MADISON, WI (AP)-- The Legislature's finance committee has quietly left a provision that would ban night wolf hunting in Governor Scott Walker's budget.
Wisconsin's wolf regulations allow night hunting but the language has proven contentious. Wisconsin's Chippewa tribes have cited it as justification for launching a tribal night deer hunt despite the state's ban on the practice. State attorneys are trying to block the tribal hunt in federal court.
Walker says he included the night wolf ban in his budget because hunters easily reached their kill limit during daylight hours in last year's inaugural hunt. The tribes believe Walker inserted the ban to weaken their position in court.
The Joint Finance Committee was scheduled to consider the provision Wednesday but took no action on it. That means the language remains in the budget.