wolf. There are all kinds of hairs to split about all of this, but basically the rules allow for unlimited use of dogs in hunting wolves.
The doomsday scenario drawn by the plaintiffs in this case is that there's this wolf somewhere in the woods and a couple of dogs track him down and find him and start barking. This kind of makes the wolf angry, and we all know what happens with an angry wolf.
This gives new meeting to the concept of dog fighting. Even Michael Vick might feel queasy about this. Can you imagine Rover and Buffy in battle with a wolf?
Like I said, I hate to get involved in DNR stuff, but on this one, it sure seems like the department ought to try and protect dogs. I mean if a couple of fewer wolves get killed, big deal. But if dogs get mauled by wolves, then we've got a major problem on our hands.
With a history in Milwaukee stretching back decades, Dave tries to bring a unique perspective to his writing, whether it's sports, politics, theater or any other issue.
He's seen Milwaukee grow, suffer pangs of growth, strive for success and has been involved in many efforts to both shape and re-shape the city. He's a happy man, now that he's quit playing golf, and enjoys music, his children and grandchildren and the myriad of sports in this state. He loves great food and hates bullies and people who think they are smarter than everyone else.
This whole Internet thing continues to baffle him, but he's willing to play the game as long as OnMilwaukee.com keeps lending him a helping hand. He is constantly amazed that just a few dedicated people can provide so much news and information to a hungry public.
Despite some opinions to the contrary, Dave likes most stuff. But he is a skeptic who constantly wonders about the world around him. So many questions, so few answers.
