2011 Deer Hunting Season Disappointing For Many – ANNARBOR.COM
December 19, 2011
By Rick Taylor
The 2011 whitetail deer hunting season was fruitful for some and highly disappointing for many. I’ve heard the same story of disappointment from a multitude of hunters in our area and across the state.
So, what happened to all the deer this year? Some farmers say they’re still here living and feeding in the standing corn yet to be harvested. Other local farmers say they haven’t seen many deer at all this entire year. Matt Koenn, a local farmer saw so few deer this year on his farm that he didn’t apply for a “Crop Damage” permit this summer. Periodic phone calls to Matt only verified the low deer numbers on his farm.
Is this bad or good news for Matt and farmers like him? Well, it’s all in the way you look at it. Hunters will certainly be frustrated by low deer numbers but farmers like Matt will have less crop damage leading to higher profit margins for a change. I’ve often written about my Dexter “Honey Hole” over the years and how it consistently produces deer. Well, this year has proven to be amazingly unproductive. I haven’t seen a single deer the last 4 times I’ve been out there this fall.
Furthermore, there isn’t a rhyme or reason for this. There are very few hunters in the area, the weather patterns are similar and their food source remains unchanged. If you take anything away from this article then remember this; “there’s a reason why the DNR needs an accurate accounting of harvested deer in your area”. I strongly believe that hunters need to let their local DNR office know harvest numbers so they can more accurately forecast deer numbers the following year. Click Link Below For Full Story!
via 2011 deer hunting season disappointing for many.
Hunters donate venison to needy – Coldwater, MI – The Daily Reporter
October 26, 2011
Hunters who are willing to share the rewards of their deer hunting efforts with the less fortunate should check out Sportsmen Against Hunger.
The program, which began in 1991, is designed to help hunters donate venison to those in need.
“The program’s a win-win situation,” explained Dean Hall, an officer with the Michigan Bow Hunters Association and chairman of Sportsmen Against Hunger. “We have a lot of people who out there — especially during times like these — who need help getting enough to eat. We can help the soup kitchens and shelters and food pantries with donations of venison.”
Although the program is designed for deer hunting season, Hall said his crew has been active all summer, too, working with landowners who have crop-damage permits identify programs that can use the venison.
“Anyone who donates a whole deer does not have to pay any processing fees,” Hall said. “We reimburse the processors for their efforts. And sportsmen who wish to donate as little as a pound or two of venison can donate, too.”
Hall recommends interested hunters go the group’s website www.sportsmenagainsthunger.org for a list of processors who are enrolled in the program. Click Link Below For Full Story!
via Hunters donate venison to needy – Coldwater, MI – The Daily Reporter.
2011 Michigan Deer Hunting Forecast
October 4, 2011
2011 MICHIGAN DEER HUNTING PROSPECTS
THE STATEWIDE FORECAST
Brent Rudolph, Deer and Elk Program Leader
517-641-4903 ext. 248
Statewide
Over the last few years, around 700,000 individuals have purchased a license to hunt deer in
Michigan. These hunters ultimately spend more than 9.6 million days afield and take more than
400,000 deer. Over 300,000 hunters participate in Michigan’s archery season, about 600,000 hunt
with a firearm and 200,000 with a muzzleloader. While the number of firearm season hunters often
rises and falls as the traditional November 15th opening day rotates through days of the week,
expanded youth hunting programs and crossbow hunting opportunities have increased
participation among other segments of the hunting population. Although surveys show that the
leading reasons many participate in deer hunting is simply the opportunity to spend time outdoors
with friends and family, many hunters prepare each season to give themselves the best chance to
see and take deer.
Deer are not evenly distributed across the state. There are considerable differences in habitat and
deer numbers across Michigan’s three regions – the Upper Peninsula (UP), northern Lower
Peninsula (NLP), and southern Lower Peninsula (SLP). In addition to this regional variability, every
year hunters only a few miles apart have very different experiences observing and harvesting deer.
Across the state, reports on the soft mast crop are generally positive, with particularly good
production of apples. The hard mast crop has shown low production overall, though some
scattered areas have noted fair amounts of acorns and beechnuts. Maps and computer-based
tools are increasingly available to narrow in on the best locations to focus scouting efforts,
including the Mi-HUNT interactive web application available at www.michigan.gov/mihunt. While
these and other resources are a great benefit for hunters, there is no substitute for personally
scouting areas in advance of a hunting trip.
Part of hunting preparations each year includes becoming familiar with the most recent regulations.
The deer website of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and a new collaborative
website with the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at Michigan State University provide
highlights of regulations changes, information about deer management, and links to additional
resources, such as a list of deer check stations. These sites are located at www.michigan.gov/deer
and http://deer.fw.msu.edu. Please refer to the 2011 Hunting and Trapping Digest and Antlerless
Digest, available at DNR Operations Service Centers, license vendors, or available in electronic
formats through links at these sites, for a map of all Deer Management Units and other regulations
details.
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The DNR also reminds hunters not to overlook the many other hunting and trapping seasons
available in Michigan. These other seasons provide their own unique opportunities and can offer
chances to scout or find potential new deer hunting locations. Explore your options at
www.michigan.gov/hunting or www.michigan.gov/trapping. With preparation, attention to safety,
and awareness of current hunting regulations, hunters can be ready to head into the field to enjoy
the recreation opportunity offered by the 2011 Michigan deer season.
As an important reminder, those hunting within the UP and the multi-county Deer Management
Unit (DMU) 487 in the tuberculosis (TB) zone must decide, before purchasing their deer license, if
they wish the opportunity to take one or two antlered deer. Those desiring the opportunity to shoot
two bucks must purchase a combination license. Both bucks have antler point restrictions. One
buck must have one antler with at least 3 antler points; the other buck must have one antler with at
least 4 antler points. Those choosing to purchase a firearm deer license and/or an archery deer
license are limited to taking only one buck from within these areas during all seasons combined.
Within most of the areas, a deer must have just one antler 3 or more inches in length, but point
restrictions remain in place for some individual DMUs as well. These include DMU 117 (Drummond
Island) and DMU 122 (primarily in southern Dickinson County, along the Wisconsin border) in the
UP, and one small DMU (DMU135 in Iosco County) in the TB zone. In DMU 117, bucks must have
at least one forked antler. In DMU 122 bucks must have at least one three-point antler. And in
DMU 135, bucks must have at least one forked antler to be legal. Finally, within DMU 487 ONLY,
hunters may harvest an antlerless deer with a firearm or combination license within the Nov. 15-30
firearm season or the Dec. 9-18 muzzleloader season.
Upper Peninsula
More than 100,000 hunters have pursued deer in the UP in recent years, including approximately
30,000 participants in the archery season, over 90,000 firearm hunters, and more than 20,000
hunters pursuing deer with a muzzleloader.
Within the UP, deer populations continue to slowly increase following a second mild winter in a
row. Fawn production should be good, though predation may have produced some losses.
Antlered buck numbers will likely be on the rise, as the increased production of fawns in 2010
should lead to greater antlered buck numbers this year. More deer will be found in the Southern
UP near Lake Michigan, with fewer in the Northern UP near Lake Superior. Antlerless licenses are
available in DMUs 022, 055, 122, 152, 155, 252, and 255 for 2011. Special buck harvest
restrictions noted above are in place throughout the UP.
Northern Lower Peninsula
An average of about 285,000 hunters have pursued deer in the NLP over the last few years,
including more than 115,000 participants in the archery season, an average of over 250,000
firearm hunters, and more than 50,000 hunters pursuing deer with a muzzleloader.
Baiting has been reinstated as legal for most of the NLP; however, baiting is still banned in DMU
487. Baiting may only occur from October 1 through January 1. Hunters are restricted to no more
than 2 gallons of bait per hunting site; the bait must be spread over 100 square feet (equivalent to
a 10 foot by 10 foot area).
Within the eastern portion of the NLP, TB prevalence continues to show a declining trend over the
long-term, but no detectable change has occurred over the previous 5 years. Goals and hunting
regulations in the eastern NLP are therefore driven more by the objective to continue to reduce TB
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prevalence than by numbers of deer in this region. It is important for hunters to continue to observe
the ban on baiting and feeding in DMU 487 and to harvest at least as many antlerless deer as
bucks.
Mild winter conditions for the second year in a row in the NLP should lead to increasing deer
numbers. Deer numbers on many state land areas appear to be on the rise, though they are still
below goal in some areas. In some NLP units, indications are that there is an overabundance of
deer on private land but lower than desired populations on public land. Special antlerless seasons
and private land license quotas are used in these units to target deer on private land even if
abundant sign and sightings do not occur on public land. The number of antlerless deer licenses is
the same as last year in eastern NLP multi-unit area DMU 487, while no antlerless permits were
made available in four counties (Cheboygan, Otsego, Roscommon, and Kalkaska). Special buck
harvest restrictions noted above are in place in DMU 487. Within DMU 487 ONLY, hunters may
harvest an antlerless deer with a firearm or combination license within the Nov. 15-30 firearm
season or the Dec. 9-18 muzzleloader season.
Southern Lower Peninsula
An average of nearly 360,000 hunters have pursued deer in the SLP over the last few years,
including more than 185,000 participants in the archery season, more than 290,000 firearm
hunters, and an average of about 125,000 hunters pursuing deer with a muzzleloader.
Baiting has been reinstated as legal throughout the SLP. Baiting may only occur from October 1
through January 1. Hunters are restricted to no more than 2 gallons of bait per hunting site spread
over 100 square feet (equivalent to a 10 foot by 10 foot area).
The deer population in southern Michigan is expected to be similar to the last few years. Abundant
food and cover in the form of agricultural crops and scattered swamps and woodlots provide very
good habitat across the southern Michigan landscape. This high quality habitat, combined with
relatively mild winter conditions, results in an abundant and productive deer population. Deer
populations generally exceed DNR goals and fawns generally come in sets of twins and triplets.
High numbers of antlerless permits are available again this year, particularly in the multi-county
DMU 486 (most of southern Michigan except St. Clair, Macomb, Wayne, and Monroe Counties).
Growing threat from feral swine has officials contemplating bounty to encourage hunting of the animals – Flint News
January 13, 2009
GENESEE COUNTY, Michigan — Wanted, dead not alive: Michigan’s feral swine.
The latest estimates indicate thousands of wild pigs are running amuck throughout the state, posing a growing threat of disease and damage to crops, landscape, farm animals, wildlife and even humans.
Flint Journal extras What is feral swine?
• Any free-ranging pig. Most in Michigan are Eurasian boars and other exotics escaped from game ranches and can be 300 pounds or more. The latest estimates are 3,000-5,000 feral swine statewide.
• Any pig can revert to a wild state in a matter of months, growing long hair and tusks and becoming aggressive. They are known to destroy crops and land and will eat virtually anything.
• A group composed of the DNR, MDA, Michigan Pork Producers Association, Michigan United Conservation Clubs and others is working on ways to resolve the problem.
To report a feral swine shooting or sighting:
DNR: (517) 336-5030 or email brownkr@michigan.gov.
MDA: (800) 292-3939 ext. 4 for Animal Industry Division.
USDA Wildlife Services: (517) 336-1928
For more information:
www.michigan.gov/dnr
www.michigan.gov/emergingdiseases
www.aphis.usda.gov
Source: Michigan Department of Agriculture and Department of Natural Resources
Some wildlife experts are even calling for the state to immediately enact a bounty on the heads of wild hogs before the threat grows too large to control.
“In order to be successful you have to strike while the population is still low. Some people would say the numbers are already beyond control. But there’s so much to lose we’ve got to try,” said Dr. Patrick Rusz, Michigan Wildlife Conservancy director and a member of the state’s feral swine work group.
Most of Michigan’s feral swine are Eurasian boars and other exotics escaped from game ranches. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Department of Agriculture have been working on the problem for much of the past decade. Feral swine already are a problem in at least 40 states and parts of Europe and Canada, with few reports of successful control. Click below for full story!
Up North Journal
September 23, 2008
This weeks featured member is Up North Journal. This site was created by Michael Adams of Michigan and basically consists of a blog and podcast that seeks to educate people about the great outdoors and the importance of introducing our youth to the tradition of hunting and fishing. His son Mike actually co-hosts the podcast and believe me it is very informative and entertaining to listen to. The format of the show is some discussions about their most recent exerperiences together in the woods or on the water and then some updates about recent news in Michigan and throughout the United States that could affect your outdoor experience. A few good product reviews are also discussed. So if you are looking for an entertaining outdoor show check out the other Mike and Mike at http://www.upnorthjournal.com. Check out their member profile here!
Wetlands restoration is good news for duck hunters – Saginaw Bay Watershed Watch – Bay City Times – MLive.com
September 18, 2008
Posted by Jeff Kart | The Bay City Times September 17, 2008
UNIONVILLE – A million bucks will hopefully bring lots of ducks to Saginaw Bay.
The federal government has awarded a $1 million grant to help conserve more than 4,800 acres of wetland and associated habitats in a coastal area stretching from Ogemaw and Iosco counties to the Ohio border.
The money, for phase two of the Saginaw Bay to Lake Erie Coastal Habitat Project, will be combined with about $3 million in other funds from federal and state agencies and conservation groups including Ducks Unlimited.
In Saginaw Bay, about $550,000 will be spent at the Fish Point State Wildlife Area near Unionville to replace and fix old pumps, water control structures and distribution canals, said Russ Terry, manager of conservation programs for Ducks Unlimited in Ann Arbor.
That’s good news for duck hunters, who have had to deal with dry spells at Fish Point, a state managed wetland area Full Story
The Journal Times Online: Give DNR’s new rifle rule a chance
September 16, 2008
By Journal Times Editorial Board
Sunday, September 14, 2008 4:52 PM CDT
Just in time for the fall hunting season, word got around that the state Department of Natural Resources was authorizing the use of rifles, not just shotguns, for deer hunting in some high-density population areas in the state, including Racine County west of the Interstate.
Predictably, that raised some eyebrows, hackles and fears, all in one swift motion.
And some, of course, went right to blaming the DNR for slipping the rule change in quietly without letting people know.
Let’s take a deep breath now.
Yes, the rule change will allow use of rifles which have a range of two or three miles, and that is much greater than a shotgun slug which has an effective range measured at 150 yards or so, according to news reports. Some argue that could pose a danger in a high-population area.
But the fact is, too, that much deer hunting is done from elevated stands, so the rifle bullet is usually aimed downward, and misses bore into the ground and are not headed over the hill toward the local coffee shop or convenience store along the highway. And, at least according to DNR officials, the chronic wasting disease zone south of Dane County where the state has allowed rifles in recent yea
The Journal Times Online > Opinion > Give DNR’s new rifle rule a chance.
Fall walleye fishing among the area’s best -Petoskey News-Review – Outdoor –
September 12, 2008
By George Rowe
Some say the pre-spawn walleye bite is the best while others state that the post-spawn bite is superior.
We don’t get to fish the pre-spawn bite around this part of the world (it often coincides with ice-out or the closed winter season) and the post-spawn bite is often disappointing.
For my money, the best walleye fishing of the year is in the fall. It starts in mid-September and lasts until ice prevents launching a boat in November. The fishing can be challenging of course because like any other season, the fish are easier to catch than to locate, but if you can find them you can catch them. The special fall tactics that are described below are concentrated more on the finding aspect of the fishing than the actual catching.
Think swallow
The first thing a fall walleye angler needs to think about is that the fish are going to be in rather shallow water. The water has cooled considerably by the end of September and cooled even more as we get into October and November. The fish don’t need to seek out the cooler water of the depths to be comfortable and with so much of our shallow inland lakes at the same temperature, they will go anywhere the bait swims Full Story
Petoskey News-Review – Outdoor – Fall walleye fishing among the area’s best.
Chronic wasting disease puts future of deer hunting at stake, doctors tell hunters
September 10, 2008
by Ben Beversluis | The Grand Rapids Press
WALKER — Nothing less than the preservation of the Michigan deer herd and hunting way of life is at stake in the fight to control chronic wasting disease, state officials told an area crowd Tuesday night.
Because so much is unknown about the disease that damages the brains of deer and ultimately kills them, the state is erring on the side of caution, Department of Natural Resources wildlife veterinarian Steve Schmitt told about 200 people at the West Walker Sportsman’s Club.
The best model for the disease, based on research in western states where it was first found in wild deer populations in 1985 and 1990, projects no significant reduction in populations for the first 25 years but shows a 70 percent decrease in populations the 25 years after that.
“Nobody knows,” Schmitt acknowledged. “But we can’t risk being wrong on this.”
The deer herd is too valuable, hunting is a $500 million a year industry and more than 700,000 people hunt, he pointed out. “We have a rich tradition of deer hunting in our state and we want to pass that along to our children and grandchildren.”
The meeting that held the potential for resentment or even anger was cordial. It also was a carefully controlled forum with questions submitted in writing that saw only a few rare comments or outbursts from the floor. The prevailing mood seemed to be resignation to the situation.
“They applauded us at the end. We didn’t expect that,” said Doug Reeves, assistant chief of the DNR.
DNR and Department of Agriculture officials fielded dozens of written questions. The meeting’s purpose was to explain the disease and the state response, including a ban on all deer baiting and feeding in the Lower Peninsula.
It came after a deer was found to have the disease at a Kent County deer farm — the first case of the contagious illness in Michigan. The state created a response plan after the disease was found in Wisconsin in 2002.
While some questions challenged the state response, others seemed to support it or wonder why more wasn’t being done. But the majority of the questions sought information on how to apply the new rules, which also include restrictions on cleaning and transporting deer from the Kent County surveillance zones.
A question about the penalty for baiting prompted DNR officer Lt. Dean Molnar to note there’s a bigger penalty than possible fines and jail time. Full Story
Press Photos/T.J. Hamilton A large audience showed up a the West Walker Sportsman's Club for a public informational meeting about the chronic wasting disease discovered in an Kent County deer. Representatives from the state's natural resources, agriculture and community health departments discussed what is being done to assess and control the disease, any risks to humans and animals, and what will happen in the future.
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