Anyone paying attention to Michigan?

[Flat Range]

Southern Michigan is absolutely polluted with does

Michigan doesn't have deer.

 

[Scandiacus]

Michigan doesn't have deer.

Where have you been looking for them? In the lakes?

 

[Flat Range]

Where have you been looking for them? In the lakes?

I was being sarcastic.

If you ask the other guys on here, there's no deer in Michigan. Or whatever they were saying. Something about not seeing any in their normal public land honey holes so that means there are none? Idfk.

 

[86indy]

I can only really hope it’s biologist driven from the recent changes in deer harvest reporting.

Friends and I had always had talked about the earn a buck system. In my area it would be beneficial on private land. Last year in a 1/2 mile radius or so I know 5 bucks were taken and only one doe. I don’t know everyone in the area but it’s a common theme.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Scandiacus]

I was being sarcastic.

If you ask the other guys on here, there's no deer in Michigan. Or whatever they were saying. Something about not seeing any in their normal public land honey holes so that means there are none? Idfk.

Haha- So was I.

Yeah, seems like it never occurs to some people that deer populations aren't uniform across the state, and that their own experiences aren't necessarily representative of the average.

 

[craigrh13]

Are you saying that everything you outlined in the initial post is happening, except that the changes to gun season dates will happen in 2027? Do you have an inside source for that?

I can't say will happen. I can say looks very good. I'll leave it at that.

 

[dårlig jeger]

Definitely tracks for Michigan- down staters telling everyone else how it is

 

[Flat Range]

Definitely tracks for Michigan- down staters telling everyone else how it is

Tracks for someone from up north. Y'all shot all the fork horns and need someone to blame I suppose.

 

[dårlig jeger]

Tracks for someone from up north. Y'all shot all the fork horns and need someone to blame I suppose.

I'd shoot a fork if I ever saw one. Just spikes and buttons up here.

But please, tell me more about your urban ag deer herds. I can fill my freezer with your tales of excess.

 

[Flat Range]

But please, tell me more about your urban ag deer herds.

No urban here. Like I said previously, I hunt north of US10.

I can fill my freezer with your tales of excess.

The sad part, is you probably could. Know why you never will, because of the following:

I'd shoot a fork if I ever saw one. Just spikes and buttons up here.

That right there is the problem. You know a buck can't get to 8 points when you shoot him with 4, right?


Now, I will caveat all of that by saying, I am strictly talking Central to NLP. There are things happening in the UP that I truly believe are out of control. I don't hunt in the UP and don't know enough to talk on it.

Do I believe Michigan UP and LP should be treated the same via policy and regulations? Absolutely not.

If you're in the UP hunting, then this isn't meant for you. But if you are, the last people you should be arguing with are hunters from the LP. Different worlds.

 

[Flat Range]

I can't say will happen. I can say looks very good. I'll leave it at that.

Spill the beans, my guy.

 

[KnightExtreme]

Also looks like you won't be able to Buy a Single Buck License Only but a Combo which is still only Good for 1 Buck and 1 Antlerless so MI NRC will get some free Dollars again (Base License) as some won't use the antlerless license but will have to Buy 1 Anyway! Some I know aren't willing to use an antlerless after some used them and deer number dropped where they hunt. (They will never use an antlerless license by hunter's choice)
KE

 

[Netherman]

I do not support this push for OBR or reduced hunting seasons. For context, I hunt SE MI and the Lake Superior shoreline. One of the things I value most about hunting in Michigan is the abundance of opportunity available to all hunters. I would hate to see those opportunities restricted for reasons not directly tied to the biological health of the deer herd.

To me all of these changes are about hunter experience and trading opportunity for bigger bucks. The stigma of being a “trophy hunter” has the OBR/APR advocates playing all sorts of mental gymnastics to justify rules to put bigger bucks on the landscape, but when you boil it down, they want to shoot a better scoring buck than they are currently able. Personally, I don’t want to trade opportunity for bigger bucks and don’t believe I owe anyone a booner. What’s the progression if they still can’t shoot a 160, 180, or 200+ class buck? One buck every other year, 100 tag cap on bucks, or only private landowners can shoot bucks? I’m being facetious here, but that’s where this argument leads when taken to the extreme.

 

[Scandiacus]

I do not support this push for OBR or reduced hunting seasons. For context, I hunt SE MI and the Lake Superior shoreline. One of the things I value most about hunting in Michigan is the abundance of opportunity available to all hunters. I would hate to see those opportunities restricted for reasons not directly tied to the biological health of the deer herd.

To me all of these changes are about hunter experience and trading opportunity for bigger bucks. The stigma of being a “trophy hunter” has the OBR/APR advocates playing all sorts of mental gymnastics to justify rules to put bigger bucks on the landscape, but when you boil it down, they want to shoot a better scoring buck than they are currently able. Personally, I don’t want to trade opportunity for bigger bucks and don’t believe I owe anyone a booner. What’s the progression if they still can’t shoot a 160, 180, or 200+ class buck? One buck every other year, 100 tag cap on bucks, or only private landowners can shoot bucks? I’m being facetious here, but that’s where this argument leads when taken to the extreme.

You put it really well. The antler-crazed hunters aren't trying to compromise with the rest of us, they're trying to force their preferences on everyone. I'm ambivalent toward OBR, and I support eliminating the straight wall zone. But APRs and shorter seasons kill the deal for me.

 

[Steve O]

The point very few of the vocal private land southern Michigan hunters fail to realize is their “problem” of being over run with does is because nobody else can get to them. The policies that help them will continue to erode the other 75% of the state. It’s been well proven that MI public land deer hunters will shoot anything and everything they can.

Yes there are still too many hunters, but they are not on your well managed private utopias and it is sad that those with such a narrow view can drive policy.

 

[CMP70306]

I just built a 350L to explore zone 3 more. Figures. Hard to believe full blown centerfires are now “safe” down state…

Who the heck came up with any rifle for the southern zone. These people have any idea how far a rifle bullet can travel. Guess I can start using my 358 Norma mag or my 270 Weatherby mag around Lapeer. Unbelievable!

There's little difference between a bullet going 3,000 fps and one going 2,250 fps? I'm actually curious and not trying to be an ass. Why?

The whole “shotguns/straightwalls are safer than rifles” is based solely on how far they fly when shot into the air. That’s it and in the populated areas with small properties the difference between flying 2000 yards and 6000 yards is rather irrelevant as it could still hit a house/person either way. I hunt in one of the least populated counties in PA and I still can’t get more than 900 yards from a house on the properties we hunt.

In reality those big heavy slugs are significantly more likely to ricochet when hitting the ground. My 45-70 will skip bullets off a 45 degree dirt backstop while my centerfires never skip with hunting ammo. Now shooting on flat ground at a slight downward angle those high velocity centerfires are going to hit the ground and break apart on impact. Those slow moving heavy bullets are going to hit, tumble and skip their way across the ground wherever they please.

 

[BR549]

Other than eliminating the SWC zone there's nothing new there, just more of the same.
As long as the DNR worships the TV / YouTube watching "biggest buck in the world" clowns, this is what we'll get.

 

[craigrh13]

I can say the number 1 reason all of this is coming into fruition is 80% of hunters aren't shooting a doe. The state has tried to pull every lever they have and nothing is changing. The only thing they haven't done is pull the second tag. I've been very successful but I have great land. I have no problems giving up my second tag personally. Indiana hunters pushed back as well when OBR was introduced. Over time though the benefits started to show and I guarantee you that you wouldn't ever convince them to go back to 2 bucks.

 

[Steve O]

I can say the number 1 reason all of this is coming into fruition is 80% of hunters aren't shooting a doe. The state has tried to pull every lever they have and nothing is changing. The only thing they haven't done is pull the second tag. I've been very successful but I have great land. I have no problems giving up my second tag personally. Indiana hunters pushed back as well when OBR was introduced. Over time though the benefits started to show and I guarantee you that you wouldn't ever convince them to go back to 2 bucks.

80% of the hunters that “have great land” are not “shooting a doe” is how that actually should read.

The vast majority of the rest of Michigan deer hunters are still in the typical “if it’s brown it’s down” mindset and execution. I may hunt 90% of my time in other states and countries but still have hundreds of good friends and family hunting 90-100% of the time here. Very few “have great land” to hunt here and are certainly not the ones pushing for more deer to be taken or for less season to be utilized.

You guys that “have been very successful” because they “have great land” should spend a season hunting public land “up north” to see what the real world is like, not your cultivated utopia.

Please don’t take this as a person attack I’m just trying to illustrate my point and yours was the newest reply.

 

[craigrh13]

80% of the hunters that “have great land” are not “shooting a doe” is how that actually should read.

The vast majority of the rest of Michigan deer hunters are still in the typical “if it’s brown it’s down” mindset and execution. I may hunt 90% of my time in other states and countries but still have hundreds of good friends and family hunting 90-100% of the time here. Very few “have great land” to hunt here and are certainly not the ones pushing for more deer to be taken or for less season to be utilized.

You guys that “have been very successful” because they “have great land” should spend a season hunting public land “up north” to see what the real world is like, not your cultivated utopia.

Please don’t take this as a person attack I’m just trying to illustrate my point and yours was the newest reply.

The idea that 80% of hunters hunt land where a doe shouldn't be taken is not remotely true. 90% of the deer harvest comes off private land. While only 20% of hunters shoot a doe 35% of hunters shoot a buck. This whole don't shoot the does thing still runs strong in Michigan. Even the UP can afford to shoot does as the land itself cannot support the current deer population without supplemental feeding.

In DNR hunter surveys the lowest scoring metric was size of antlers taken, the second lowest metric was number of antlered deer seen. So hunters here are overwhelmingly not happy with the buck hunting but still do their best to shoot 2 bucks a year. wild.