DNR Issues Kill Tags Out of Season

     As the Traverse City Eagle Resported last week: “Gunmen killed hundreds of white tail deer — bucks and does alike — across northern Lower Michigan in recent weeks, often at night under the glare of spotlights, and even though hunting season is months away”.

      The DNR issued unlimited kill tags to private land owners to “cull” the deer herd in DMU 452.  The Director Rebecca Humphries told the press it was to give farmers the opportunity to help keep deer away from their cattle, according the the DNR it isn’t going to be a “drop in the bucket” to the herd numbers.  Are you kidding me!  Unlimited tags to private land owners will devistate the deer herd.  I heard this week from a close source who goes to to quite a few of the DNR meetings and knows some of the officials involved, he told me that the DNR wants the numbers in DMU452 to be cut by 50%, and if this plan doesn’t work, that they will bring in professional hunters to do the job! 

     The herd is already at an all time low and they want that to be cut in half!  Doesn’t sound like a drop in the bucket to me!  Once again the DNR wants us to believe one thing and is really trying to accomplish something else.  I hope that this is only a rumor started by an official trying to scare the area people into buying into this program, so they will shoot some of the deer.  If this is true, the hunter numbers will drop with no deer to hunt as well as the economy in that region.  Those locals depend on the fall hunters to come to the area business’ so they can make a living.  There is a lot of buzz on the michigan hunting forums about this, and I can tell you one thing, they are not happy about this latest idea!  We will have to keep a close eye on this one for sure.