fall hunt get the OK from NRC US
May 28th, 2005 by Administrator
Changes to fall hunt get the OK from NRC
Lansing — Several DNR proposals that will affect hunting seasons this fall were passed by the Natural Resources Commission at its meeting earlier this month in Lansing.
Pheasant and deer hunting opportunities have been expanded, elk seasons were set, and fall wild turkey units were finalized.
White-tailed deer
The NRC voted to add seven days to the muzzleloader deer season in Zone 3 (southern Lower Peninsula) in an effort to further reduce the deer herd in this area.
The seven days will be added to the front end of the season, which will now open on the first Friday in December, like the season in the Upper Peninsula. Historically, the season throughout the Lower Peninsula has opened on the second Friday in December.
The season will run through the end of the northern Lower Peninsula season, for a total of 17 days, instead of the traditional 10.
This year will bring nearly the shortest possible period between the end of the regular firearm season and the start of the muzzleloader deer seasons. The firearms season ends Nov. 30, which is a Wednesday, and the muzzleloader season in Zone 3 will open two days later, on Friday, Dec. 2. Next year the gap between will be even smaller, with Dec. 1 falling on a Friday.
The commission also voted to end the early antlerless hunts in Menominee County in the Upper Peninsula as well as in the Special Regulations Unit (TB zone) in Alcona, Alpena, Crawford, Montmorency, Oscoda, Otsego, and Presque Isle counties. Reduced deer numbers and limited hunter participation were the reasons given for the changes.
In addition, the NRC voted to expand the number of counties in Zone 3 that will be open for the late antlerless deer season; Oakland, Ottawa, Sanilac, and Washtenaw counties were added to the list.
“I looked at all the counties in southern Michigan and looked at our population estimates over the last four years compared to our population goals,” said DNR deer specialist Rod Clute. “All four of those counties are 40 percent or more over the population goals.”
The late season remains open in Barry, Branch, Calhoun, Hillsdale, Ionia, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Kent, Lapeer, Lenawee, St. Joseph, and Tuscola counties.
One change in deer hunting regulations includes moving the end of the bowhunting season back to Jan. 1. In years when the holiday falls on the first part of a weekend, managers often ask for a season extension to let hunters spend the full holiday afield.
In another change, officials shifted opening day of the special season on North Manitou Island to a Sunday, rather than a specific date, to coincide with the one-a-week voyage of the ferry, by which almost all hunters reach the island.
Elk
There will be two early elk hunts this year to target elk outside the primary range. The early hunts will be held Aug. 27-31 and Sept. 9-12 in an expanded Elk Management Unit (EMU) L, all or parts of Emmet, Cheboygan, Charlevoix, and Otsego counties, and in a reduced EMU M, all or parts of Presque Isle, Alpena, and Montmorency counties.
Within the primary elk range — where Cheboygan, Presque Isle, Montmorency, and Otsego counties intersect — the regular hunting seasons will be Dec. 6-13. If the harvest quota is not met during the December hunt, biologists could opt for an additional hunt Jan. 16-20.
Pheasants
The December pheasant hunt has been expanded to include the Thumb area. Pheasant hunting will be allowed this year Dec. 1-Jan. 1 in Genesee, Huron, Lapeer, Saginaw, Sanilac, and Tuscola counties and part of Bay County, as well as the existing area that has been open in the past.
“This will provide some additional hunting opportunities for those who wish to participate and for private landowners who have done habitat work on their property,” said Al Stewart, the DNR’s game bird specialist. “You’re hunting only males, and the information from other states that hold similar hunts suggests that from a biological standpoint the population won’t be impacted.”
Turkeys,
The NRC also set regulations for fall turkey hunting units.
Some units have been closed, new units have been established, and the boundaries of some units have been changed.
Units A and E, in the central and northeastern Lower Peninsula, respectively, will be closed this fall.
Units G and GC, in the south-central Lower Peninsula, have been expanded; unit J, in the northern Lower, has been reduced; units H and HB, in the west-central portion of the state, are new areas that will be open for the fall season.
The area open to turkey hunting will comprise approximately 31,935 square miles, compared to 31,940 in 2004.
Hunters are reminded that the application period for the fall turkey license is July 1-Aug. 1.
Check the 2005 DNR Hunting and Trapping Guide, due out in July, for details on all of the changes
By Bill Parker
Editor