Michigan Governor Signs Hunter Recruitment Bills

[vermonster13]

(Lansing) – The Governor of Michigan gave hunter recruitment in her state a shot in the arm today when she signed two bills designed to boost the number of new hunters entering the field.

 

Gov. Jennifer Granholm today signed HB 5192 and SB 1105.  Both bills are part of Families Afield, a program designed by the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance (USSA), National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) and National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) to recruit young hunters into the sport by lowering or eliminating unnecessary age restrictions.

 

Senate Bill 1105, sponsored by Sen. Michelle McManus, R-Leelanau,

co-chair of the Michigan State Sportsmen’s Caucus, creates an apprentice hunting license which allows people to be introduced to hunting under direct supervision of a licensed adult hunter before completing hunter education.  To become fully licensed and hunt alone, the new hunter must complete a hunter education course.

 

House Bill 5192, sponsored by Rep. Scott Hummel, R-DeWitt, lowers the big game hunting minimum age from 14 to 12 and the small game hunting minimum age from 12 to 10.

 

Under the two new laws, an experienced hunter can introduce a person who has not completed hunter education to small game hunting at the age of 10 and big game hunting at the age of 12.  The new hunter must acquire an apprentice hunting license and hunt under the direct supervision of the licensed experienced hunter.  However, if the new hunter has completed hunter education, he or she may now acquire a license to hunt small game at the age of 10 and big game at the age of 12.

 

“We are excited that a state with such a rich hunting heritage as Michigan has passed Families Afield legislation,” said Rob Sexton, vice president for government affairs for the USSA.  “Governor Granholm, Senator McManus, Representative Hummel and the rest of the Michigan legislature are to be commended.”

 

The Youth Hunting Report, commissioned by the USSA, NSSF and NWTF,  found that states which permit parents to decide when their children begin to hunt, and states which allow potential hunters to try hunting under the watchful eye of a mentor before completing a hunter education course, experience better recruitment and retention of new hunters.  More importantly, these states produce safety statistics that are better than states that place high restrictions on age and hunter education, as well as under what conditions a new hunter can legally enter the field.

 

Before the passage of today’s bills, Michigan was second only to New York as the most restrictive state in the country in terms of age limits on when a new hunter could start hunting.

 

Michigan joins Pennsylvania, Ohio, Minnesota, Illinois, Utah and Mississippi as states which have passed Families Afield legislation.  Like these states, Michigan has a rich hunting heritage, yet hunter recruitment is waning due to restrictive regulations placed on the ages at which a person can begin to hunt.  Families Afield gives parents the opportunity to decide when their child is ready to hunt, rather than have the government set an arbitrary age minimum.

[vermonster13]

Now if we could get her to take a stance against the WHA we would really have something.

[Arwin]

No doubt! I also just read on the MDNR web page that 10 and 11 year olds will be able to purchase archery licenses. That rocks!!! My daughter is so excited we both can hardly wait!

[swoosh]

Gov for a Candian lady is pretty hip.  I sold her fishing Lic. a Cabela's few years back.

All MI resident make a phone call everyday yo the Gov office.  Let the Gov know where we stand!!

[jack benson]

Bad law: no requirements for hunter safety and the belief that the required adult can be a mentor.
In our state, hunter safety has a proven record.

Good discussion of the law on the MI conference on Bowsite.

Why do the kids need to be able to fill a tag to hunt anyway. All of mine have been hunting with me well before the age of 6 anyhow. The more I think about this law, the more relationship I see that many hunters equate a successful hunt with that of filling of a tag. That is the sort of thinking that leads to such crap as WHA.

[vermonster13]

The main issue here is that the state is recognizing that children need to be introduced to hunting at an earlier age. Hunter safety will still be required for their aquiring their own license. Compromises were made in this law and it is far from perfect, but it is better than what they had and is a start in the right direction.

[Arwin]

I agree on the fact that there may be safety factors when guns are the issue, but sticking to "all things traditional bowhunting",having a youngster go out with their bow and try to take some small game is good development. Even for the adults! My daughter has been hunting with me since she was four and last year she had made the comment that it is getting hard for her to sit and watch and not take part. I can't blame her. We enjoy the other aspects of hunting as well, such as seeing Gods Creation at it's best, but now she is 10 and ready to go a step further. I think for most of us, including the youngsters, it's not about filling the tag, but it's all about the thrill of the chase and being given the o.k. to legally do so.
 I do agree that a hunter safety class of some sort be taken. That is the responsible thing to do. Hopefully most adults will see this reguardless of what the law states. There is so much to learn in one of these classes and they can even be fun. I am going to have Casey(daughter) take one because the recent changes will allow her to bowhunt for deer. I want her to be prepared.
 I sincerely hope the outcome of this decision is a positive. My daughter and I are so excited and it feels good to see a re-kindled flame of hunting passion back in her. I get to keep my best hunting partner too.

[jack benson]

This was not a "all things traditional bowhunting" issue/law. It was a hunting issue that allows children to handle weapons of hunt with NO FORMAL HUNTING SAFETY TRAINING. It is a crap shot which some may have had a good background/mentorship and others may no.

This is not about private lands, where one can hunt small game without a license. This is about allowing kids to hunt with weapons on public lands without even requiring safety education.

My son would have loved to fully particpate before he was of age, but he had to wait till he filled the necessary requirements: hunter safety certification and age. Instead, he spent his "apprenticeship" learning to sit still, learning to observe, and learning that one does not get a deer easily. He (and his sisters before him) participated by sharing the experience and learned that the "sport" of hunting is not in the kill, but in the overall experience. Just being able to kill a deer will not enlist a new member of the hunting community.

This piece of legislation is a "feel good" poorly implemented piece of legislation that will not enlist increased numbers of hunters. It is part of that "instant gratification" mentality which in hunting leads up to things like the WHA. Had the legislation had a requirment for a "apprentice hunter safety" educational requirement...aimed at a younger age...it might have made more sense.

Any little mistake made by any of these pre-certified hunters will be amplified by the antis in the media to the detrement of all hunters. That said, I hope for a safe hunting season nonetheless.