Commercial Guiding Bills: What’s Myth and What’s Fact?

The Senate Natural Resources and Agriculture Committee passed out an MUCC-supported commercial guiding package (SBs 103 , 104 and 105 ) today. 

Commercial guiding in Michigan is woefully unregulated. Nothing in state law prevents a serial poacher or felon from guiding. For more than 10 years, Michigan United Conservation Clubs has worked to provide much-needed sideboards for an industry profiting off Michiganders’ natural resources.

Recently, myths and mistruths have made the rounds in the media. The conservation, guiding, and natural resources communities have united behind this legislation and are working to help folks better understand what the package would and would not do.

To stay up to date on Senate Bills 103, 104 and 105 and and all of MUCC’s work on commercial guiding, sign up for our action and information center HERE .

This is a laughable assertion. 

Guides in Western states sometimes pay thousands to be licensed. In some states, those same guides have to be licensed under an outfitter that also pays thousands of dollars to be licensed. 

There are states that require competency tests, too. This legislation would bring Michigan in line with most of its Great lakes neighbors in terms of the fees and requirements of commercial guides.

To acquire a guide license, one must:

In sum, $50 a year, being First Aid and CPR certified and not being a convicted poacher or felon are not high bars to ask of a guide.

Fact: Hunting on private property is exempted in the bill. 

Fact: There needs to be “consideration of value” exchanged to be considered guiding. This is defined as “an economic benefit, inducement, right, or profit, including monetary payment accruing to an individual or person.” 

Voluntary sharing of fuel expenses does not constitute commercial guiding under this legislation. Neither does the donation of food, beverages, or other supplies. 

Fact: Lacking a consideration of value or if you are on private land, it is still permitted to take a child or anyone else hunting. 

Fact: Under existing state law, the individual’s data, including location, used for biological purposes are not subject to the Freedom of Information Act. 

Fact: The coast guard tightly regulates charter captains that operate in Great Lakes and connecting waterways. As such, this legislation exempts them from the $150 three-year fee and does not add more requirements than what the Coast Guard requires.

Fact: The legislation prohibits felons and people convicted of certain game violations in the last three years from guiding. Some of these game violations include:

Fact: Guiding without a license or failing to report are civil infractions under this legislation. Civil infractions are not a part of your “criminal record.”

Fact: MUCC and other non-profit organizations are exempted from the guiding requirement if they host events to recruit, retain or reactivate a hunter/angler. 

To stay up to date on Senate Bills 103, 104 and 105 and all of MUCC’s work on commercial guiding, sign up for our action and information center HERE .

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