The Michigan Duck Hunters Association, in cooperation with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, introduces the 2014 collector-edition Michigan duck stamp and prints.

The Michigan Duck Stamp Program, established in 1976, has become an icon for waterfowl hunters and wetland conservation enthusiasts. During the past 38 years, the program has gained popularity with collectors and conservation groups throughout the United States.

The Michigan Duck Hunters Association coordinates the Michigan waterfowl stamp program in partnership with the DNR. MDHA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to waterfowl and wetland conservation. Proceeds from stamp sales will be used to fund MDHA projects, with 10 percent used to match DNR funding for purchasing wetlands. Read more

You would be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t agree with this point…Coyotes are plentiful and their numbers are up almost everywhere. Their boom in population east of the Mississippi in the last 40 years is very impressive. With everyone seeing more coyotes when they are outdoors, they catch the blame for a lot of issues facing small game, especially whitetail fawn recruitment. Like it or not the song dogs are here to stay. You can kill as many as possible on your piece of property and definitely “help the cause” when it comes to protecting fawns, but there will always be coyotes around. The argument has been made that you need a few around to keep the other small predators in check and there is some good research that supports this claim. However no one likes the idea of coyotes managing their deer herd for them.  While coyotes may not have a major impact on the overall deer population of a given county or state, they can definitely effect small pockets and that might be your property.  Let’s look at a few things that can be done to increase fawn survival rates. Read more

GW:  Seems these are reasonable approaches to enhancing hunting opportunities.  Hats off, once again!

It isn’t every day that you would find Governor Rick Snyder and Department of Natural Resources Director Keith Creagh working shoulder-to-shoulder in the vast state forest lands of the Upper Peninsula, shovels in hand, planting nannyberry shrubs and crabapple trees.

But on a hot, sunny day in mid-August, that’s exactly what two dozen citizen volunteers and a handful of DNR staff witnessed at the end of a two-track trail just south of Gwinn in Marquette County, where, thanks to the collaborative efforts of all parties mentioned above, a diamond in the rough has gradually become a brilliant gem.

The GEMS – or Grouse Enhanced Management Systems – are a new DNR initiative designed to bring attention to Michigan’s outstanding upland bird hunting opportunities through the creation of a series of walk-in access hunting trails intensively managed for improved ruffed grouse and woodcock hunting.

DNR Wildlife Division development of the GEMS hinged largely upon the support of the Ruffed Grouse Society and increased revenue from the state’s new license fee package. Read more