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Regional Deer Advisory Teams Formed in Michigan

February 21st, 2012

Back in 2008, MUCC went to the DNR with a proposal to bring deer management to the forefront by undergoing a planning process with stakeholders and the public. We kicked things off with a Deer Management Symposium and heard a lot of great presentations from in and out of state wildlife experts (email muccpolicy@mucc.org if you want to see any of those presentations). In early 2009, MUCC and the DNR held public scoping meetings around the state to gather thoughts from hunters, landowners, organizations, and the general public on the issues we should tackle and formed a statewide Deer Management Advisory Team that met several times to develop goals and objectives for white-tails in Michigan. The DNR did another round of input meetings in 2010 to get public comments on the draft report and hired MSU to do a survey of the public. Ultimately, what resulted was a well thought out strategic Michigan Deer Management Plan (approved by the DNR Director in May 2010)….which says very little about annual deer regulations and the operations of the DNR in relation to deer management.

But that is OK, because the next step was to form Regional Deer Advisory Teams (RDAT) that would help guide the DNR in bringing those strategic goals and objectives down to ground level. After about 18 months of anticipation, these teams have finally all met for the first time this winter.

Each RDAT (divided by the regional deer hunting zones 1-3) will hold an annual winter (post-deer season) meeting for discussion, information-sharing, and identification of priority issues or program areas for assessment as well as an annual summer (pre-deer season) meeting for finalization of input or recommendations. Members of the public are welcome to attend the meeting as observers, although the meeting is not open for public comment.  Questions and comments from the public will only be taken if time permits.

This structure and process is very similar in nature to the Michigan Citizen’s Waterfowl Advisory Committee, which has been working effectively since the 1980′s in engaging hunters in setting season dates, bag limits, and addressing other waterfowl management issues. RDAT members will also share in the education and communications process, including attending future public open houses to listen to the public’s view of deer management in their region. Each RDAT will be co-chaired by a DNR Wildlife Division staff member as well as a RDAT team member elected by the team.

MSU and the DNR jointly administer a website to bring together lots of good Michigan white-tailed deer information, while there you can also check out the link below to see who is appointed to serve on the RDATs in each of the three regions as well as some of the public input they have received so far and share your own: http://deer.fw.msu.edu/involved/deerteam.php/

Stay tuned for our first impressions on the meetings as well as other deer hunting and harvest information in the coming weeks and months as we delve in further to the deer management and regulation setting process here in Michigan.

In the meantime, please share your thoughts on the kinds of deer related information you would like to see MUCC provide in future blogs.

  • Kasey Thren

    I would like to see it allowed the use of minerals or some other natural supplement for the deer during their stress periods of December -to spring green up. This is when they really need that vitamin (sort of speak) to help with their digestive systems and allow them to reach their full potential. With proper education and possibly getting a permit to do so, this would really help the health of the herd, and I believe it would make hunters happier in the long run, if that’s possible.

  • http://rork.myopenid.com/ rork

    Thankyou for this article.

    Future: Maybe interview land or deer managers from Ohio or Pennsylvania, or review how things are going there. Tell us if MUCC is collecting any data, or doing any science, or if we helping to fund any science or habitat work by DNRE.

    Not so deer related: Try to help launch “adopt a 40″ initiatives for our public lands. Stand in favor of $5 per car per year (every car) registration to fund DNRE.

  • Mcnameegd2

    We have had a regional Deer advisory group in the U.P. for two years and they have met twice….That’s progress?

  • Badazztonk

    In Lake County, people shoot the first buck they see, the result, a three year old buck is a grampa. If there was a one buck a year limit, I think some guys might pass on a spike or four point.

  • Fred

    Shorting the gun season to a seven days only and not having it at the same time as the rut will help GREATLY. Look what Illinois does for their gun season! I’ts a 3 day season in Nov. and a 4 day season in Dec. and you see the bucks they produce!

  • Tarlington

    I would like to attend a meeting. Are Dates set ?

    • Amy Trotter

      Future dates have not been set yet, but now that we know they are open to the public we will get them out as soon as we know them.

  • Fredtebbets

    I have been hunting in Missaukee county Dead Stream Swamp area (between the Addis Creek & Dead Stream ) since 1960 & have missed only 2 seasons for rifle &/or muzzle loading. The 60′s through the early 80′s were very good years. Starting in the 90′s the deer sightings started to really go down.
    The deterioration in the deer herd over the last 12-15 years is pitiful. We use to see multiple deer every day & it was encouraging to wait for a buck. I probably spend a total of 10 days a year in these woods. Over the last 3 seasons (22 full days) I have only seen 16 deer while hunting/setting in blinds from sun up until sun down. The only thing we see are beavers & squirrels. In the 2010 rifle season I didn’t see one deer during the 6 days I hunted, again sitting in my blind from sun up to sun down each day! During the muzzle loading season I only saw 3 deer. I hunt with 15 other hunters in this area & all of us are experiencing the same conditions. Oh and by the way none of us ever take a doe! There are very few hunters that even come into the area any longer even though the roads/2tracks are in very good shape.
    The DNR/Forestry service has been select cutting plots of high ground non-cedar trees over the last 10 years for the timber. It has not helped improve the deer population in any way. Prior to that they had high ground areas cut leaving the timber lay on the ground. This ruined those high ground hunting areas & again did nothing to improve the herd.
    While I cannot prove the following statements I agree with other hunter observations that:

    1. Poaching is completely un-checked especially around the near buy public roads, farms, cabins, etc. But who’s watching?I’m sure the poor economy is contributing to some of this.
    2. Baiting at the above locations is anything but controlled.
    3. The coyotes populations are growing every year. You can hear them running at night probably chasing deer.
    4. Have not seen a DNR officer in the area in over 10 years.
    5. The hunters you do see come in are road hunters driving around in trucks up & down the 2-tracks, pipelines, etc.
    Anyone & everyone we talk to in the small towns like Moorestown, are saying the same thing….where have the deer gone.

    Recommendations:
    1. stop the Doe permits for at least 5-years.
    2. Put bounties on coyotes.
    3. If you don’t have enough DNR officers try a volunteer group to assist in patrols of territories. Maybe the volunteers could work the offices, handle calls, process paper work or other non-patrol activates to free up the actual officers to do more patrols. There are a lot of retired hunters out there that would be glad to help in this effort.
    4. Stop the baiting, period! Where is it said that Michigan hunters are so bad at hunting that they need to bait to see/get deer? Is it really necessary to bait deer in onlt to be slaughtered by lazy hunters? Is that really a true sportsmans technique that needs to be used. We have never baited for deer & never will. Hunting has only gotten worse since baiting was legalized especially during gun season!

  • Captdoug69

    I will monitor this close. I am in the North East part of the State that is trying to kill all the deer because of BOVINE TB. This is a cattle and farming problem not a hunting problem!!!!!! The Farm Bureau is powerful and lobbying to make it a deer problem. The deer wouldn’t be spreading it if the cattle hadn’t started this problem. The meat cooked properly dosen’t effect anything. Also how many years have they been trying to kill all the deer in this area? Thank goodness local hunter’s are concerned what wiping out the local deer herd would mean to their sport, freezers and economy. They are NOT buying it. It hasen’t worked yet. If farming wants to help with this problem let them put their land in the State open access program that let’s hunter’s hunt their property. The State even will lease their land for hunter’s to hunt on.

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