July 2024 NRC Recap

July 2024 NRC Recap

Commissioners adopted changes to deer regulations for 2024 at the July 11th Natural Resources Commission (NRC) meeting. 

After over 20 amendments to Wildlife Conservation Order #6 of 2024 were debated, commissioners landed on an order with most changes taking effect in the 2024 season.  

Among other changes for 2024, the commission adopted several amendments. Of the most notable changes, there are new expanded opportunities in January. The use of any legal firearm in zone 2 during muzzleloader season, and beginning in 2025 the youth and liberty hunt will be antlerless only. 

No statewide antler point restrictions, hunters’ choice, or lower peninsula baiting legalizations were approved. 

A more expansive summary of the 2024 regulation changes will come once a complete and accurate summation of the changes can be made. 

After the flurry of amendments, the final order passed on a 5-1 vote.  

Chair Baird assured Michigan hunters that this is not the closing chapter of deer regulations, and work on deer management will continue. 

Michigan Deer and Elk specialist Chad Stewart presented department responses to the proposed deer regulations, and amendments.  

Before the deer debate, there was a presentation on updates to the Brandon Road Lock and Dam project, and a pair of awards from the DNR.  

The commission approved Wildlife Conservation Order #5 of 2024, which sets up a framework for voluntary use of electronic kill tags for the 2024 fall turkey season.  

Wildlife Conservation Order #7 of 2024 was up for information and if adopted, changes the duck stamp regulations to follow modernized federal rules. This order will be up for action at the August meeting.  

The August meeting is Thursday, August 8, 2024, at the Cadillac Place in Detroit.  

36 Comments

  1. Nathan korkus on July 12, 2024 at 5:41 am

    are the NRC meetings recorded so they can be watched. If so, where can I find the recorded meetings?

    • Dawn on August 6, 2024 at 9:15 am

      I found the meeting on the MUCC Facebook page. I believe it is LIVE and then Recorded.

  2. Megan Short on July 12, 2024 at 10:18 am

    Mandating that youth hunts be limited to antlerless deer is a significant mistake! It is entirely irrational to exclude the younger generation—the very future of this sport, hobby, pastime, and industry. How can we justify telling a young person who has diligently honed their skills throughout the year that they are prohibited from harvesting the 10-point buck that appears before them?

    • Chris on July 15, 2024 at 11:35 pm

      Its not excluding them, its simply requiring them to harvest antlerless, which i understand, a friend of mine has several very nice bucks on his cameras every August, 9 out of ten are killed during the youth hunt. One year, EVERY lehal buck he had on camera by then was killed during youth hunt. He was ready to quit hunting.

      • Rick on July 21, 2024 at 3:44 pm

        They will have there day to do that. Also we have too many does and they need to be weeded out and then younger bucks can mature. Also I’m not putting names out but there have been big bucks that have been so called shot by youths that were actually shot by dad.

    • matt on July 23, 2024 at 11:16 am

      it is only for the early pre-season youth and liberty hunts. Youth or disabled hunters can still hunt regular season with regular rules and kill bucks. The change does not say youth hunters can only shoot antlerless. Most youth hunters will still be happy to harvest a doe. Maybe the parents are the ones that will need to remember to encourage the youth hunters even when a doe is harvested and not raise hunters to believe that only bucks are worthy of a tag? When I started hunting 40 years ago the mindset was that a spike buck was better than a doe and doe tags were harder to get. I am hoping changes like this can help eliminate that mindset that prevents bucks from reaching maturity and also help balance the herd.

    • Patrick on July 24, 2024 at 9:09 am

      Megan you are correct. Just one more capitulation to the private land trophy hunters, along with antler point restrictions. Anything that discourages youth hunting is a bad move. Burdensome youth hunter safety requirements is a prime example of a solution looking for a problem. I am skeptical that the NRC has any real interest in reversing the decline in the number of hunters.

      • Craig on July 24, 2024 at 12:34 pm

        Wait Patrick. Don’t you want to teach the youth about conservation, not just big buck hunting?

  3. Andy Wright on July 12, 2024 at 10:37 am

    Why is there such a lack of interest in getting bucks to a more mature age? I understand there are population issues, but can someone please explain how APR’s have a single affect on that. Everyone i know shot more does and seen much better bucks when APR’s were in affect. Hell, if people are hunting for meat and don’t see a large enough buck to legally shoot they may be forced into finally shooting a doe or two. You say there is a decline in hunters but yet keep making hunting less appealing every year. Makes zero sense.

    • Chris on July 15, 2024 at 11:37 pm

      I have a 5 point on the wall with a 25″ spread, it was 5 years old. If we followed this 4 per side silliness, he would have likely never been legal and his inferior genes would likely become prominent.

      • Bob on July 18, 2024 at 12:49 pm

        1 out of a million deer shouldn’t set policy

  4. Tom Gensel on July 12, 2024 at 10:37 am

    Thanks

    • Dave on July 13, 2024 at 9:53 am

      Dud they legalize drone use for deer recovery? I can’t find anything on the vote.

  5. Timothy Martin on July 12, 2024 at 3:08 pm

    What was the final decision regarding the use of drones to assist in recovering downed game?

  6. Ace Magnis on July 12, 2024 at 3:37 pm

    So did they approve baiting in the lower peninsula?

    • Bear on July 22, 2024 at 5:28 pm

      No they did not

  7. Rick Richter on July 12, 2024 at 3:56 pm

    What happened to the using drones for recovery proposal?

  8. Clifton holland on July 12, 2024 at 6:40 pm

    Why will you not get it thru the heads that if you want more deer killed especially does you need to reopen baiting where possible not every body has access to food plots and private lands hunt state land and see how many Opportunities you get in 1 hunting season to get any deer in bow range… Especially for younger hunters.

  9. brian periso on July 12, 2024 at 6:41 pm

    I’m very disappointed that 4 point on side/antler and only 1 buck was not adopted.

  10. Gary Hogle on July 12, 2024 at 8:49 pm

    I believe the commission has wrong on Liberty and Independence hunt. Going antlerless only! Giving way to the trophy hunting adults.

    • Patrick on July 24, 2024 at 9:16 am

      Yep

  11. Ken Carmack on July 12, 2024 at 10:15 pm

    Thank you

  12. Zachary Kasprzak on July 12, 2024 at 10:36 pm

    Hunter safety instructor here. We just shot the foot off our recruitment efforts with that youth season rule. Unfortunately they acquiesced to the loud self centered boomers who seem to be obsessed about a kid getting a crack at a buck before they do.

    Sad.

  13. T w ponel on July 12, 2024 at 11:57 pm

    No baiting sucks ,when farmers and more local just feed the deer year round on there farms

  14. Jeff Campbell on July 13, 2024 at 6:21 am

    No “statewide” APR’s. What about the APR’s that existed before, are they lifted?

  15. Randy on July 13, 2024 at 10:16 am

    FINALLY!!!! 10 years I’ve complained about that youth hunt and how they should have to at least shoot a doe first and NOW, they finally do it….. Youth hunt was implemented and has proven in articles to NOT be effective at what it was intended to do. Instead, it was just license revenue for the DNR and easy bucks year after year for the youth learn nothing about real hunting. Then, 1 in 4 do NOT keep hunting after they’ve shot their big easy bucks for years and have to start hunting like real hunters, old school hunters.

    • John McPherson on July 15, 2024 at 8:38 am

      Do you agree we should do something to help young hunters? As a retired educator I can tell you a Saturday opener for firearm season would be a fair trade off.

      • Keith DeBoer on July 22, 2024 at 4:27 pm

        I like that idea! November 15 is a challenge for many people. The third Saturday in November would be a great initiative.

  16. Scott on July 13, 2024 at 11:28 am

    APR have encouraged some hunters, in antrim county anyways, to NOT attempt to harvest antlerless as there are so many sub-legal bucks with hard to notice 3″ antlers and well, im not taking that chance. I almost do not attempt to even shoot a doe anymore because of this and it holds true with some fellow hunters. Im not knocking the APR rule im just sharing my experience. I welcome more doe in antrim county, I do not oppose doe harvest either.

  17. Paul valley on July 13, 2024 at 3:02 pm

    Thanks

  18. Brent smith on July 15, 2024 at 1:52 pm

    I’m disappointed if we put into effect a does only rule for the youth hunt. It will teach patience that’s for sure. But I would rather we get a kid out hunting and have him excited with zero restrictions, and be successful. This will bring them back to the woods and help promote the sport we all love so dearly. Anyone that has reservations about it I encourage you to mentor a youth and take them out for this hunt. My kids are grown but I still enjoy taking and mentoring other youth with the use of this hunt. The excitement they get is beyond explanation. Through positive feed back I hope we can reconsider this before it goes into effect in 2025.

    • Pat on July 24, 2024 at 9:34 am

      Spot on Brent. This along with APR are examples of letting elitist trophy hunters drive NRC policy.

  19. Marshall Boyd on July 17, 2024 at 1:52 pm

    Ehen are we going to do something about access to private land, that protects the farmer, if they let someone on their land. The deer, especially doe issue in southern Michigan is that there is so much private land where there’s a multitude of deer that aren’t being hunted or several hundred acres being hunted by a few family members. Until you come up with a solution for this issue, you’ll never cure the excessive deer population in these areas.

  20. Mike Critchfield on July 22, 2024 at 3:39 pm

    I am a Service Connected, Disabled Veteran with a Disability rating of 100%. The NRC has taken the ability of me and other 100% disabled veterans the chance to harvest a buck during either the Liberty or Independence hunts.
    I looked at the Bio’s of the NRC Commissioners and just as I expected, none of them included any Military background. I wrote to them about my disappointment and disgust at their decision and to date, no response which also doesn’t surprise me.
    I wonder if they have a clue what it takes to get some of these Disabled Vets into the woods ?? Taking away the hope of maybe harvesting a buck means so much to so many of them.
    We Vietnam Vets are used to being shunned. We’ve lived it for decades and this decision is just another example.

  21. […] A full recap of the meeting can be found by clicking here.   […]

  22. Ron Hopkins on July 27, 2024 at 3:07 pm

    Like Mike Critchfield, I too am a 100% disabled Vietnam Veteran. I started the NWTF Flat River Chapter in 1995. Since 2000 I have organized and helped with handicap hunts. Sadly, since COVID we have lost many of the hunters in the “Wheeling Hunters” group.
    Our Chapter has annual banquets to raise funds for the Disabled Hunts; Women in the Outdoors, Youth Hunts and more.
    It’s disgusting and appalling how a committee with no military background can make a decision to take away the ability to harvest a buck both in the Liberty or Independence hunts. It takes a lot of Vets and volunteers to help these hunters to get in the woods and often achieve a dream of harvesting a buck. It means the world to the 100% disabled Veteran. I have had gentlemen waiting in my yard at 3am with excitement for a 7 am hunt.
    I too contacted this committee and have had no response. Why are they not listening or responding to we Veteran’s?
    I am fighting for my fellow 100% disabled Veterans AND Handicap Hunters and ask that all Veterans respond to the NRC with regards both to the action of the harvesting of bucks and for their lack of value and respect towards Veterans.
    It’s a crying shame. Yes, I have shed some tears over this for my fellow hunters.

Leave a Comment