BOB@BBT
06-30-2006, 03:40 PM
I plan on going to the July 6 meeting in Big Rapids. Anyone else planning on attending?
Here's the points I plan on presenting.
I. One buck per season license.
I am in favor of changing the buck rules so that a hunter is allowed one "any buck" tag for Archery season and one "any buck" tag for Firearms seasons. The Combo Tag would be eliminated.
While Prop G calls for scientific management, it is also true that the main purpose of hunting regulations is not to manage the game animals per se, but it is to manage and shape hunter behavior in order for hunters to harvest the particular animals the biologists want harvested and to not harvest the animals the biologists do not want harvested. Managing hunter behavior IS the science.
Many people still miss the point of what is wrong with the current Combo Tag. Some claim that since only 4.2% of all hunters shot two bucks last year (Table 8, page 30, 2005 harvest survey results HSR), that that number is too low to notice any real improvement in buck numbers or age structure if the rule was changed to one buck per season. But there's much more to read into the numbers. The number to focus on is that nearly 30% of hunters killed an antlered buck in 2005.
First, it isn't the 4% of all hunters killing two bucks that is the main issue. It's the 30% of all hunters killing the FIRST buck, knowing that they have a 2nd buck tag in their pocket that is the issue. This is especially true during the first 3 days of firearms season, when the bulk of the bucks in any year are killed. A hunter with two buck tags in his pocket, in any given season, has little incentive to pass a smaller buck and little incentive to harvest a doe, for filling a freezer. Typically, with two buck tags for any season, hunters will often shoot the first small buck they see, and only then think about shooting a doe and looking for a more mature buck. The first buck tag becomes almost a "mulligan" buck for many hunters and the second tag becomes a "re-do over" tag. And hunters with two buck tags are often more reluctant to shoot a doe early in the season, since they are still buck hunting, even after already killing one buck.
Second, there's an old saying that "10% of the fishermen catch 90% of the fish". This is the case with deer hunters also. A full 50% of Michigan's deer hunters are not what I'd call "serious deer hunters". They go to "deer camp" on November 14, have a couple beers, a couple bowls of chili, hunt for three days max and rarely or occassionally kill a buck. People need to get past that 4% number of hunters killing two bucks as being insignificant. It isn't merely 4 hunters out of 100 killing two bucks a year. Last year, roughly 195,000, or 30% of hunters killed one buck. But of those hunters that killed one buck, a full 1 out of every 7 of them, or 27,000, killed another buck, a second buck. The truth is, only about 300,000 of our hunters are doing the heavy lifting of managing our herd and killing lots of deer year after year. And it's these 300,000 that kill the most deer, year after year. It's the core 50% of serious hunters, who really do the bulk of the killing, that need tighter behavior management.
Third, 4% of bucks surviving is not a zero sum game. If a buck makes it past his first year, he becomes much more difficult for the average hunter to kill. Assuming that even 2% of those 4% survive the season every year, you don't just add 2% more bucks total. You add 4% more bucks in year two, 6% more bucks in year three, 8% more bucks in year four and 10% more bucks in year five. I believe that this is as much a reason why one buck states like Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky have so many mature bucks as anything else.
Fourth, the Restricted Combo tag is not protecting anymore yearling bucks than one "any buck" Archery tag and one "any buck" Firearms tag. After talking to deer processors, they claim that "well over 50%" of bucks that they have brought in with a Restricted Combo tag are merely yearling 4x2's, 4x3's and basket 4x4's. So the yearling buck class gets no reduction in pressure with the Combo Tag. In fact, one could argue that by the end of the season, MORE yearling bucks are killed as a result of the Combo Tag, since the bulk of the bucks, 63%, were killed during firearms season and the majority of those bucks are killed within the first 72 hours of the season.
Fifth, the deer hunter mindset can no longer be "buck-centric". Despite of what hunters may think, it is not a God given birthright of the Michigan deer hunter to be able to kill a yearling buck every year, let alone two in any season. I believe we're the only Midwestern state with such liberal buck rules. It once seemed that way, but hunters need to become aware that those days are over, and the rules should be made to reflect just that. This changing of the mindset needs to be solidified from the top MDNR leadership down, not from the bottom hunter up.
If you want hunters to pass more yearling bucks and be more apt to kill antlerless deer, then you cannot allow hunters to kill two bucks in any given season.
II. Antlerless Quota's in the southern region of the NWLP.
Since there has been a rule change requiring landowners to have 40 acres or more and a landowner phone number for proof of permission in order to buy an antlerless tag, along with a limit of 2 antlerless tags per hunter in the NLP, I see no reason to lower antlerless quota's in the southern tier of the NWLP. The problems that arose in some area's of the NWLP, with too many antlerless deer being killed, is a direct result of removing the minimum acreage requirement and tax ID number a few years ago. Now that that has been rectified, antlerless harvest in the NLP will settle to more responsible levels.
Had the rules remained status quo where there was no minimum acreage or even proof of private land required, it would have been my opinion that the southern tier of the NWLP would need the antlerless quota's cut in half. But now that we have the better rules, I believe quota's do not have to be reduced at all in counties such as Newaygo.
III. Antlerless tags as "stand alone" licenses.
Antlerless tags cannot remain stand alone licenses. This rule is one of the reasons that license revenue is declining. The reason is that too many private land hunters are buying only a cheaper antlerless tag to get them legally in the woods and only then buying the proper buck tag if they have a buck dead on the ground. Once the rules are changed to one Archery buck tag and one Firearm buck tag, the rules also need to be changed that you cannot be afield in the Archery season without first purchasing an Archery tag and you cannot be afield during Firearms season without first purchasing a Firearms tag. MDNR needs to check it's computer records to realize the numbers of people that come in to buy an antleress tag in August, but do not buy an Archery Tag or a Combo Tag until late in October or buy a Firearms tag ON Nov.15 or after the 15th. Not all, but many of these hunters are coming in only after they have killed a buck.
This loophole is as big a revenue loser for MDNR as loss of hunters due to aging. Most neighboring states require hunters to also buy a General Hunting license, along with their actual deer hunting license. No state that I am aware of allows hunters to be legally deer hunting for a mere $10.
This rule will not cause any reduction in antlerless tag sales or antlerless harvest.
Here's the points I plan on presenting.
I. One buck per season license.
I am in favor of changing the buck rules so that a hunter is allowed one "any buck" tag for Archery season and one "any buck" tag for Firearms seasons. The Combo Tag would be eliminated.
While Prop G calls for scientific management, it is also true that the main purpose of hunting regulations is not to manage the game animals per se, but it is to manage and shape hunter behavior in order for hunters to harvest the particular animals the biologists want harvested and to not harvest the animals the biologists do not want harvested. Managing hunter behavior IS the science.
Many people still miss the point of what is wrong with the current Combo Tag. Some claim that since only 4.2% of all hunters shot two bucks last year (Table 8, page 30, 2005 harvest survey results HSR), that that number is too low to notice any real improvement in buck numbers or age structure if the rule was changed to one buck per season. But there's much more to read into the numbers. The number to focus on is that nearly 30% of hunters killed an antlered buck in 2005.
First, it isn't the 4% of all hunters killing two bucks that is the main issue. It's the 30% of all hunters killing the FIRST buck, knowing that they have a 2nd buck tag in their pocket that is the issue. This is especially true during the first 3 days of firearms season, when the bulk of the bucks in any year are killed. A hunter with two buck tags in his pocket, in any given season, has little incentive to pass a smaller buck and little incentive to harvest a doe, for filling a freezer. Typically, with two buck tags for any season, hunters will often shoot the first small buck they see, and only then think about shooting a doe and looking for a more mature buck. The first buck tag becomes almost a "mulligan" buck for many hunters and the second tag becomes a "re-do over" tag. And hunters with two buck tags are often more reluctant to shoot a doe early in the season, since they are still buck hunting, even after already killing one buck.
Second, there's an old saying that "10% of the fishermen catch 90% of the fish". This is the case with deer hunters also. A full 50% of Michigan's deer hunters are not what I'd call "serious deer hunters". They go to "deer camp" on November 14, have a couple beers, a couple bowls of chili, hunt for three days max and rarely or occassionally kill a buck. People need to get past that 4% number of hunters killing two bucks as being insignificant. It isn't merely 4 hunters out of 100 killing two bucks a year. Last year, roughly 195,000, or 30% of hunters killed one buck. But of those hunters that killed one buck, a full 1 out of every 7 of them, or 27,000, killed another buck, a second buck. The truth is, only about 300,000 of our hunters are doing the heavy lifting of managing our herd and killing lots of deer year after year. And it's these 300,000 that kill the most deer, year after year. It's the core 50% of serious hunters, who really do the bulk of the killing, that need tighter behavior management.
Third, 4% of bucks surviving is not a zero sum game. If a buck makes it past his first year, he becomes much more difficult for the average hunter to kill. Assuming that even 2% of those 4% survive the season every year, you don't just add 2% more bucks total. You add 4% more bucks in year two, 6% more bucks in year three, 8% more bucks in year four and 10% more bucks in year five. I believe that this is as much a reason why one buck states like Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky have so many mature bucks as anything else.
Fourth, the Restricted Combo tag is not protecting anymore yearling bucks than one "any buck" Archery tag and one "any buck" Firearms tag. After talking to deer processors, they claim that "well over 50%" of bucks that they have brought in with a Restricted Combo tag are merely yearling 4x2's, 4x3's and basket 4x4's. So the yearling buck class gets no reduction in pressure with the Combo Tag. In fact, one could argue that by the end of the season, MORE yearling bucks are killed as a result of the Combo Tag, since the bulk of the bucks, 63%, were killed during firearms season and the majority of those bucks are killed within the first 72 hours of the season.
Fifth, the deer hunter mindset can no longer be "buck-centric". Despite of what hunters may think, it is not a God given birthright of the Michigan deer hunter to be able to kill a yearling buck every year, let alone two in any season. I believe we're the only Midwestern state with such liberal buck rules. It once seemed that way, but hunters need to become aware that those days are over, and the rules should be made to reflect just that. This changing of the mindset needs to be solidified from the top MDNR leadership down, not from the bottom hunter up.
If you want hunters to pass more yearling bucks and be more apt to kill antlerless deer, then you cannot allow hunters to kill two bucks in any given season.
II. Antlerless Quota's in the southern region of the NWLP.
Since there has been a rule change requiring landowners to have 40 acres or more and a landowner phone number for proof of permission in order to buy an antlerless tag, along with a limit of 2 antlerless tags per hunter in the NLP, I see no reason to lower antlerless quota's in the southern tier of the NWLP. The problems that arose in some area's of the NWLP, with too many antlerless deer being killed, is a direct result of removing the minimum acreage requirement and tax ID number a few years ago. Now that that has been rectified, antlerless harvest in the NLP will settle to more responsible levels.
Had the rules remained status quo where there was no minimum acreage or even proof of private land required, it would have been my opinion that the southern tier of the NWLP would need the antlerless quota's cut in half. But now that we have the better rules, I believe quota's do not have to be reduced at all in counties such as Newaygo.
III. Antlerless tags as "stand alone" licenses.
Antlerless tags cannot remain stand alone licenses. This rule is one of the reasons that license revenue is declining. The reason is that too many private land hunters are buying only a cheaper antlerless tag to get them legally in the woods and only then buying the proper buck tag if they have a buck dead on the ground. Once the rules are changed to one Archery buck tag and one Firearm buck tag, the rules also need to be changed that you cannot be afield in the Archery season without first purchasing an Archery tag and you cannot be afield during Firearms season without first purchasing a Firearms tag. MDNR needs to check it's computer records to realize the numbers of people that come in to buy an antleress tag in August, but do not buy an Archery Tag or a Combo Tag until late in October or buy a Firearms tag ON Nov.15 or after the 15th. Not all, but many of these hunters are coming in only after they have killed a buck.
This loophole is as big a revenue loser for MDNR as loss of hunters due to aging. Most neighboring states require hunters to also buy a General Hunting license, along with their actual deer hunting license. No state that I am aware of allows hunters to be legally deer hunting for a mere $10.
This rule will not cause any reduction in antlerless tag sales or antlerless harvest.