| Michigan's State Chapter |
| Quality Deer Management Association |
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| President's Message As this latest message from our state chapter finds you, we have had a couple months to reflect on the 2010 deer season and begin to plan our strategies for the upcoming year. For me this will be known as the year of “missed opportunity”. I had close archery encounters this year with 5 different P&Y bucks and this was all in Michigan! The largest being a split brow tine 13 pt that I watched bedded with a doe for over an hour before I hit a limb on a 28 yard shot. This is my definition of “hunter opportunity”. These bucks were running around on 3 separate tracts that I either own or lease and all are by definition “small parcels”. I personally experienced a longer, but less intensive rut than normal and believe that the early harvest moon and corn harvest this year contributed to the number of 2.5 yr old and older bucks being witnessed and harvested by the sportsmen of Michigan this year. I also believe that we are starting to benefit from all of the hard work and investment in education and the commitment to developing cooperatives in our state. We are making a difference….. I had the distinct honor recently to award one of the three winners of the “Pure Michigan Hunt” with a Cross-bow and herd monitoring kit donated by our QDMA State Chapter and Litchfield Outdoors. The award presentation was conducted at the February Natural Resource Commission meeting and demonstrates our commitment to working with the DNR and ensuring the future of hunting in Michigan. As many of you know, this time of year is also tradeshow season for our organization. We have already wrapped up the Grand Rapids Huntin Time Expo where we enlisted 24 new members and talked to hundreds of folks about Quality Deer Management. We need to extend a special thanks to the West Central Branch for all of their hard work and for hosting the event. We have upcoming shows in Lansing, Novi, and Traverse City in the coming weeks and hope to see everyone in attendance and visiting our booth to share your experiences. Please contact your branch president if you are able to volunteer to help support one of these shows or any other initiative that your branch or our state chapter is involved in. Remember, we are an organization of volunteers serving a great cause. Your state chapter continues to work hard on many fronts and it is important that each and every member is aware of these initiatives and understands how important it is that we receive your input and ultimately your support. At the end of the day it is imperative that we represent QDM as a single voice with adopted positions that are based on the best scientific data available and that are ultimately in the best interest of our valuable resources. Here are a few examples of issues that we have and continue to work on: • We supported the DNR last fall on an initiative to reduce TB prevalence in Northeast Michigan where the progress had reached a standstill. As you read through the Turtle Lake Club winter health check article you will see how important it is to improve herd health to combat the disease and we felt as though the mandatory AR’s that the DNR proposed would help focus hunter efforts toward doe harvest. By doing so, we can achieve population goals and bring them in line with the available habitat. At the same time this approach would improve buck to doe ratios and result in more bucks reaching at least 2.5 yrs old which would reduce stress on bucks and ultimately improve their health. Instead the NRC commission adopted “Hunters Choice” (Choice of Combo tag with 3 pt and 4 pt restrictions or a single buck tag with no restriction) for the 6 county area, which will accomplish much of the desired result, but likely at a slower pace. • Supporting the DNR’s Pheasant Restoration Initiative. We are working with MUCC, Pheasants Forever, and the DNR to formulate a strategy to start coops that will result in more native habitat in Southern Michigan for pheasants and other wildlife, such as white-tailed deer that use the same habitat. • Huron-Manistee Forest Lawsuit. We have banded together with other conservation organizations to do everything in our power to keep threatened federal hunting land available to all of those who enjoy it. • Current Baiting Ban in Southern Michigan. It has been 3 years since the first deer was found with CWD and the implementation of the subsequent baiting ban. The DNR’s plan called for a three year ban and then an evaluation would occur. We anticipate that this will become a hot topic in the days ahead and we are monitoring it closely. As you can see there is quite a bit of activity related to the white-tailed deer these days in Michigan. It is refreshing to see that there is a willingness to bring change to our state and that it is not all initiated by the QDMA. Dr. Russ Mason and his team at the DNR have taken bold steps to do what is in the best interest of the resource and he has clearly demonstrated recently that they are willing to avoid the easy road when it comes to decisions relative to achieving wildlife goals. I am very encouraged with the direction that we are headed with regard to deer management here in Michigan and look forward to many more “hunter opportunities” in the years ahead. |