Outdoor commentary and legislative issues.
With the archery deer hunting season already underway and the firearm deer season opener just around the corner, here are some regional hunting forecast notes from Michigan Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Division staffers. Read more
Thursday, Oct. 17
Two sessions: 4-5 p.m. and 6-7 p.m.
Lost Lake Woods Club pavilion
4243 Lost Lake Trail, Lincoln (Alcona County)
The Department of Natural Resources is partnering with the Northeast Michigan Branch of the National Deer Association to hold a deer processing demonstration guided by NDA leader Kip Adams. Hunters will all levels of experience can attend and bring home tips from a pro on butchering your harvest to get venison from the field to your table or freezer.
Cost is $10 per person. Dinner will be available for all attendees between sessions.
RSVP by Oct. 11 by calling or texting Alleigh Pagels at 989-884-3870 to reserve your spot at one of these sessions.
New Rule Bans Recreational Shooting on 1.3 Million Acres of Public Land; Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation Plans to Challenge
The Bureau of Land Management issued a final rule on its proposed management plan for Bears Ears National Monument in southern Utah, which includes an outright prohibition on recreational shooting of any kind for any purpose. Bears Ears, like all national monuments, are generally open to recreational shooting by the public, and for many in the western United States, public lands such as these provide the only opportunity for such activities.
“No surprise here, BLM told everyone many months ago that the agency’s preferred alternative was to ban recreational shooting altogether,” said Dr. Todd Adkins, Senior Vice President at the Sportsmen’s Alliance. “The notice and comment process proved meaningless, so we must turn to the courts to keep public land truly public.” Read more
Safari Club International (SCI) voiced its strong opposition to the recently announced Bears Ears National Monument Resource Management Plan. In promulgating this proposal, the Biden-Harris administration’s Department of the Interior and Department of Agriculture have exceeded their regulatory authorities by closing off these public lands to responsible recreational activities, thereby threatening vital conservation funding. The plan also imposes severe restrictions on vehicle access and establishes a total ban on recreational shooting on the entirety of Bears Ears National Monument’s (BENM) 1.3 million acres, a move that will have substantial economic and conservation consequences.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) fails to justify why the Biden-Harris administration has elected to close all recreational shooting access in direct contravention of the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act. The Dingell Act explicitly mandates that public access closures for recreational activities, such as shooting, must be demonstrably in pursuit of a quantifiable objective that affects the smallest possible area for the shortest period necessary. This proposed plan would end open access for recreational shooting in favor of total closure with no explanation, in blatant violation of the Dingell Act’s clear language.
Moreover, the Pittman-Robertson Act directs excise taxes from the sale of firearms, ammunition, and related gear to fund critical wildlife conservation efforts. Read more
NSSF®, The Firearm Industry Trade Association, strongly opposes Interior Secretary Deb Haaland’s proposed plan for the Department of the Interior to shutter access to recreational shooting on 1.3 million acres of the Bears Ears National Monument, in Utah. Today’s announcement will needlessly deny recreational target shooters access to the monument for no legally justifiable purpose and will violate federal law.
“Secretary Haaland’s proposed plan to close access to 1.3 million acres for recreational shooting is a violation of federal law,” said Joe Bartozzi, NSSF President and Chief Executive Officer. “Public lands must be made available for all the public to use. Federal law explicitly states that when closures of public lands are necessary, they must be limited in area and duration to achieve a specific stated objective. Secretary Haaland has articulated none of the required criteria, as required by law. The Secretary should rescind or drastically modify this misguided policy and apply the law as intended: to benefit the public.” Read more
Sunday, Oct. 13
Morning and afternoon sessions
1210 N. Durand Road, Corunna, Michigan
Youth ages 12-17 who have completed a hunter safety course are invited to join in a guided, three-bird pheasant hunt. The event includes clay target shooting before the hunt and a lesson on cleaning birds after the hunt.
Lunch will be provided for both sessions. The cost is $30, and registration is required.
Nationwide event Oct. 9-10 offers hiring opportunities across several retail departments, with competitive wages and attractive benefits
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s, North America’s premier outdoor retail and conservation company, is looking to hire thousands of seasonal, part-time and full-time Outfitters to serve customers during the holidays.
During a National Hiring Event on Wednesday, Oct. 9 and Thursday, Oct. 10, Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s retail locations across the U.S. and Canada will conduct on-site interviews for local retail and restaurant positions from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Read more
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Nick’s Wild Ride Airs 7:30 p.m. ET on Fridays during “American Wild” Block
For the last nine years, country music artist and hunter, Nick Hoffman, of Nick’s Wild Ride has been taking audiences on an incredible global journey on Outdoor Channel. In his latest season, premiering September 27 at 7:30 p.m. ET, Hoffman promises more adventures, more food, culture, music and more history to get to the heartbeat of the locations he visits.
Since its inception nearly a decade ago, Nick’s Wild Ride with Nick Hoffman has featured destinations from Argentina to Europe, Kyrgyzstan to Africa, and Alaska to Arizona. Reflecting on these experiences, Hoffman remarked, “In my wildest dreams, I never expected the places this show would take me. Every location has been special and life-changing in some way, but if I had to pick a favorite, the first time in Africa was a life-changing event on many levels.” Read more
“…commissioners clearly show that sound scientific management was not a consideration in the decision-making process.”
On September 6, Michigan United Conservation Clubs (MUCC) and the Michigan Trappers and Predator Callers Association (MTPCA) filed legal briefs in their lawsuits against the Michigan Natural Resources Commission (NRC).
MUCC’s brief, which can be read HERE, argues that the NRC illegally closed Michigan’s coyote season for a quarter of the year in March of 2024 by failing to use the best available science, and focusing instead on unsubstantiated claims of negative public perception.
MUCC’s brief highlights the statements of the commissioners who voted in support of the closure, and those of the exceptionally few hunters who joined the commission in disregarding the principles of sound scientific management. The statements from the commissioners clearly show that sound scientific management was not a consideration in the decision-making process.
MUCC Chief Executive Officer Amy Trotter says that the public record is clear: The commission’s decision failed to abide by their legal charge and responsibility to keep game management decisions based in science.
“The voters of Michigan were clear when they overwhelmingly passed Proposal G: scientific data needs to drive our game management decisions,” said Trotter. “After reviewing the public record, it is abundantly clear the commission failed in following their legal charge. By relying on social pressures, real or perceived, the commission set a dangerous precedent where our outdoor heritage is threatened based on the social and political winds of the day.”
MUCC is joined in the lawsuit by MTPCA who filed a separate brief, found HERE.
MTPCA’s brief highlights how commissioners trusted the instincts of one individual supporting the closure to appease anti-hunting interests, rather than the proven record of sound scientific management as dictated by Proposal G.
MTPCA President Joe Velchansky says this issue is larger than coyotes, and the future of Michigan’s outdoor heritage is at stake.
“This issue is so much bigger than coyotes, the very foundation of Michigan’s game management is at stake,” Velchansky said. “The minute we as conservationists compromise our principles is the minute we lose the whole thing, and that is not something we are prepared to do.”
The NRC will now file a response brief, due to the court in mid-October.
For more information on MUCC visit mucc.org.
Contact: jtomei@mucc.org
For more information on MTPCA visit mtpca.com
Contact: merlejones336@gmail.com
This year, chronic wasting disease testing will still be focused in some areas of the northern Lower Peninsula as well as the Upper Peninsula. The counties for CWD testing in 2024 include Antrim, Arenac, Baraga, Benzie, Cheboygan, Chippewa, Clare, Dickinson, Gladwin, Grand Traverse, Houghton, Iosco, Kalkaska, Keweenaw, Leelanau, Luce, Mackinac, Manistee, Ogemaw, Ontonagon, Otsego and Schoolcraft.
In these counties a variety of sites will be popping up with at least one of the following depending on the county: drop boxes, staffed submission sites, and partner processors and taxidermists to assist with collection efforts. To find out about available sites near where you hunt, see the CWD testing page.
Historically, testing has occurred in and around areas where CWD has been detected to date.
Starting in 2021, the DNR began a rotational approach to testing for CWD around the state. With this approach, a group of counties is selected each year, with a desire to eventually test sufficient numbers of deer in every county across the state. This has led to detection of CWD in 13 of Michigan’s 83 counties, with Ogemaw being the latest in the fall of 2023. Read more