Keep poking a stick into a beehive, and you shouldn't be surprised if a couple of bees come out with their stingers at the ready. In this case, the Chippewa bands of northern Wisconsin are the bees and the Wisconsin Legislature - more precisely, Republicans in the Legislature - is the guy with the stick.

The Journal Sentinel's Paul Smith reported in Tuesday morning's paper that the six bands of Chippewa in northern Wisconsin have declared intentions to spear a near-record number of walleyes during the annual spring harvest. The high declaration by the Lac du Flambeau band will terminate an agreement it has had with the state since 1997.

Tribal officials were unavailable for comment Monday, but it's no secret that they have been unhappy with two bills approved by the Legislature over the last year: one that permits wolf hunts and another that streamlines the permitting process for an iron mine in northern Wisconsin. Smith also reported that several tribal spokesmen have pointed to a lack of consultation in recent years between the state and tribes on natural resource issues, including the wolf hunt. By law, the tribes must be consulted on natural resource issues in the ceded territory.