HURLEY -- Iron County board members adopted a resolution Wednesday declaring Iron County the Snow Capital of Wisconsin.

The resolution is an attempt to get the attention of Wisconsin legislators and possibly eliminate Wisconsin's late deer hunting season, at least in Iron County.

County officials want legislators to recognize that the extended deer hunting seasons are affecting snowmobiling in the county.

One of Iron County's major winter attractions was the Red Light Rally, which brought many snowmobilers into the area in mid-December. That event was canceled two years ago when Wisconsin's late deer hunting season began, according to Hurley Chamber of Commerce vice-president Don Richards.

"We need the early snowmobile season jump. We do not have any business in September, October or November, and our snowmobile season starts around Christmas," Richards said. "We need to start earlier, but we cannot, because of the late hunting."

Each of the 10 towns and two cities in Iron County adopted similar resolutions.

"The late deer hunting seasons -- late gun and black powder  -- are affecting the opening of our snowmobile season," said county clerk Mike Saari.

Iron County's snowmobile trail system extends onto private properties in some areas, Saari said.

"Some of those landowners are hunters, and they will not allow us to open the trails until all the hunting seasons are over," he said.

The resolution notes that Iron County boasts 500 miles of snowmobile trails along with alpine ski resorts and cross country ski trails.

According to the resolution, "Economic impact studies have shown each dollar spent in a community circulates seven time. This revenue is vital to every resident in Iron County through wages, supporting local businesses and tax support for local units of government with nearly 1,000 full time equivalent jobs representing a third of the total employment and over $20 million in income to its residents."

Copies of the resolution will be sent to Gov. Jim Doyle, State Sen. Bob Jauch, D-Poplar, Wisconsin Tourism Secretary Kelli Trumble, and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources secretary Matthew Frank as well as the county's representative in the state Assembly.