Late last week, the DNR released the agenda for the upcoming November 10 Natural Resources Commission meeting in East Lansing, and a significant Michigan United Conservation Clubs policy priority was included in the agenda, albeit with restrictions. On the agenda is a draft order which would allow the use of centerfire firearms for nighttime coyote, raccoon, opossum and fox hunting. MUCC members passed a policy resolution sponsored by the Michigan Trappers and Predator Callers Association calling for a lifting of the restriction on centerfire firearms for nighttime predator hunting at our Annual Convention this summer.
However, the proposed DNR order contains two significant restrictions that were not recommended in our policy resolution: a restriction to calibers .229 and under; and a requirement that the firearm must be equipped with Generation II optics, such as electronic night-vision scopes. The background memo included with the order, however, shows that surrounding states including Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Wisconsin all allow centerfire firearms for nighttime predator hunting without these restrictions. The inclusion of this order on the agenda, though, is a significant step forward in a movement that began with the grassroots efforts of a group called Michigan Predator Hunters for Centerfire at Night and engaging the larger conservation community through the MTPCA and MUCC. If you would like to attend the meeting, the agenda is linked below and, as usual, we will be live-streaming the meeting through a link we will share on MUCC’s Facebook page.
