March NRC: Expansion of bobcat hunting zones, waterfowl season dates up for action

lschultz • March 7, 2022

Expansion of bobcat hunting and trapping is up for action at the March Natural Resource Commission (NRC) meeting.

The meeting is scheduled for Thursday at 9:30 a.m at Lansing Community College West Campus, Rooms M119-121. Lansing Community College requires masks for all students, staff and visitors. 

On Thursday, commissioners are expected to take action on a pair of wildlife conservation orders.The first expands bobcat hunting and trapping seasons in the Northern Lower Peninsula and creates a new Southern Lower Peninsula unit.

Michigan United Conservation Clubs (MUCC) supports increased opportunities for recreational hunting and trapping if science points towards no net biological harm. Bobcat populations have remained stable and their range has expanded, said Justin Tomei, MUCC policy assistant.

“As always, the durability of the resource comes first and bobcats are no exception,” Tomei said. “The department has demonstrated that the bobcat population is stable and expanding further and further into Southern Michigan; these changes represent the meaningful conservation successes of the North American Model of Conservation.”

The second order sets the dates and regulations for the state’s waterfowl hunting. These guidelines are set within a federal framework, and the biggest change is the opening day of the north zone and middle zone have two weeks between them. 

Under new business, the commission will see a director’s order relating to the results of an oil and gas lease auction and a trio of small land transactions. 

Up for information this month is the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) elk regulations for the 2022 and 2023 seasons. The proposed w ildlife conservation order makes no substantial changes to season structure or bag limits, but it does ask the NRC to remove the language allowing the DNR to hold a January hunt.

The DNR says the hunt has not been used since 2008 and that staff is confident of the herds location and their ability to focus the traditional hunt periods. The DNR also says it is unrealistic for hunters to draw a tag in late December and make appropriate plans for a January hunt. Without the January hunt, the DNR suggests that adjusting quotas, if necessary, can provide an adequate management tool if the need arises.

The schedule for the Director’s report is below.

  • Partners in Conservation Award – Thomas Schupbach (Kerry Heckman, Forest Resources Division)
  • Lake Trout harvest and regulations Northern Lake Huron (Seth Herbst, Fisheries Division)
  • Wildlife Conservation Order Amendment No. 1 of 2022 Modification (Adam Bump, Wildlife Division)
  • Elk Regulations (Chad Stewart, Wildlife Division)
  • Bear Population Trend Analysis Update (Cody Norton, Wildlife Division)
  • Legislative Report (Informational Item)

Recent Posts

May 2025 NRC Recap

By Justin Tomei • May 8, 2025
The Natural Resources Commission (NRC) met for their May meeting today at Lansing Community College West Campus. The commission voted to return antlered opportunities to the Independence and Liberty hunts at the May Natural Resources Commission meeting. The amendment to restore this opportunity passed after Commissioner Walters withdrew his amendment from April to only partially restore antlered opportunity during these hunts. MUCC testified for the complete restoration of antlered opportunity during these two hunts, per a member passed policy from our 2025 Annual Convention. The commission also voted on, and ultimately accepted, a proposal to allow archery antlerless take in the high snowfall zone in the Upper Peninsula. Additionally, the commission also chose to leave on the table and postpone indefinitely the order to reopen the illegally partially closed coyote season. This prevents the order from dying after today's meeting and makes it eligible for action at a later date. This amendment will remain postponed until the June meeting at the earliest.  MUCC has created the Coyote Coalition to assist in unifying the voice of conservationists in support of Proposal G. To join the Coyote Coalition, visit https://www.mucc.org/coyotecoalition . The commission did adopt proposed fall turkey regulations unanimously. The June commission meeting is Thursday, June 12 in Bay City. To ensure our natural resources remain protected and managed thoughtfully and our outdoor heritage defended, join Michigan United Conservation Clubs today: http://bit.ly/JoinMUCC .

On The Ground: Volunteers at the Annual Jack Pine Planting Day

By Olivia Triltsch • May 8, 2025
In total, volunteers improved about 6 acres of habitat and planted around 6,000 trees in this stand to continue regeneration.

On the Ground Junior: Spring Event Recap

By Katelyn Helsel • May 7, 2025
Our student volunteers have been hard at work improving wildlife habitat on public lands! MUCC’s On the Ground Junior (OTG Jr.) program, a subset of the On the Ground program, is a fully funded field trip program that brings grade-school classrooms into the outdoors to improve fish and wildlife habitat in their local communities. Through activities like native plantings, brush pile building, and invasive species removal, students gain hands-on experience with conservation and positively impact the world around them. Students also participate in educational activities like predator-prey tag to teach them about population dynamics and other natural resources concepts. So far this spring season, MUCC welcomed 69 students, teachers, and chaperones who participated in multiple OTG Jr projects with more on the way! In total, they improved over 12 acres of wildlife habitat. Read on for a recap of each OTG Jr project and see what all our awesome student volunteers have been up to. 
More Posts