Michigan 2022 deer hunting season recap

The 2022 deer hunting season has officially come to a close. Kicking off with the Liberty Hunt Sept. 9 and finishing with the urban deer hunt in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties, which ended Jan. 31, it was a memorable season for Michigan deer hunting.

It was a year of firsts in 2022, highlighted by the requirement that successful hunters report their deer harvest within 72 hours. Because of declining response rates with the traditional deer hunter survey, Michigan joined many other states in requiring deer harvests to be reported, which should improve harvest estimates and the timeliness of deer season reports in the future. Supporting the new harvest reporting process was the launch of the Michigan DNR Hunt Fish app, which allows hunters to purchase licenses, manage hunt drawings, get important updates from the DNR, report harvests, and more.

For 2022, 586,595 hunters purchased a deer license, which is about 1% less than in 2021. The first year of electronic harvest reporting resulted in a reported harvest total of 303,087 deer. Sanilac County led the state with a reported  8,150 deer harvested, followed by Montcalm (8,103), Newaygo (7,422), Jackson (7,141) and Lapeer (6,976) counties. There were 182,586 deer reported harvested in the southern Lower Peninsula, 97,714 reported from the northern Lower Peninsula and 22,787 reported from the Upper Peninsula.

There is a full harvest report summary dashboard that contains all the antlered and antlerless harvest statistics by county and season for anyone wanting to look at how things rounded out in their neck of the woods. Read more

Hunting

Conservation officer helps stranded snowmobilers in northern Luce County

The fortunate availability of a cellphone early  morning provided a lifeline for two snowmobilers stranded miles away from the nearest town in Luce County.

Michigan Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer Justin Vinson received a call from Central Dispatch at 1:30 a.m. reporting two men, approximately 65 years of age, were lost in northern Luce County.

The two snowmobilers were from Minnesota and Iowa and were not new to snowmobiling, but they were unfamiliar with the area. Their sleds had run out of gas. Read more

General

Variable snowmobile trail conditions reported across Michigan

After several days of above-40-degree temperatures and widespread rain showers, Michigan Department of Natural Resources trails officials are cautioning snowmobilers to anticipate potentially poor riding conditions.

“The recent weather conditions have had a detrimental effect on trails across the region,” said Ron Yesney, DNR Upper Peninsula trails coordinator. “Trails aren’t closed but may be in less-than-ideal condition.”

Trail grooming is not typically practical when temperatures are above freezing.

Weather conditions are forecasted to change soon with temperatures dropping significantly and snow showers possible in several places. This is expected to make trails icy. Ice can be difficult to groom.

“We encourage snowmobilers travelling to a region to check with snowmobile clubs and tourism associations to make sure trails are still being groomed in areas where they want to ride,” Yesney said. Read more

General

Vermont: Moose Hunt Proposed to Improve Moose Health

MONTPELIER, Vt. — The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department has proposed issuing 180 moose hunting permits in Vermont’s Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) E in the northeastern corner of the state in a continued effort to reduce the impact of winter ticks on moose in that area. No permits are recommended for the rest of the state.

The proposal was given initial approval by the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Board at its February 15 meeting and is now available for public comment.

The goal of the department’s 2023 moose harvest recommendation is to improve the health of moose in WMU-E by reducing the number of moose and thereby reducing the abundance and impact of winter ticks.

“Moose are abundant in WMU E with significantly higher population density than in any other part of the state,” said Nick Fortin, Vermont Fish and Wildlife’s moose project leader. “Winter ticks only thrive on moose, and higher moose densities support high numbers of winter ticks which negatively impact moose health and survival.” Read more

Hunting, Wildlife

Buy One, Get One Rebate with Trailblazer Firearms

Fletcher NC, – Trailblazer Firearms, a leading manufacturer of innovative firearms, is pleased to announce a limited-time consumer mail-in rebate on its popular Pivot Ultracompact Folding Rifle.

Effective February 15, 2023, through April 15, 2023, customers who purchase a new Pivot Ultracompact Folding Rifle are eligible to submit a mail-in rebate for a free LifeCard .22LR Folding Pistol valued at $299.

The Pivot™ 9mm carbine is a fully featured folding carbine that folds using a unique, patented technology which allows the upper receiver to be rotated and locked into a compact, 20.9” folded length, allowing for easy storage and discreet carry in a vehicle or backpack. The Pivot™ rifle uses GLOCK® 15-round magazines, features a machined aluminum upper/lower receiver set, picatinny rail for optics, MLOK® slots for accessories, and a three-position adjustable stock. The Pivot™ rifle was designed to provide a capable option in the ultracompact rifle space that meets the legal definitions of a rifle and avoids the legal hassles accompanying SBRs and braced pistols. Read more

Firearms

Hawke Optics’ Turkey Dot Scope

Hawke® Optics, a worldwide leader in quality sporting optics that perform outstanding in the field while maintaining optimum value for the consumer, takes over the turkey market with the first of its kind turkey scope! The new Vantage IR 1-4×20 Turkey Dot riflescope was specifically designed to be a lightweight, no-nonsense turkey scope. With a favorable reticle and ability to be used as a reflex sight or magnified optic, you will be set for your next turkey season!

The new Turkey Dot IR reticle offers fast acquisition of your target when every second counts. You have the ability to use it on 1x for true reflex shooting when your turkey is up close and personal, but you’ll also have the capability to zoom in on your turkey at longer distances with magnification up to 4 power. The 4 MOA illuminated center dot aimpoint is surrounded by a circle that measures 10 inches at 25 yards, when on 1x magnification. The floating non-illuminated posts at 3, 6 and 9 o’clock give additional guides and level confirmation for improved accuracy and rapid target identification. Read more

Optics

Statement of Daniel Defense on its Motion to Dismiss in Torres v. Daniel Defense

BLACK CREEK, GA – On February 14th, Daniel Defense, manufacturer of the world’s finest firearms and accessories, followed through on our promise to vigorously defend our Company and our customers’ Second Amendment rights by filing a motion to dismiss the suit in Torres v. Daniel Defense in the United States District Court in Del Rio, Texas brought by Everytown Law and others.

The suit is simply another attempt by Michael Bloomberg’s Everytown group to promote their false narrative that someone other than the criminal is responsible for crime, and to continue their campaign to destroy lawful citizen access to firearms by suing manufacturers out of existence. Daniel Defense will strongly defend our customers’ rights to responsibly acquire and use our products. We look forward to continuing to support our loyal customers as we seek the immediate dismissal of all frivolous actions filed against us.

Everytown Law is a part of Everytown for Gun Safety, a national group committed to intensely attacking gun rights in just about every category of lawful use or supply, including eliminating sound legal protections for firearms manufacturers and dealers, and banning AR-15 rifles and common capacity magazines. Unfortunately, organizations like Everytown are committed to significantly eroding Second Amendment freedoms and are directly involved in Torres and similar lawsuits with the objective of nullifying clear federal law protecting the lawful right to manufacture firearms. Read more

Gun Control

NSSF Welcomes U.S. Senator Crapo’s Hearing Protection Act

GW: Again? What’s different this time?

WASHINGTON, D.C. — NSSF®, The Firearm Industry Trade Association, proudly welcomes U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo’s (R-Idaho) reintroduction of the Hearing Protection Act. The legislation, S. 401, is co-sponsored by 24 additional senators, all who endorse the legislation that would provide greater access to the firearm safety devices by regulating them in the same manner as a firearm.

“This no-nonsense legislation by Senator Crapo would remove unnecessary and onerous regulations for an accessory that is nothing more than a muffler for a gun,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel. “Suppressors are safety tools that reduce the sound of gunfire to a level that won’t cause instant and permanent hearing loss, enables more accurate marksmanship and allows shooting ranges to be better neighbors.

The Hearing Protection Act would reduce unnecessary barriers for this accessory that is currently regulated the same way as automatic firearms. Suppressors were originally listed under the National Firearms Act over poaching concerns during the Great Depression, but those fears proved to be unfounded. Suppressors don’t completely silence a firearm, only reduce the report from a level equal to a jet taking off to one similar to that of a jackhammer. NSSF is grateful to Senator Crapo for his leadership to remove unneeded barriers to owning a safety device that is designed to make recreational shooting safer.” Read more

Firearms

8-Year Old Wins ALBBAA Big Buck Photo Contest

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (Feb. 15, 2023) – As Grayson Milner sat in a deer stand with his dad just before sundown on New Year’s Eve, the 8-year-old was running out of hope and daylight.

“I don’t think I’m going to get to shoot again,” Grayson thought.

He had missed a deer earlier in the day and figured darkness would put an end to the day’s hunting. Then, just before dusk, a buck emerged. Grayson and his father, Daniel, knew this was likely their final chance.

Daniel peered through his binoculars at the deer about 130 yards away. “That’s a shooter right there,” Grayson’s dad said.

Grayson, an experienced hunter who began hunting at age 3, took aim, squeezed the trigger and bagged the 9-point, 200-pound buck on private Dallas County property owned by family friend Keith Vickers.

“It’s my biggest deer ever,” said Grayson, a student at Wilmer Elementary near Mobile.

Added Daniel, “He’s got the biggest one in the house.” Read more

Hunting

CCRKBA: Leniency for Michigan Gunman Enabled His Crime

BELLEVUE, WA – The man responsible for murdering three Michigan State University students and wounding five others should have been behind bars, but instead was free because of a reduced charge on a plea deal, a fact that should outrage not just gun owners, but everyone in the country, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today.

“Published reports say Anthony McRae was arrested on a felony gun law violation in 2019,” noted CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “However, a few months later he was arrested a second time on a less serious gun-related crime and was allowed to enter a guilty plea on the misdemeanor charge while the felony charge was dismissed. He spent a total of 18 months on probation, but was allowed to retain his gun rights. Instead of being incarcerated, where he could harm nobody, it appears he was allowed to escape imprisonment thanks to a lenient prosecutor.

“It’s not just soft judges who make hardened criminals,” he observed. “It’s also soft-in-the-head progressive prosecutors.

“Various published reports have revealed McRae’s past brushes with the law,” Gottlieb continued. “Let’s look at the facts. Guns are prohibited on the MSU campus, yet there he was with a firearm. There’s a law against murder in Michigan, and he committed three of them. What makes anybody think passing more laws will prevent the next madman from doing the same thing?

“This senseless incident is already being exploited by anti-gunners who want to use McRae’s evil act to justify new restrictions on millions of law-abiding Americans who are just as shocked and heartbroken as anyone,” Gottlieb stated. “Had existing laws been enforced more than three years ago, this crime might never have happened because, at the very least, McRae would have been unable to legally own or possess a firearm.

“We’re tired of gun-hating, headline-grabbing politicians racing to the nearest microphone to push their anti-rights agenda every time a criminal or deranged individual commits a violent crime,” he added. “That’s not justice, it’s political grandstanding designed to penalize people who had nothing to do with the crime. Passing new laws that only impact honest citizens creates the false impression something has been done to prevent a similar crime in the future. At the very least, it’s dishonest.” Read more

General
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