MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Republican legislator is circulating a bill that would allow hunting applicants to retain preference points for more than three years. Right now, the Department of Natural Resources issues licenses for a number of species, including bear and turkey, to hunters who have accumulated preference points. Every year a hunter applies for a license but doesn’t get one earns one preference point. If a hunter doesn’t apply for three years, accumulated points are lost. Rep. Joel Kleefisch’s bill would allow applicants to retain their preference points regardless of how much time has passed since their last application. He said in a memo to his colleagues seeking co-sponsors that hunters shouldn’t be penalized if circumstances such as college courses or injuries prevent them from applying for a license for three years.
