MI has so many different types of areas and they are all different. I live in West Central, I have a house in the eastern UP(Drummond island), and a camp in western lower UP(faithhorn). While that isn't every area, I can and do understand different people's concerns.
I belong to different hunting clubs, I'm on the board of one sportsman club, I attend meetings when possible. Most meetings end up just like this thread. I believe this is a discussion about APRs to begin with other topics involved that do relate. Others have viewed it as an argument amongst ourselves. Some will see it as a waste of time. If keeping these threads going open the eyes of only one person, or let's someone see another side of things. Educates another about unseen or unthought of issues. Then the time isn't wasted, the issues are not going to just go away. Write letters, go to meetings, talk to people, join clubs, organizations, associations, or many other options. It's not your opinion or choice that is most important. More than anything it's your involvement. Numbers are what matters. In MI, if we could get even half of the hunters to come together and just agree there NEEDS to be a change. Just come together. We would not be stopped, our numbers are so large we couldn't be voted down. We have an army of hunters here. Together we can be strong. Until that happens, things will change the way they want it to.
There isn't a solution that everyone will agree on, every one of us will lose something to gain something. Nobody will have it the exact way they want it. It will be a give and take. But without coming together, it will continue on the way it is. I think we do agree that isn't what anyone wants. And that is state wide.
Don't change anything next year. But add mandatory registration for all tags purchased. Check-in at private volunteer business's. Brings revenue to them for their time. And above all else, it will give actual data, real numbers, fact's instead of guesses and incomplete information. That can be used to make educated choices based on real information. Doesn't matter your stand or opinion, for once it will be real factual information... I think that is the place to start.
Thanks for reading.
Dennis