Bye Bye baiting in SLP of MI
 

It's gone:) Yes I am happy, but I do feel the farmers got screwed this year, but I guess that is life.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 10, 2008


Contact: Mary Dettloff 517-335-3014

Natural Resources Commission Approves Deer Baiting and Feeding Ban for Lower Peninsula


The Natural Resources Commission on Thursday voted unanimously to approve a permanent ban on deer and elk baiting and feeding in the Lower Peninsula.

Department of Natural Resources Director Rebecca Humphries issued an interim order placing an immediate ban on baiting and feeding on Aug. 26, after a captive deer from a privately owned facility tested positive for chronic wasting disease. Humphries’ order, as prescribed by the state’s CWD emergency response plan adopted in 2002, would have expired Feb. 26, 2009, but the NRC action removes the expiration date and makes the ban permanent.

Additionally, the NRC approved orders that require hunters who take a deer in the nine townships that comprise the CWD Surveillance Zone in northern Kent County to come to a DNR deer check station. The orders also regulate the movement of carcasses from the Surveillance Zone and give replacement kill tags to any hunter who presents a deer at a check station that shows signs of CWD.

The NRC action is just the latest effort in a campaign designed to prevent the spread of CWD, an always fatal neurological disease of deer, elk and moose.

Since Sept. 1, DNR conservation officers have issued 102 tickets for illegal deer and elk baiting in the Lower Peninsula.

“There has been talk that we weren’t going to be able to enforce this baiting ban in the Lower Peninsula, but the number of tickets we have issued so far shows that we are very serious about enforcement of the ban,” said Humphries. “Our primary goal is to protect the health of our wild white-tailed deer and elk populations. Stopping CWD from becoming established in our wild deer and elk is our top priority.”

“We appreciate the hunters who have abided by the ban and are no longer baiting,” Humphries added. “Protecting the resource --white-tailed deer and elk -- should be everyone’s priority.”

The DNR’s Law Enforcement Division reported that in a period from Sept. 22 to Oct. 5, 34.6 percent of the calls to the Report All Poaching (RAP) hotline concerned illegal baiting. Last year during a similar time frame, baiting complaints made up only 11.3 percent of the RAP hotline calls. While there was no baiting and feeding ban in 2007, the complaints last year would have related to over-baiting or baiting in the Bovine Tuberculosis zone in northeast Lower Michigan.
“We are encouraged that sportsmen and women are taking part in this initiative,” Humphries said. “We appreciate them taking the health of our deer herd as seriously as we do.”

Since the CWD-positive deer was discovered, the DNR has tested 1,095 deer statewide; of those, 964 tested negative with the remaining 131 tests are pending.

The DNR is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state's natural resources for current and future generations.[/align]

RE: Bye Bye baiting in SLP of MI
 

Wow, that didn't take long. I figured it would happen, but not till the winter. Wonder how long the U.P. is going to hang on.

RE: Bye Bye baiting in SLP of MI
 

:D I'm happy too. Although I wouldn't say baiting is gone, it's just illegal now. You've hunted the TB area so you know what that means.

RE: Bye Bye baiting in SLP of MI
 

God forbid they might have to actually hunt for a deer.[:o]
Just think land owners planting apple & pear trees .trimming up some oaks & cutting down some maple.Natural food sources what a concept.:eek:

Now if they could tear the deer pens down MI might just be on to something.[:-]

RE: Bye Bye baiting in SLP of MI
 

That's right. The deer are still eating. Find their favorite restaurant and "get er done"!

RE: Bye Bye baiting in SLP of MI
 

Good luck. Baiting has been illegal in Minnesota for decades, or they've had laws on the books for that long and its a rampant problem across the state. Having something legal and regulated and then making it illegal becomes all that much worse to enforce - ala prohibition of alcohol.

RE: Bye Bye baiting in SLP of MI
 

I see bait getting sold all over though, loopholes, people are still buying it and puting it out![:o]

RE: Bye Bye baiting in SLP of MI
 

Come on Wisconsin do the same for the Northern half of the state.

RE: Bye Bye baiting in SLP of MI
 

Half of the guys i talked to said their still baiting.

One thing i disagree about this is Salt Blocks and Mineral Blocks...They really need the nutrition in the spring and summer. What do you guys think?

RE: Bye Bye baiting in SLP of MI
 

You couldnt bait in the spring and summer before, only from Oct 1 to Jan 1.

The purpose of the ban was to help stop the spread of cwd, salt blocks are just as bad or worse than bait at bringing deer nose to nose and such. Any type of block was illegal also unless it was 10' by 10', and that would be an expensive mineral block!