Ok fellas, I usually don't state my opinion on subjects like this but, I have read 6 pages completely. I don't think I saw where one person held my concerns. Does it matter at all APR, youth hunt, liberty, early, late, cwd, hotzones. How does anyone actually know if it works or not. mi has no mandatory deer registration of any kind anywhere except military base hunts.
Hear me out before you stop reading. The DNR is guessing. I live in the cwd area. My wife and I can legally purchase 26 deer permits between us. BUT we don't have to register a one. How do they know what we killed?? Where are they getting their harvest #s from. They count the deer that pass them parked on the highway.
Now like i said, I'm in the cwd area. Short answer, killing all the deer in this area won't stop it. Hasn't worked in any state that tried it. Cwd, bluetongue, madcow, scrappy, ehd. All the same spongeform. Desease, different stains. Just like different forms of cancer. Joe Bob down the Rd no longer dies of natural causes, some form of cancer. In our deer it's called NATURAL SELECTION. Ma nature at her finest. It will run its course, and we can't beat her. This desease has ALWAYS been here. We just have better ways to test for it now.
Youth hunt or whatever you call it. How many kids do you know, under 12, that could kill A deer without heated scent free elevated blinds, legal shooting vise's with big rifles, 400yd muzzleloaders, and or xbows. Actually hunting. Not many. What are we teaching by letting them do this?? And when they quit, hunting #s are declining. WHY?? They don't know how to hunt. It's too hard. Our fault, we let them do it.
I believe mi should have state wide regulations. #s down in your area?? Go elsewhere. Everyone has that rite. So much public ground in this state that all taxpayers have access to. EVERYONE has a place to hunt. SOME if not MOST just won't put in the effort. And before it's brought up, I hunt 100 percent public land. 30 years now.
I'm for one buck tag period. And a doe tag area of your choice. No public/private. Just an area. ALL DEER must be registered within 24hours of being killed. Once registered, another doe tag can be purchased for a specific area. So on and so on. ALL unused tags must be registered as not filled Before next year's tag may be purchased. If you buy it, it must be registered filled or unfilled.
Now the DNR has some accurate useful data to set areas and quotas for. Age structure of animals in said area, and they will have the opportunity to really examine the health of said deer in specific areas. Actual real data collected by real people who are getting paid by all of us for guessing, up to the point this happens.
I've hunted just about every county in our state. I am an archery hunter ONLY. I've hunted a dozen other states and provinces of Canada. I target bucks of mature age, not inches of antler. 4.5 and older. I am a trophy hunter, age and food for my family define what I consider a trophy. Strictly my choice. It's not for everyone. Nor should it be.
Do APRs work?? They can, but in my opinion. It promotes the killing of immature 8s, 10s, 12s allowing bucks of inferior genetics to continue breeding does. The does are going to be bred, happens every year no matter what. So why not make our firearm and muzzleloader seasons rite then when they are most vulnerable. So we can complain about the #s and age class. I get the reasoning behind it.
I've said enough, this is strictly my opinion, based on what I've seen and I believe. I will not nor have I ever made an apology for it. Will in no way argue about it. But I would like to continue this discussion. Lots of different views on alot of subjects. I think we all agree a change is a must for the future of hunting in mi. Thanks Dennis