Wisconsin Bear Hunters Association
Preserving Tomorrow's Heritage Today
For over 50 years, WBHA has been at the forefront of protecting the rights of sportsmen and sportswomen in Wisconsin as well promoting youth hunting, conservation, and sound wildlife management.
Bear hunting in Wisconsin is the ultimate family sport and the WBHA is nearly 3,000 members strong and is itself family-based. We invite you and your family to join us as we work together to protect Wisconsin’s great outdoor heritage.
61st WBHA Annual Convention
March 21-22, 2025
Sportsmen's Alliance "Return Wolf Management to the States" Petition
WBHA Members,
Please consider signing the petition linked below from our friends at the Sportsmen's Alliance. The petition is asking the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services (FWS) to follow the legal pathway provided to them in last year's legal filing, in which WBHA joined as a plaintiff.
Signing the petition only takes a minute (just fill out your name, email, and physical address).
The petition's full text is as follows:
America’s wolf population needs a scientific management plan to ensure its stability.
We are counting on FWS to successfully manage wolves by:
- Recognizing and delisting Western Great Lakes wolves (Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin) as a distinct population segment.
- Recognizing and down-listing to threatened a West Coast wolf population for wolves in California and areas of Washington and Oregon to remain under federal control until delisting goals are met.
- Creating a non-distinct population segment designation for the remnant of Lower 48 wolves not already recognized as a distinct population segment and keeping existing ESA protections in place for these remnant wolves.
Hunter Harassment Cards
Consider keeping these on hand as reference in case of a discrepancy or to sway enforcement action when presented as proof of the law.
Annual Raffle Winners
Check the list to find out if you've won!
WBHA Does Not Support Changing 3-Year Expiration Term
The WBHA does not support changing the 3 year expiration terms regarding bear hunting due to the fact it would lead to longer wait times and reduce necessary funding that is critical for bear management. The WBHA has serious concerns that changes like this would benefit complacent hunters at the expense of hunters that are diligently applying for points every year.
We fully understand the simplistic desire to "keep" points but we are very aware of the long term effects to the entire system. It is important to remember that points used to expire if a hunter missed one application deadline. We were willing to compromise to extend that to the 3 years that is current law, but we do not support further attempts to allow for no expiration as we will then have people on the list that have either moved out of the state, have passed away, have abandoned their interest in hunting bear, or are just not serious about the sport we all love.
Join or Renew!
In a time of much uncertainty, please know that the Wisconsin Bear Hunters Association is still working and operating to continue protecting sportsmen. Without a strong membership, this can become more difficult. Please JOIN (as a new member, or past expired member), sign up a NEW member, or RENEW your membership at the link below.
With your WBHA membership you will receive a monthly "Bear Hunting" magazine, critical email alerts from the WBHA, access to the WBHA Facebook group (request to join), representation for pro-hunting legislation, free access to the annual convention, and a yearbook at the end of your membership year.
New Shop
The online shop for the new WBHA clothing vendor is online and ready for your orders. Check it out at the link below!
CNNF Proposed Actions
The latest Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest (CNNF) Schedule of Proposed Actions (SOPA) can be found at the following link.
Featured News
We need your help today (September 19). It’s time to make our voices heard and protect the balance of our ecosystems and our hunting heritage.
Continue ReadingDue to what appears to be a problem with the Postal Service, we have received a number of reports of undelivered Jan/Feb Bear Hunting magazines.
Continue ReadingIf you would like to be entered into this year’s Big Bear Contest and have your story and picture considered for the yearbook, please be sure to fill out the form soon!
Continue ReadingThe Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation (SAF) filed a notice of its intent to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today, Nov. 10, for the agency’s failure to respond to SAF’s two gray wolf petitions. WBHA has joined as a plaintiff and has contributed to the effort.
Continue ReadingThe Wisconsin bear season has wrapped up, and of course there are issues that will need a lot of
attention from the WBHA.
