Editor’s Note:  This is the second in a series of four planned articles to inform our readership of important considerations when discussing a sandhill crane harvest in Wisconsin.  To be clear, to our knowledge, there is no current proposal for such a hunt and WWA has not formulated such a proposal. 

To be equally clear, as the population of cranes continues to rise significantly, well in excess of USFWS goals for the population, there is increasing interest – and questions surrounding – the appropriateness of such a hunt in Wisconsin.  [You may have noticed that Todd’s first Sandhill Crane article we published last month was re-published by the Wisconsin Outdoor News – so apparently there is even wider interest than we may have imagined!]

With this in mind, WWA’s Policy and Education Committees felt it would be important to begin informing the discussion with the results of our early data gathering.  This data gathering shows something we already know – Wisconsin is unique.   

By Todd Schaller, WWA Vice President

This article originally appeared in Wisconsin Waterfowl Association’s June, 2021 Newsletter edition.

Why is the biology and history of the Sandhill Crane (SHC) important?  It is difficult to explore or even have a conversation about a sustainable and ethical Sandhill Crane hunting season without a clear understanding of their history and biology.  As with all the hunted species, knowing their biology helps establish the management plan, which is a requirement by USFWS before they authorize any Mississippi Flyway State to have a SHC hunting season.

Management Plan

An Eastern Population sandhill Crane

There are five recognized sub-species of Sandhill Cranes: three non-migratory (Florida, Cuban and Mississippi) and two migratory (lesser and greater).  Cranes in Wisconsin and Mississippi Flyway are the greater sub-species and are further identified as the Eastern Population (one of six identified SHC populations) which breeds across Wisconsin, Michigan, Ontario and Minnesota.  This is a unique and different population from that which is hunted in other waterfowl flyway states.  The only states with SHC hunting seasons involving the Eastern Population of SHC are Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee.

The management of hunted species based on an identified “population” shouldn’t be unusual to Wisconsin waterfowl hunters.  It is how Wisconsin’s goose management plan and seasons are established.  The season and bag limits for geese are set based on which population is being harvested, or the largest percentage of the harvest – the “Giant” or Temperate Breeding population which is the focus of the early season harvest (five goose limit) compared to “migrant” or the Southern Hudson Bay population which is the focus of the regular season harvest (three goose limit).

History and Recovery

The Sandhill Crane is an ancient species with fossil records dating back at least 2.5 million years.

As with other species, the SHC’s historic population decline was connected to unrestricted hunting and habitat loss in the early 1900’s.  Similar to waterfowl species, their population recovery is connected to the Migratory Bird Treaty Act which enacted international harvest controls. Another important part of their recovery is connected to protection and restoration of thousands of acres of habitat and wetlands, which is in part because of the efforts and funding from hunters, including: Pittman-Robertson Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act, Federal Waterfowl Stamp and State Waterfowl Stamp, among other funding sources. A third influence are the changes in farming practices, specifically increased grain production.

In the 1920’s less than 100 SHC were in the entire United States; the 2020 estimate is near 1,000,000.  An amazing comeback, which has included USFWS controlled hunting for over 60 years (1962).

Even if some of the SHC recovery “is in part because of funding from hunters”, it is not exclusively so; this contribution can be overstated.  It is important to know that non-hunters played a role in the recovery effort, too.  So this wetland protection/restoration aspect is probably better described as an indirect contribution from hunters. This is true for many non-hunted species which benefit from habitat efforts connected to funding from hunters.

The SHC recovery is in contrast to the recovery of Wild Turkey and Elk to Wisconsin, which was primarily because of the efforts and funding from hunters with the potential goal of reaching a sustainable population for hunting.

The conversation about a sustainable and ethical hunting season for the Eastern Population of SHC should be based on research, management experience and science by USFWS and others.  Based on those factors, the USFWS has identified a sustainable population goal of 30,000 SHC within the Eastern Population (EP).  Over ten years ago, USFWS developed guidelines for establishing a hunting season within the Mississippi and Atlantic Flyway when the population level was exceeded.  2020 survey population estimates are three times the identified population goal. The USFWS estimates the EP is growing at 4.4% per year.

SHC Biological Factors

Sandhill Cranes are the most abundant crane species in the world. They are long lived (potentially 20 years).  They tend to mate for life (with some emerging evidence of limited crane “divorces”).  If one of a pair dies, the surviving crane seems to readily acquire another partner.

Sandhill Crane egg

Significantly, they have one of the lowest recruitment rates of any North American game bird.  This low recruitment rate seems to be a multi-pronged survival adaptation: birds do not reach breeding maturity for three to five years, lay only one to two egg clutches and successful pairs often fledging only one young per year.

These become important considerations in exploring a sustainable harvest of Sandhills.  SHC losses in any given year, whether from natural loss, artificial loss or hunting harvest, have a longer-term impact than other harvestable game birds with more traditional recruitment (rapid sexual maturity, large clutch sizes, polygamous mating).  These factors must be weighed carefully to establish a hunt while continuing a strong SHC population.

With this in mind, the USFWS has established very conservative guidelines for states that want to undertake an experimental SHC harvest when the population exceeds 30,000 cranes as was discussed in Part I of this series.

Wisconsin is home to the largest breeding population of the Eastern Population.  There is some emerging sense that most of the state’s prime SHC breeding habitat has reached its SHC carrying capacity, resulting in a growing population of non-breeding SHC.  On the negative side of the ledger, this may be a factor in the growing farm losses due to SHC crop predation.  On the positive side, it may also be contributing to greater dispersal of the SHC to other states/regions as sexually mature and non-breeding cranes seek suitable habitat beyond Wisconsin.

Another Wisconsin factor: many, if not most SHCs begin to gather after conclusion of breeding, nesting and brood-rearing seasons in late September.  This staging of the migrating birds is a spectacular sight, possibly facilitating a successful southern migration.  The areas in which they stage could have some significance in maintaining a stable population of sandhill cranes and may therefore have an impact on how a SHC hunt should be considered.

The SHC history and biology is different than our flyway’s traditionally hunted waterfowl species.  Wisconsin has some additional considerations when compared to other states in which the hunting of SHC (eastern population) has been established.  These factors should guide the  conversation about a sustainable and ethical SHC harvest in Wisconsin.  This  discussion should also reflect Wisconsin Waterfowl Association’s – and the  larger hunting community’s – commitment to proper management, sound science and potential funding/resources, with the species sustainability being the priority consideration.

One doesn’t have to look very far to see the many positive examples highlighting this commitment.  A recent well-publicized meta-study revealed that virtually all North American bird populations have suffered over 25% declines – 3 billion birds lost – in the past 50 years… EXCEPT birds dependent on wetland habitats, which have gained 20 million birds.  This notably includes migratory game birds, whose numbers have increased to near historic levels, in large part due to the attention and funding waterfowlers bring to their continental management.

In the next WWA Newsletter we’ll review some of the unique aspects (challenges and opportunities) of establishing a sustainable and ethical a Wisconsin Sandhill Crane season.