More Antlerless Permits For Michigan
Posted by MikeAdams on May 16, 2008
Reported this week in the Jackson Citizen Patriot was an article stating that the DNR is helping families with the high prices of food, by handing out more antlerelss tags this year in the southern zone of Michigan.
When I read this I thought to myself, there is no way the DNR is going to allow more deer to be harvested due to the high cost of food! So I went to the DNR’s web site and found a press release where they are infact raising quotas on antlerless tags, but not do to the high cost of food.
The press release states:
The season limit of three private land antlerless deer licenses per hunter was increased to five. The regulation that a hunter may purchase up to two private land antlerless deer licenses from Zones 1 and 2 combined remains unchanged from last year.
“The change to allow five antlerless deer to be harvested on private land per hunter will substantially increase hunting opportunities in the southern Lower Peninsula,” Bailey said.
Director Humphries approved the issuance of private land antlerless licenses through an application and lottery system for northern Lower Michigan counties and the Upper Peninsula.
“Previously, private land antlerless licenses were sold over the counter, but many of the counties in northern Michigan sold out on the first day of availability,” said Bailey. “An application allows everyone wanting a private land antlerless license an equal chance at obtaining one.”
Also approved was an early firearm antlerless deer season to address disease and deer population issues in Zone 3 and in Alpena, Alcona, Iosco, Montmorency, Oscoda and Presque Isle counties. The season will be open for five days on private lands only beginning the third Thursday in September.
Five deer? Just how many deer does one person need! I can see the people who need some extra meat to make it on a low income. The majority of people that go out deer hunting in Michigan are not looking for a cheaper alternative to beef! To me this seems to be another attempt to cull the herd down to next to nothing. With a person able to obtain five antlerless tags, they can also get their combo tag and legally take seven deer! Like I said, how many do you need! The only possible good that could come from this is, that the food pantries could use the meat. I for one will buy my antlerless tag and my combo license and hope that I can take at least one deer this year. Last year I went without!
They have already given out multiple permits to private land owners in DMU 452 for the off season, now they are opening it up to an early season in September for five days and handing out more permits! Will we have any deer left to hunt? I think this is a bad move on the DNR’s part.
Well Mike for once we disagree. I think that the deer are way over-populated in the southern area of the state, and I think that by giving out more anterless tags, and having the early antlerless season, it will provide a good way to keep that population under control.
It will be better for the deer herd, and will also be better for the buck to doe ratio.
All of us hunters want to hunt bigger bucks, and have more competition during the rut, and these two things will help provide just that.
May 16th, 2008 at 8:48 am
I know of families right now that hunts and they get 6 to 10 deer a year down in southern Michigan, Lapeer county to be exact. I have always thought to myself that is being a bit too greedy. They have always hunted the same farm and gee after a 3 or 4 years they were complaining that they didn’t see many deer and only got 4 that year. They were complaining about the DNR giving out two many permits but yet they were the ones that killed all of the deer of the land. The whole time during those years I never got a deer but then again I didn’t hunt in southern Michigan at that time but in Wexford county where the deer herd has been low for a long time. I do think that they need to trim the deer herd in the southern farm land area but not in northern Michigan.
May 16th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
I read what the change in the law said, exactly, and I guess I jumped to some general conclusions without really thinking this one through. I bow hunt on public land in southern Michigan (Livingston Co) all other southern Michigan hunting experience I’ve had has been in Genesee county. In these two places I have hunted, I know that the numbers are low specifically where I hunt. The generalization I made has been made on these two areas. So Art I guess I can see where your coming from, as I have not really spent a lot of time hunting southern Mich., but I still think that 7 deer per hunter is way too much. I don’t know what the answer would be to solve this problem, but I do know that the numbers in DMU 452 where we hunt for rifle season are extremely low! The herd there has been obliterated! We no longer see the deer we used to. I only saw one buck this year and it was a small spike on the last day I was there after 4 days of hunting. I just don’t want to see the DNR take things too far. I also know about the QDMA guidelines for the one to one ratio. I think that it will be hard to sell everyone on this here in Michigan. The hunters of this state I feel don’t want to just trophy hunt bucks, too many of them will take what ever they can get. Me personally, I like to harvest big bucks, but in certain instances I will take a smaller buck and not feel bad about it. I have mixed feelings on the trophy bucks only mindset. I guess I can see both sides, but like I said earlier, I don’t want to see this liberal harvesting of antlerless deer go to far. Thanks for your response, it really got me to thinking about what I had wrote in my blog. That is what I love about this blog forum, it is a place to exchange ideas and converse back and forth.
May 16th, 2008 at 10:12 pm