Winnebago committee approves two wildlife damage payments, denies a third after staff review

Trevor Pike, Winnebago County’s wildland damage specialist, presented three 2025 claims and recommended payment for two claimants while recommending denial for one. Pike explained program rules requiring enrollment, timely claims and evidence of hunting effort or a valid waiver before payments can be issued.

On the Bond claim, the committee approved a payable loss amount reported in the packet at roughly $5,002. For Robert Walter the committee approved $3,835.33. For James Fisher, staff recommended denial after reviewing his hunting log and consulting with the DNR biologist; Pike said the log showed multi‑month gaps during the season and they did not recommend a waiver. The committee voted on each claim by motion and voice vote; the motions carried as recorded in the meeting.

Pike described the waiver process: claimants can provide a hunting log demonstrating consistent effort across the season and staff may grant a waiver if the log demonstrates valid effort; if a waiver is denied, the claim is ineligible for payment. “We do not recommend it,” Pike said when asked whether Fisher’s waiver should be granted.

Why it matters: the votes moved county funds to two claimants and denied another after staff applied program standards to the claimant’s hunting effort record. The committee did not record a roll‑call in the transcript; outcomes were announced by voice vote.

Next steps: Pike indicated he could obtain committee signatures for claim paperwork after the meeting and staff will process payments or denials according to the department’s procedures.