RE: DNR
Honestly, I hate to say it, but the Michigan DNR is bordering on negligence! A total ban on baiting--for hunting or recreational viewing--ofdeer in the lower part of the Stateafter ONE CAPTIVE deer tested positive for CWD is ridiculous. This decision was made rather hastily with little regard for businesses, which havesuffered immensely as a result of this ban. One local business alone estimated its lost $750,000 due to the ban. The banhas the potential to effectevery Michiganresident who possibly faces a rise in insurance premiums due to the potentialincrease in deer related auto accidents, all because of one farm raised deer.
Subsequently, over 1,000 deer have been tested, and not one deer in the wild herd has tested positive. Obviously, CWD is nothing to play around with, and measures need to be taken to protect Michigan’s deer herd; however, those measures should be based on sound scientific data and research, rather than impulses with little evidence to support them.