New CWD regs MICHIGAN

[mipubbucks24]

The Michigan DNR just sent out the new regulations for the CWD management zones. This is copied from a Michigan DNR email.

“Reduced the 4-point on-a-side antler requirement on the restricted tag of the combination license in the 16-county CWD Management Zone. Under the new regulation, a hunter in the CWD Management Zone can use the restricted tag of the combination license to harvest a buck with antlers as long as it has at least one 3-inch antler.

Created a discounted antlerless license opportunity in the CWD Management Zone on private land; if purchased, the license will expire Nov. 4, 2018.

Effective immediately, a statewide ban on the use of all natural cervid urine-based lures and attractants, except for lures that are approved by the Archery Trade Association.

An immediate ban on baiting and feeding in the 16-county area identified as the CWD Management Zone. This area includes Calhoun, Clinton, Eaton, Gratiot, Hillsdale, Ingham, Ionia, Isabella, Jackson, Kent, Mecosta, Montcalm, Muskegon, Newaygo, Ottawa and Shiawassee counties.

A ban on baiting and feeding in the Lower Peninsula, effective Jan. 31, 2019, with an exception to this ban for hunters with disabilities who meet specific requirements. The start date on this regulation is intended to allow bait producers and retailers time to adjust to the new rule.

Effective immediately in the CWD Management Zone and four-county bovine tuberculosis area (in Alcona, Alpena, Montmorency and Oscoda counties), hunters with disabilities who meet specific requirements can now use 2 gallons of single-bite bait, such as shelled corn, during the Liberty and Independence hunts.
Allowance of all legal firearms to be used in muzzleloader season in the CWD Management Zone.

A purchase limit of 10 private-land antlerless licenses per hunter in the CWD Management Zone.

Restrictions on deer carcass movement in the five-county CWD Core Area (Ionia, Kent, Mecosta, Montcalm and Newaygo counties) and the CWD Management Zone.

Antlerless options on deer licenses/combo licenses during firearms seasons in the five-county CWD Core Area.

Expansion of early and late antlerless seasons in select counties.
Changes to regulations regarding wildlife rehabilitators.
In addition, the commission asked the DNR to move forward with:

An experimental mandatory antler point restriction regulation in a five-county CWD Core Area, including Ionia, Kent, Mecosta, Montcalm and Newaygo counties. The restriction would begin in 2019, provided a survey of hunters shows support for the requirement and specific department guidelines are met. This is intended as a tool to evaluate the effects of antler point restrictions on the spread and prevalence of CWD, along with deer population reduction.
A hunter-submitted proposal for mandatory antler point restrictions in Huron, Tuscola, Sanilac, St. Clair and Lapeer counties. If hunter surveys support this regulation and specific department guidelines are met, it would be implemented in 2019.”


Seems the DNR believes in the reduce the numbers slow the spread style of management. I know the subject is a tough one and there is still much to be learned, but I would have hoped they would have taken some lessons for Wisconsin.

I would like to hear fellow Michiganders opinions as well as those from states that have already had these issues.

[Hawthorne]

They’ve been trying to kill the does off for years in southern mi. So that’s not new. Maybe the baiting ban will off set the yearlings that are harvested from no restricted tag. Yearlings are typically what got killed over bait. Business has usual for me I’m not changing anything. I might not take a doe just to not support their agenda.

[Groundpounder]

Unfortunately I see very few Michigan hunters following the laws now, I doubt these new regs will have any impact. The dnr don't enforce the laws and regs as it is. It would be great to see positive improvement in the spread of cwd but I think the dnr needs to get it's crap together first. As for the regs changing the way I hunt, the only one that may have an impact is the carcass transportation if I decide to hunt in one of the cwd counties.

[mipubbucks24]

They’ve been trying to kill the does off for years in southern mi. So that’s not new. Maybe the baiting ban will off set the yearlings that are harvested from no restricted tag. Yearlings are typically what got killed over bait. Business has usual for me I’m not changing anything. I might not take a doe just to not support their agenda.

Has no real effect on my hunting either, but that does not mean it won’t in the future. Many of the decisions are just strange and not really based on facts. I don’t bait so it really makes no difference to me but the fact is a big community scrape with a few worn down licking branches are going to do more to spread it then some guys bait pile. Are they eventually going to outlaw food plots because the deer feed all over each other on them?

Also this year in the one management zone they are letting people shoot 2 bucks no restrictions, but in 2019 they are going to test an apr.
Does not seem very well thought out.

My main concern is just taking down the overall deer numbers. I know there are some counties that have high deer densities, but where I hunt that is not the case, EHD did a ton of damage for a couple years and the numbers have still not recovered. Would really like to seem more of the early to mid 2000s deer numbers but I guess that may never happen again.

[d_rek]

Re: Not enforcing the laws... there's just not enough COs to go around. I know a couple of COs and they are really, really good people. Most counties have fewer than 3 COs for the entire county! They really rely more on hunters to report those breaking the regs. and laws than anything.

Also the baiting ban is perplexing: Baiting is now banned and illegal in those counties (and probably statewide soon), but we'll still allow you to buy it. I mean, why wouldn't you outlaw the sale of it along with banning the act itself? Seems counterintuitive to me.

[natemac]

I live and do some of my hunting in Ottawa County, which is now in the 16 county management zone. Deer densities are pretty good, but I am worried all of the changes at the same time are going to take deer numbers way down on the public pieces. They never sell through the quota of private land doe tags now as it is, so I don't see things changing very much on the private land. At the same time it's hard to know how many guys will take advantage of the new rules, it may change things very little.

I do 75% of my hunting north of the CWD zone now anyway but who knows how long before that is in the management zone as well.

[mipubbucks24]

I live and do some of my hunting in Ottawa County, which is now in the 16 county management zone. Deer densities are pretty good, but I am worried all of the changes at the same time are going to take deer numbers way down on the public pieces. They never sell through the quota of private land doe tags now as it is, so I don't see things changing very much on the private land. At the same time it's hard to know how many guys will take advantage of the new rules, it may change things very little.

I do 75% of my hunting north of the CWD zone now anyway but who knows how long before that is in the management zone as well.

This is exactly my main concern is overall deer numbers. Dan has stated several times how Wisconsin really messed up the deer herd with how they tried to take down the deer numbers to stop the spread. I don’t believe there is any proof that reducing the herd slowed the spread.

[mauser06]

Sadly Pennsylvania is following along....


My only HOPE is most guys don't realize there are TONS of extra doe tags in the "core area".


If you guys have 3 COs per county, you're lucky. Lol. I know my local PA WCO is covering like 3 counties. I know the counties I hunted in Michigan each had 1 CO.

Like was said, all the ones I've ever met work extremely hard. They just have a ton of territory and they can't be everywhere at once.


I'd be curious to see how the baiting ban flys up there....every gas station has pallets of bait all season. I never realized carrots got that big! Lol. And EVERY bait pile I came across was outside of the regs...and it was pretty uncommon to find a stand or blind without bait or where bait was.


I haven't seen CWD first hand. EHD I have and it's absolutely heck on bucks.... especially bigger ones. I've NEVER found or heard of a doe found from suspected EHD...not saying it doesn't happen..but there's something about the shedding velvet that seems to attract the Midge...the vast majority of the bucks we find are partially shed which is where I draw my observations from.

[bowfreak8]

I think it's dangerous to mow down the deer herd. Ohio used to give away 3 doe tags (and this was without CWD) and it had a major impact on the deer herd. They have now gone the other way and cut back on the tags.

[kenn1320]

Ive worked in the shop and now work in the office. I know first hand how the shop constantly questions the engineers reasoning behind their backs. Point is, Im not a scientist/biologist and not going to pretend to know more about how to handle the deer herd than the experts Michigan has in place to do that. Dont think they havent looked at how Wisconsin handled it, or other states. There is no known right way to deal with this disease. They have to take all the data and make tough decisions. If you want to be heard, ask for your 5min to comment at the public meetings. Better have your facts, cause rambling about how Uncle Joe always told you not to shoot a doe or something isnt going to have much sway of opinion.

As for community scrapes and such, we cannot control what deer do in the wild, but we can limit our affect. Finding a community scrape is a rare gem, finding a baited stand on public land is about the easiest thing you can do. It ranks on the easy scale right up there with illegally still hanging stands on public land after season.

[Atfulldraw]

Re:

Also the baiting ban is perplexing: Baiting is now banned and illegal in those counties (and probably statewide soon), but we'll still allow you to buy it. I mean, why wouldn't you outlaw the sale of it along with banning the act itself? Seems counterintuitive to me.

The DNR would be over stepping its bounds restricting who and what could be sold. The bigger question to me is. If baiting really is a cause of spreading CWD then why in the are there exceptions and exclusions to baiting what so ever?

[Groundpounder]

My statement was not meant to ruffle any feathers. I am aware that the officers are spread thin and cannot be everywhere. I don't doubt that many of them are very knowledgeable and hard working. My point is that these are precisely the reasons that I doubt cwd will be contained/controlled by the new regs.

There are not enough officers to enforce the current laws so often times the laws go unenforced. As a result laws are not followed. Adding more regs without adding more officers/enforcement will have negligible effect. I don't think the new regs are necessarily bad ones, just that there needs to be a focus placed on making sure that there is manpower/womanpower in place to enforce those regs.

That being said I have personally reported poaching on preserve/refuge land on two occasions and both times was told by the dnr to ''call the police, that is not our jurisdiction.'' Unfortunately the police told me to call the dnr and report it. I went back and forth between the two until it was clear nothing would be done.