Freep Supports Dual Saturday Opener

and that's important because??

 

I thought there might actually be some substance to that article, until I noticed the author

 

We have been told in the past that the legislature can do whatever they want, that legislative action is always an option and can trump anything that the NRC does or can do.

tm

 

I personally don't like Sat. openers. Real hunters hunt during the week.

But if they do change it, then maybe the UP should be closest Sat. to the 15th and the LP the Sat before thanksgiving.

 

thats not a nice thing to say

 

This is a question that comes up a lot. Wildlife Conservation Orders are a form of administrative rules that carry the weight of law. Under Proposal G which was adopted by voters in 1996, the Natural Resources Commission has the exclusive authority to regulate the taking of game in Michigan. It does this through Wildlife Conservation Orders, sometimes abbreviated as WCO.

Proposal G only applies to game. It does not apply to non-game animals, fisheries, land management or any other issue under the authority of the DNR. Administrative rules for these areas are handled through director's orders.

Proposal G also is not constitutional law. It appears nowhere in the Michigan Constitution. It is simply statutory law. Consequently, wildlife conservation orders can either be suspended by the Legislature through its authority in Art. IV, Sec. 37 of the Michigan Constitution or more likely, "trumped" by the Legislature through its authority in Article IV, Sec. 1 of the Michigan Constitution.

The exclusive authority granted to the NRC though Proposal G, is only exclusive authority to make administrative rules that regulate the taking of game. The NRC cannot adopt statutory law which regulates the taking of game. Only the Legislature can do that.

That being said, I think most of us would prefer that a body like the NRC make the day to day policy regarding wildlife management with the Legislature serving an oversight role and as a voice of the people to push for major policy changes such as the full inclusion of crossbows.

The Legislature can't do anything it wants. It is still limited in its authority by the Michigan Constitution.

 

In case you haven’t noticed, the term "Change" was the format and basis for the platform of a well-known politician that got elected because of it. That being said, I think a lot more of us now know that just because you change something doesn’t always mean it necessarily will be for the better.

I'm all for taking all the guess work out this deer hunting season and weapon debacle. Have one deer season, open it on October 1st and close it on Jan 1st of the following year, make it a "run what ya brung" and your only allowed to take one buck (QDM or APR?) and up to two, maybe three doe. Boy, wouldn’t having a one page hunting guide be a great “change”!

 

Ya, OK.

 

If the legislature can change this , why stop here. Lets make hunters who lease hunting ground pay 2X the license fee and give them Jan 1-5 to get it done. Before long, our great Whitetails will be listed as vermon like the red squirrel and english sparrow.

 

Eric Sharp is a hack writer plain and simple. Even though 84% of hunters (2009 DNR Poll) favor leaving the Nov. 15 opener alone, he still sees fit to write is typical dribble to have things changed to “his way” instead. On top of it all he proposes to have the opener earlier than Nov. 15. Most of the people I know want the opener left alone, but if it were changed to a Saturday opener then it should be later than Nov. 15 and never earlier. Sharp has proven once again that he is an idiot. Maybe he’s due for one of his famous anti-gun articles so he can leave no doubt.

 

I'm in....

 

I see everyone quoting this but these seem like fuzzy numbers to me. 08' and 09' were weekend openers, so maybe people did like the way it was then. I know I enjoyed the 09' season but it had more to do with it opening on a Sunday then the idea that it was the "15th."

Most the people on this site bash the DNR the second they get a chance. Funny how everyone is grasping onto one little fuzzy number the DNR threw out there to support their case.

Either way it ends up I'll be out there on the opener. If they change because of the additional rev, then fine. As long as that rev stays with the DNR and doesn't get put into the general fund I'm fine with it.

 

Heres the report from the 2006 survey.......

Statewide, most deer hunters (84 ± 1%) supported maintaining the November 15
opening date for the regular firearm season. In contrast, only 12 ± 1% of deer hunters
opposed maintaining this date. About 39 ± 2% of deer hunters statewide supported
opening the regular firearm season on the Saturday nearest to November 15 each year;
while 54 ± 2% disagreed the season should begin on this Saturday.