As each day passes amid these trying days of mandated isolation, we all expect our freedoms to return eventually. Each of us has fashioned his or her personal means to deal with unprecedented restrictions on mobility and gatherings. Accordingly, sportsmen and women would seem to have escaped the stranglehold to a lesser extent, because nobody had suggested infringements on simple pleasures such as hunting or fishing. The noose has since tightened.
Effective at midnight this past Friday, the use of motorized boats in Michigan will be prohibited per an Executive Order (EO) from the governor. This order extends to fishing from a boat with a gas or electric (trolling) motor affixed to it.
A press release from Michigan United Conservation Clubs explains the rationale for the drastic measures, as follows: In the announcement from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the DNR has written “[It] has received many reports about the heavy use of boat launches across the state and the subsequent congregation of people at these launches in violation of social distancing requirements and in a manner that threatens public health.”
Any hunter knows the most effective way to hit a moving target with a shotgun is to fill the air with pellets and hope for the best. However, the wise hunter understands there is a certain amount of skill and discretion necessary to hit the intended target without spraying pellets in the line of game that is to be spared.
Take turkey hunting for example. If a gunner takes aim at a legal gobbler, he must be certain that any shot does not take out adjacent birds, because in Michigan only one bird is legal to kill. Carelessness can cost a hunter plenty, including fines and the loss of hunting rights in the future.
However, when our governor pulled the trigger on yet another EO, this stroke of the pen contradicted common sense and now prohibits the very type of respite free Michigan could enjoy and were encouraged to participate in by the very same governor. Outdoor recreation was touted as our safe haven and necessary relief from physical restraints and the mental deterioration related to cabin fever.
While no communication was received in advance of this notice nor does EO 2020-42 specifically address this issue, the DNR states that “Non-motorized boating, such as canoeing, kayaking and sailing, falls within the outdoor activities permitted under the ‘Stay Home, Stay Safe’ Executive Order. However, the use of a motorboat, jet ski or similar watercraft is not permitted for the duration of the Executive Order, which is currently set to expire at 11:59 p.m. [on] April 30.”
Imagine the lives that could be saved if the same approach were to be used to combat traffic fatalities. For the year 2016, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration showed that 37,461 people were killed for an average of 102 per day. The simple solution to eliminate all of these related deaths would be to ban driving – a sure cure to save innocent lives. Horses and mule teams would put a certain end to such accidental casualties. Ludicrous, you say?
Instead, we applaud the efforts of law enforcement to nab the speeders and reckless drivers. We take them off the roads; we confiscate their vehicles and driving licenses; it’s called targeted enforcement and is widely accepted as our best tool to minimize risk for us all.
Currently, it is illegal to congregate with any individuals that do not reside within one’s household, and non-compliance is punishable by a civil fine of $1,000. But, now we cannot fish with a motor on a boat – either electric or gasoline powered – because some folks didn’t obey the stringent mandate.
Although the shotgun approach is meant to save us all, there are sure to be unintended consequences. And, the only question remaining is how much muscle government will feel compelled to exercise and how much law-abiding citizens will tolerate.
