More hunting pressure on deer in southern Michigan

[Hamilton Reef]

Proposal could put more hunting pressure on deer in southern Michigan

http://www.mlive.com/outdoors/statewide/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/1113342003186330.xml

Sunday, April 17, 2005 , By Bob Gwizdz

LANSING -- State wildlife officials have proposed changes in deer hunting regulations that could take some of the pressure off of antlerless deer in northern Michigan, but could put more pressure on them in the southern third of the state.

And muzzleloader hunters in southern Michigan could also get an extra week to kill a buck.

The Department of Natural Resources has recommended discontinuing the early antlerless-only hunts in southern Menominee County (Deer Management Unit 055) and in the tuberculosis action zone in the northeastern Lower Peninsula. Both areas have seen decreasing harvests during the early seasons in recent years.

The early U.P. hunt, which has been held the third week of September, has yielded only about 700 antlerless deer a year for the last four years, said DNR deer specialist Rod Clute.

"It's not necessary any more," he said.

The same goes for the nine-day early hunt in the TB zone, which is held in mid October. The kill is down 50 percent over the last four years, from 3,150 in 2001 to around 1,500 last year.

"It was well received when we initiated it," Clute said. "But, every year the participation has been falling."

The DNR plans to continue the December antlerless-only hunt in the TB zone, however.

In the northwestern Lower Peninsula, the DNR has recommended issuing no antlerless permits for Lake or Wexford counties and in all the counties surrounding Lake and Wexford, antlerless permits would be issued for private-land only. Bowhunters, however, would still be allowed to kill antlerless deer if they used the tags from their archery or combination licenses.

But, the pendulum is swinging the other way in southern Michigan. The DNR has offered the Natural Resources Commission two proposals that would increase the number of counties (from 12) that are open for the December antlerless-only hunt, to either 19 or 23.

The first option would include Washtenaw, Oakland, Isabella, Mecosta, Midland, Ottawa and Sanilac counties in the open area. All seven counties have deer populations at least 40 percent above goal, Clute said.

The second option would also include Allegan, Van Buren, Cass and Shiawassee counties in the late hunt. All four of those counties have deer populations that are 30 percent above the department's goal.

The DNR has also proposed adding seven days to the December muzzleloader season in Zone 3. The season would start the same day as muzzleloader season in the Upper Peninsula (the first Friday in December) but would run a week later in southern Michigan, making it a 17-day season.

The DNR said the extra week of muzzleloader season would probably result in more additional antlerless deer being taken.

"The buck harvest has gone up (since 2001), but nowhere near as much as the antlerless harvest," Clute said.

Action on the DNR proposals is expected at the May 5 NRC meeting.

[jk hillsdale]

Proposal could put more hunting pressure on deer in southern Michigan

And muzzleloader hunters in southern Michigan could also get an extra week to kill a buck.

The DNR has also proposed adding seven days to the December muzzleloader season in Zone 3. The season would start the same day as muzzleloader season in the Upper Peninsula (the first Friday in December) but would run a week later in southern Michigan, making it a 17-day season.

The DNR said the extra week of muzzleloader season would probably result in more additional antlerless deer being taken.


If this goes through, antlered bucks in Zone 3 will be hunted with firearms, either shotgun or muzzleloader, from November 15th - December 18th.

The one day they'll receive a reprieve will be December 1st. This is not, in my estimation, a good direction to go.

Since there will not be the typical week to ten days between shotgun to muzzleloader season for deer patterns to resume some level of normalcy, there's also no assurance that this will lead to an increased antlerless harvest. I guess that's why the quote says that it will "probably result in more antlerless deer being taken".

[One Eye]

Wiped 'em out north. Now it is time to do the same in the Southern part of the state. Just keep shooting them boys and girls. You will see.

Dan

[mal]

Wiped 'em out north. Now it is time to do the same in the Southern part of the state. Just keep shooting them boys and girls. You will see.

Dan

i agree...i've been saying it for years. the dnr is simply taking advantage of the overabundance of game hogs we are plagued with. you know, the guy that every year needs to kill four deer every year, regardless of size and sex. kinda like the movie "field of dreams"..."build it and they will come". only in this instance it's "give 'em tags and they will kill".

look how they've changed hunters attitudes about shooting does...heck 20 years ago it would have been an embarassment to shoot some of the deer i see in the back of trucks nowadays. but with all of the BS propoganda they spew about "herd management" and QDM...they have slowly tricked hunters into believing that they are doing the herd a favor when they whack that yearling doe.

where i hunt in the heart of hillsdale county i have gone from the days of seeing 15 to 20 deer in the early 1990's, to seeing 5-10 in the late 1990's, to 3-5 in the years 2000-2002, to now seeing 0-3 per outing. same food, same habitat, same areas...WAY fewer deer. but still too many i guess...unfortunately until we have a year where there are zero car/deer accidents and no crop damage reports, the insurance lobbyists will keep the checkbook open.

in zone 3, it should be two licenses, one buck, eight points or better, and one antlerless. accidental button bucks kills would require use of the buck tag. any method of kill permitted within the respective season. mandatory deer check-in within 24 hours of kill. deer cannot lawfully be processed without a tag indicating it has been checked-in. you wanna see big bucks...wait until a few seasons of those rules kick in.

[marty]

All I can say it's about freaking time they get rid of the early doe season. It sure would be nice to bowhunt deer that haven't been shot at so much in October. As opening up season in the south this ought to make a lot of guys as happy as a pig rolling in crap. Be interesting to hear the results in a few years.........marty

[farmlegend]

As opening up season in the south this ought to make a lot of guys as happy as a pig rolling in crap. Be interesting to hear the results in a few years

Here's my prediction, three years hence - still too many deer in southern Michigan.

I base this prediction on recent history. For the last two seasons, according the the DNR's Deer Harvest Survey Report, hunters applied more hunting effort to the southern lower than both the northern lower and the U.P. combined. How much harder can we hunt? And many, if not most DMU's down there ended the seasons with unsold private land antlerless tags; that means they already had essentially unlimited antlerless tags. And what has this brought us? It appears that most areas down here have got either more deer, or roughly similar numbers, to what we had three years ago. My frequent forays across I-94, I-96, I-69, US-127, and US-12 indicate sightings are up this spring over the last couple of years.

[Hamilton Reef]

From I've seen I believe farmlegend is probably correct.

[Pinefarm]

Every proposed change is both warranted and overdue IMO. I like everything I see. These changes help shift the burden where it belongs. Many of us have been screaming for regulation changes that reflect the changing times and deer herd dynamics and these proposed changes help start that ball. I hope to see more changes like this.

[Swamp Ghost]

These are "feel good" regulation changes. They will amount to nothing, other than a few more antlerless bucks being harvested.

[Pinefarm]

I "feel good" about all the hunters who live downstate, hunt the both the NLP and SLP, but the NLP only for traditional gun opener, and who will now possibly pass on the first yearling buck they see on Nov. 15 to save their buck tags for a 17 day muzzleloader season back home. I've already had comments from hunters who hunt both area's, on how they may be pretty selective up here because they'll now have a lot more time to hunt back home. Granted, it may be only 10% more hunters in the NLP passing small yearling bucks to save a tag for the SLP, but 10% more bucks surviving in the northern 2/3's would be huge. I'd be happy with 5% more. We've always wanted "incentives" to guide hunters on shooting the deer where the most deer are at. This helps that. The SLP has more bucks and more does, and older bucks, and the worst over population problems. So, it follows that the regulations should guide hunters on filling their tags there. Many hunters that used to hunt the NLP for muzzleloader will possibly stay in the SLP.
And Lake county having zero antlerless tags will sure help this area, big time. We weren't just imagining that there was far fewer (too few) deer up here. Hopefully the surrounding counties have modest quota reductions and the SLP will have increased quota's. The quota's should reflect how the herd shakes out.

[tedshunter]

Why give the muzzel loaders the extra 2 day's?Looks like I have another reason to go out and buy a muzzel loader.I also agree with Farmlegend all that is going to come out of this is more button bucks being killed.And I am glad they are concidering getting rid of the early season.It's time the insurance companies realize that the deer are hear to stay unless we drop an atom bomb to wipe them out.There is always going to be car/deer accidents and there is always going to be crop damage.JMHO.

[rzdrmh]

where i hunt in the heart of hillsdale county i have gone from the days of seeing 15 to 20 deer in the early 1990's, to seeing 5-10 in the late 1990's, to 3-5 in the years 2000-2002, to now seeing 0-3 per outing. same food, same habitat, same areas...WAY fewer deer. but still too many i guess....

so you actively manage your habitat? you've cut trees, maintained perennial bushes, removed intrusive non-native species, etc.?

shooting a mature buck is a difficult task. but ensuring that habitat is EXACTLY the same over the course of 15 years, well, that's close to impossible in my book, for the average hunter.

[Tom Morang]

The reason Rod Clute would like the Muzzleloader Season extended is because most muzzleloaders will take a doe when offered the chance. The percentage of antlerless deer taken by muzzleloaders is increasing compaired to other methods. If bowhunters and regular firearms hunters would take more does where needed this change wouldn't be necessary.

just my 2cents.......tm

[twodogsphil]

I grew up in Isabella County and I never felt I was living in southern Michigan. Also, Mecosta and Midland, the counties directly west and east, respectively, of Isabella are not in the south. All three are in the rifle zone. As to the success of the plan, based on my knowledge of the Isabella County deer population, it will do little because the "overpopulation" is on private land which makes up the majority of the county and the landowners believe they have no overpopulation. That is, their current harvest is at an appropriate level and they not going to increase it.

[Sargeyork]

I am probably not the first one to suggest this but I believe one rule change would accomplish most of what the QDM people want but not hurt most deer hunters in Michigan and help alot. Every deer hunter should be limited to one buck tag per hunting year regardless of season or hunting method. If this were implemented eveyone would see many more large bucks in the woods and be able to pick and choose from among the many opportunities. Year after year I hear about people complaining about no big deer to shoot and these are the guys who just shot a 4 point and a spike both 1.5 yr old deer and wonders where the bigger deer are, duh? I dare anyone here to give me a good, unselfish reason why they need more than one Buck a year. If you want another deer try to take out a injured deer or the oldest and biggest doe you see, let the young does live to breed. Another scandalous thing I have heard people doing even under current rules is to buy licences under their wives or childrens names so they can shoot more bucks, heck it isn't a successful season unless you shoot 6 or 8 bucks right?:rant: I hope I piss off alot of people with this post because alot of people out there are just pigs in camoflage.

[Alpha Male]

I agree with farmlegend...the best predictor of future performance is past performance. In the southern portion of the state, access is the issue.

Last week I counted 79 deer in a private field at 3pm in the afternoon...some munching, some playing and being social...just hanging out. The owner of the farm doesn't allow hunting in deference to a neighbor who has two horses.

I would be more than amenable to a one buck per year limit. In fact, it's all I ever knew prior to moving to Michigan. We've got guys like Trost and Trott whacking spikes (Michigan Eleven Pointer) on public TV. The killing of multiple juvenille male deer is representative of the social and historical mores and values of 'our' hunters. I don't think that the 'sense of entitlement' mentality that seems prevalent throughout our state helps, either. :sad: