ThinkingAfield.org

Here is inside information worth sharing from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Hunters across the country risk one or more of these violations if they’re not familiar with the rules.

As Michigan Department of Natural Resources conservation officers gear up for the 2020 firearm deer season, they are expecting that this year’s higher hunting license sales will mean more new and experienced hunters in the woods. Here’s a list of the 10 most common hunting violations that conservation officers encounter every firearm season – most of which easily can be avoided with a little research and planning.

#1 – Using the wrong tag or improperly filling out a tag

Conservation officers often see the wrong kill tag on game – such as fish or turkey licenses on a deer. Often, this is a simple mistake made in the dark and can easily be corrected by re-tagging the deer as soon as you notice the error.

Solution: Before field-dressing or moving the deer, kill tags should be filled out (including the month and date the deer was taken and the deer’s gender and number of antler points) and properly placed on the deer.

#2 – Not wearing orange

Some hunters remove their orange clothing once they get into deer stands or blinds. In the excitement of getting a deer, hunters may forget to put their orange clothing back on.

Solution: Commit to wearing hunter orange to keep yourself and others safe. Hunters are required by law to wear hunter orange as the outermost layer of clothing at all times. The DNR recommends wearing as much hunter orange as possible to increase visibility to other hunters. Orange and other bright colors do not affect a deer’s behavior. Hunter orange garments, including camouflage, must be at least 50 percent hunter orange and be visible from all directions. Clothing options include a cap, hat, vest, jacket or raincoat.

#3 – Being unfamiliar with a firearm and how it functions  

Semi-automatic, lever, bolt and pump-action firearms are common choices among hunters, but each firearm functions very differently.

Solution: Take the time to familiarize yourself with your firearm and make sure it is properly sighted and functioning before you go hunting. Being able to safely handle your firearm is an important part of being a responsible hunter.

#4 – Committing safety zone violations

Each year conservation officers investigate property damage caused by firearms.

Solution: Rifle rounds travel long distances – hunters are responsible for where their bullets end up. Know the area you’ll be hunting, including nearby buildings and properties. No one may hunt with a firearm within 450 feet of an occupied structure (including buildings, dwellings, homes, residences, cabins, barns or structures used for farm operations) unless they have permission from the landowner.

#5 – Trespassing

If a deer runs onto private property, the hunter cannot retrieve it without the landowner’s permission. Conservation officers are usually contacted when trespass disagreements escalate and a resolution cannot be reached.

Solution: Respect landowner rights and posted trespassing signs. If you’ll be hunting near someone else’s property, contact the landowner ahead of time; don’t wait until you’re tracking game. Most of the time, a friendly call or visit to your neighbor will remedy the situation.

#6 – Staking claims to public land hunting blinds

Confrontations over hunting spots, or the illegal posting (trespassing or hunting signs) of state-managed public land, happen every year. Conservation officers are asked to help resolve such disputes, and say the main reason for these situations is usually last-minute hunters who randomly pick a spot.

Solution: Hunters should research and scout the land they plan to hunt – before hunting day. Brush, constructed blinds and tree stands on public land are just that – public. Regardless of who constructed, purchased or tends to these blinds, when they’re on state-managed public land, they are available on a first come, first served basis. Public land cannot be posted or reserved.

Tree stands used on public land must be portable and have the hunter’s name, address and Michigan driver’s license number or DNR sportcard number affixed in legible English that can easily be read from the ground. Hunting platforms cannot be affixed or attached to any tree by nails, screws or bolts.

#7 – Littering

Leaving propane bottles, hand warmer wrappers, food wrappers, bottles and other trash causes problems for animals and people.

Solution: Practice the “leave no trace” ethic. Whatever is brought into the woods should be taken back out. It is the responsibility of all hunters to be environmental stewards and clean up after themselves.

#8 – Baiting/attracting deer

Conservation officers stay busy responding to calls about illegal baiting in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula and portions of the Upper Peninsula.

Solution: Know the law. Baiting and feeding are banned in the entire Lower Peninsula and portions of the Upper Peninsula – except for hunters with disabilities who meet specific requirements.

In approved Upper Peninsula baiting areas, 2 gallons of bait can be spread in an area that measures 10 feet by 10 feet. On commercial forest land, bait must be brought in each night, unless the landowner has given permission. Use bait sparingly to help curb the spread of deer diseases like bovine tuberculosis and chronic wasting disease.

#9 – Hunting out of hours or off-season

One of the most common complaints to the DNR’s Report All Poaching Hotline is about shots fired after dark. Often, these complaints are reported days later.

Solution: A hunter may legally shoot game 30 minutes before sunrise or until 30 minutes after sunset. Anyone who witnesses or suspects hunting outside of legal hours should immediately call or text the DNR’s Report All Poaching hotline at 800-292-7800. Fast reporting makes it more likely that a conservation officer will identify the suspect.

#10 – Harassing hunters

Conservation officers investigate acts of hunter harassment – which is when a person or organization intentionally sabotages another hunter’s quality opportunity to take game. Examples include spraying repellent around a hunter’s blind, creating loud noises and/or barriers that prevent or deter a hunter or game from accessing an area, or destroying other hunters’ equipment such as trail cameras and blinds.

Solution: Respect the law. Michigan law prohibits anyone obstructing or interfering with the lawful taking of animals. Hunter harassment is a misdemeanor offense.

A new package of deer regulations will be introduced to the Michigan Natural Resources Commission at its Nov. 12 meeting. The NRC is expected to vote on the proposed regulations, for the 2021 fall deer hunting season, in December or January.

The proposed changes are meant to further simplify deer regulations and remove barriers to participation in deer hunting. If approved, the regulations will provide additional opportunity, cost savings and flexibility for deer hunters.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources uses existing and projected data to gauge the impact of the proposed regulations. The data shows that the changes will not have a significant negative effect on the deer herd or the quality of deer hunting.

“A team of wildlife biologists, law enforcement officers and other key DNR staff worked together to prepare these recommendations for consideration by the Natural Resources Commission. The goal is to create rules that are easier to follow and that offer hunters more flexibility in taking deer to help feed their families,” said Chad Stewart, DNR deer, elk and moose program leader.

“It’s important for hunters’ voices to be part of the regulation-setting process, and we appreciate everyone who joined in the virtual open houses or completed surveys about the proposed 2021 regulations,” he said. “Their thoughtful feedback has been critical.”

The proposed 2021 regulation changes include: Read more

By Glen Wunderlich

Charter Member Professional Outdoor Media Association

The pursuit of whitetail deer has been a challenging way to put meat on the table for as long as there have been tables – and, even before that.  Of course, in days long ago successful hunters were rewarded with protein-laden venison that was literally life-sustaining; poor hunters were dubbed as vegetarians.  And, before chemists were invented, deer hides were tanned with the brains from the downed animals to produce clothing and footwear and other goods that could be traded for life’s necessities.

In exactly one week, Michigan’s modern iteration of the ageless process takes place marked with the beginning of firearms deer season November 15^th.  And, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Many of us still head north – not because there are more deer to hunt there, but because of tradition – a tradition that takes us away from it all, be it the ever-present virus, politics or the timeless practice of getting ahead.  It becomes family reunions of sorts where friends and family meet and leave it all behind.

Where once the journey to the northern countryside was an adventure all its own, today it’s cruise control accompanied by music from the clouds.  Just imagine packing all the gear into a Model A Ford and poking along at 30 miles per hour on roads that were not even paved.  Somehow without GPS, cell phones or radial tires, hopeful hunters forged their adventurous paths to their personal secret spots.

Having never hunted deer I took the advice of my father in-law and purchased my first deer gun 50 years ago: a Sears model .30-30 manufactured by Winchester.  It was several years before I ever saw a buck deer in the woods but that ol’ gun did the job on one of the largest bucks taken at the historic tent-camp site.  However, another hunter had shot at the same buck and met me in the thick cover where I stood over the magnificent animal; he claimed it was his!  We flipped a coin to settle the matter and I field dressed my first deer.  (The deer proved to be mine all the while upon further review.)

The tent was military surplus with plenty of room that could never be heated adequately with the tired kerosene heater that produced more light than heat.  I didn’t know much about good socks or boots, but I learned quickly that cold feet and a warm heart still meant cold feet.

We didn’t have blinds of any nature, either – portable or otherwise.  Nobody had them back then.  Hunting with firearms from elevated stands was illegal, too.  And, there were no extended seasons, either, unless one were to include archery or muzzleloader seasons in which participation was minimal.

Certainly, much has changed.  Yet, there remains sameness – a connection with our past and those that came before us.  We find peace among the wildlife and the rising sun that warms our chilled bodies in our quest to be one with nature.  Although we find it difficult to slow down in everyday affairs, there is no rush to go anywhere else or to do anything else.

Yes, we will get away from it all, and in my way of thinking that makes our individual journeys purposeful and satisfying. And, through it all, I’ve even learned to keep my feet warm.