Legislature tries to score political points days before deer season, subverts Proposal G and the NRC

Yesterday, the Michigan House of Representatives on a largely party line vote chose to play politics with Michigan’s natural resources. HB 6354, which would have decriminalized failure to report a deer harvest by reducing penalties from a misdemeanor and possible jail time to a civil infraction, was unanimously approved as introduced by the House Government…

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June NRC Recap

Commissioners instituted mandatory deer harvest reporting at their June Natural Resources Commission (NRC) meeting.  Wildlife Conservation Order #4 of 2022, which passed unanimously, sets up mandatory deer harvest reporting beginning with the 2022 whitetail deer season. The order is meant to improve the data quality and speed at which deer harvest reports can be produced,…

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Wolf council meets to discuss habitat, enforcement

The Wolf Management Advisory Council (WMAC) met December 7 to discuss habitat and enforcement efforts needed to sustain a robust wolf population. New business included a review of sections 6.3 and 6.5 from the 2015 Wolf Management Plan. Old business included voting on recommendations to section 6.2 of the 2015 plan. Council members first heard…

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A predator-prey study, increasing public awareness, maintaining sustainable wolf prey populations discussed October wolf meeting.

October NRC Preview

The Wolf Management Advisory Council (WMAC) is charged with making recommendations to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) regarding wolf management. The council will undertake recommending updates to the 2015 Wolf Management Plan to include up-to-date biology and information. The WMAC is comprised of six members: Dan Kennedy representing the DNR, Amy Trotter representing…

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Sandhill cranes, steelhead bag limits discussed at October NRC meeting

The Natural Resources Commission (NRC) met Thursday and passed several fisheries orders. An agenda from the meeting with links to all items can be found here. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Deputy Director Shannon Lott’s report to the NRC included a presentation on the FY 22 budget, an overview of the new business fisheries orders,…

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Federal study shows Michigan deer exposed to SARS-CoV-2

Antibodies from the virus responsible for COVID-19 have been found in free-ranging white-tailed deer from Michigan, Illinois, New York and Pennsylvania, a new study shows. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) released details of the study Wednesday after sampling 481 free-ranging white-tailed deer from January 2020 through 2021. About…

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NRC: Deer urine-based lures and attractants remain legal

The Natural Resources Commission (NRC) amended a Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) proposal last Thursday that would have banned the use of deer urine-based lures and attractants. Commissioners voted to allow the continued use of deer urine-based lures and attractants, as long as the products have a seal from the Archery Trade Association (ATA)…

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NRC gathers input on deer regulations at May meeting

The Michigan Natural Resources Commission (NRC) considered changes to the deer hunting rules Thursday and oversaw a number of orders signed by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) director. The proposed deer hunting regulations included two administrative changes relating to muzzleloader hunting and a ban of urine-based lures and attractants. The falconry rules and regulations…

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NRC Passes 2021 Deer Regulations

A smaller Michigan Natural Resources Commission (NRC) passed new rules for the 2021 deer hunting season Thursday, including changes to antlerless deer tags and archery hunting rules. Given the ongoing issues related to COVID-19, the NRC met virtually using an online platform to consider a full agenda. These deer regulations as proposed by the Department…

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NRC to Vote on 2021 Deer Regulations

A slightly smaller Michigan Natural Resources Commission (NRC) will meet Thursday to vote on new rules for the 2021 deer hunting season, including changes to the archery seasons and antlerless deer tags.  Recently, newly-appointed NRC Commissioners Thomas Baird and David Cozad were disapproved by the Michigan Senate, along with 11 other Whitmer appointees. This leaves…

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