gurn
04-14-2011, 05:46 PM
The letter my boy sent to the Michigan Governor concerning the CWD bait ban put in place ah few years ago, from his Traditional Hunter / Biologist
point ah view.
Ever since the days of President Theodore Roosevelt, individuals with a passion for wildlife have dedicated their lives to protecting and improving the sustainability of the very species they so greatly enjoyed harvesting. From the simple act of purchasing a hunting license to devoting one’s academic and professional life to conservation, hunters, as a whole, have committed more time and dollars to protecting the wildlife we all enjoy than any other interest group to date. This endeavor, from day one, has been challenged by political opinions, social trends and even bickering conservationists. First and foremost, I would like to urge you, as a resource manager, to wholly consider your position as a public servant and acknowledge your obligation to use “the best science available” to uphold the Public Trust Doctrine.
SCIENCE
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). The baiting ban was put in place due to an incident where a farm raised white-tailed deer in Kent County, Michigan tested positive for CWD. Because of this, the state’s CWD response plan was executed; triggering a string of previously determined measures to help minimize the potential spread of this disease, which included a ban on all baiting in the Lower Peninsula. Shortly after this ban took effect, the Wildlife Division of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) spent thousands of dollars, during a time of limited funding, to conduct a study with the primary goal of determining whether or not CWD had infected the wild or captive white-tailed deer population, and if so to what degree. After statistically significant sampling (over 32,500 white-tailed deer tested to date), no wild or captive cervids were found to be infected with CWD. The “best science available” was utilized, and test results clearly concluded that the disease had not infected Michigan’s white-tailed deer herd. It is the responsibility of the Wildlife Division of the MDNR and the Natural Resources Commission (NRC) to act on these highly expensive and conclusive test results. As public servants and state resource managers, you are obligated to make decisions using the “best science available” to protect Michigan’s ecosystem. Every decision made, small or large, should be evaluated, heavily considering the public trust. Test results clearly concluded that CWD is not threatening the sustainability of the white-tailed deer population in Michigan, thus the precautionary measures associated with the CWD response plan are no longer needed at this time.
Population Density. An actual threat to Michigan’s white-tailed deer herd is population density. Various studies have shown that the white-tailed deer population is at a dangerously high level and expanding each year. High population density within any species can lead to disease outbreaks. The “best science available” is pointing to a reduction in the white-tailed deer population, not a ban on baiting. With that said; how can the Wildlife Division of the MDNR and the NRC support a baiting ban, with little to no hard scientific backing, that limits a hunter’s ability to harvest a deer for his/her freezer, but more importantly decreases the expanding white-tailed deer population? There are many alternatives, and all must be considered when deciding how to manage wildlife. I urge you to think beyond the status quo and consider all options to maintain a “healthy” white-tailed deer population.
Quality Deer Management (QDM). Beyond population density, buck to doe ratio is another good indicator of the “health” of a white-tailed deer herd. The state of Michigan specifically, does not currently have an ideal ratio. QDM practices are widely accepted in hunting forums and promoted by the MDNR, evident by the recent changes in antlered deer license policies in the Upper Peninsula. Eliminating baiting has and will only worsen this ratio. The longer a hunter has to look a deer over, the better chance he/she has of identifying if it is the deer they really wish to harvest. Without bait, may times a hunter will only get a passing shot at an animal as it crosses through an opening. Spreading an “acceptable” amount of bait allows a hunter to drawn deer in range and keeps them in an area longer. The average hunter needs more than a passing glance to identify a “button buck” from a yearling doe or a mature buck from an immature animal. Baiting is obviously not the only way to close the gap between bucks and does, but without it, the herd could potentially head in the wrong direction.
ART
Elite Hunter Mentality. Baiting has been a tradition of numerous Michigan hunters. The baiting ban has essentially made these hunters criminals. I am an avid traditional bow hunter and do not use bait but know many other hunters who, prior to the baiting ban, heavily relied on baiting to aid in harvesting an animal. I also know several hunters who despise baiting, claiming it is quote “cheating” or “not REAL hunting”. This line of thinking is dangerous and must not be the basis for wildlife management decisions. For example, a traditional bow hunter, with good reason, may consider using a 350 fps compound bow or better yet a high powered rifle for deer hunting “cheating” or “not REAL hunting”. It is easy to see how this type of thinking, when given power, could become a slippery slope, leading to excessive hunting restrictions. The MDNR and NRC will fail to uphold the public trust if they make decisions simply based on the elite hunter mentality. As previous mentioned, the “best science available” should be used to ensure the public trust doctrine is upheld and resources are managed for the good of the public at large.
Social injustice. If you happen to live on a large private piece of land, you have the ability to draw in a large quantity of deer to “legal bait piles” or more commonly, food plots. It is not “right” to allow individuals who have more resources (I.E. monetary funds, time, land) to reap the benefits of an animal’s basic survival instinct to obtain energy while making laws that demean and criminalize those who, due to limited resources (I.E. monetary funds, time, land), must bait in order to achieve the same fundamental objective. Hunting has been and will hopefully continue to be part of America’s great heritage. It is critical that we do not allow class to limit a person’s hunting opportunities as many other counties have done in the past.
Lastly, and most obviously, money talks. Hunter recruitment should be the number one priority of the Wildlife Division of the MDNR if they value funding and conservation. It just doesn’t make good sense to patronize and criminalize good people who contribute to conservation and your salaries, through hunter monies, by enabling laws that make traditional methods of hunting illegal. The more hunting is limited (i.e. baiting ban), the less hunters there will be in the woods. The fewer hunters in the woods, the less money is available for conservation. The less money directed toward conservation, the fewer conservation based jobs there will be, and all Michiganders know that is the last thing we need….fewer jobs.
point ah view.
Ever since the days of President Theodore Roosevelt, individuals with a passion for wildlife have dedicated their lives to protecting and improving the sustainability of the very species they so greatly enjoyed harvesting. From the simple act of purchasing a hunting license to devoting one’s academic and professional life to conservation, hunters, as a whole, have committed more time and dollars to protecting the wildlife we all enjoy than any other interest group to date. This endeavor, from day one, has been challenged by political opinions, social trends and even bickering conservationists. First and foremost, I would like to urge you, as a resource manager, to wholly consider your position as a public servant and acknowledge your obligation to use “the best science available” to uphold the Public Trust Doctrine.
SCIENCE
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). The baiting ban was put in place due to an incident where a farm raised white-tailed deer in Kent County, Michigan tested positive for CWD. Because of this, the state’s CWD response plan was executed; triggering a string of previously determined measures to help minimize the potential spread of this disease, which included a ban on all baiting in the Lower Peninsula. Shortly after this ban took effect, the Wildlife Division of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) spent thousands of dollars, during a time of limited funding, to conduct a study with the primary goal of determining whether or not CWD had infected the wild or captive white-tailed deer population, and if so to what degree. After statistically significant sampling (over 32,500 white-tailed deer tested to date), no wild or captive cervids were found to be infected with CWD. The “best science available” was utilized, and test results clearly concluded that the disease had not infected Michigan’s white-tailed deer herd. It is the responsibility of the Wildlife Division of the MDNR and the Natural Resources Commission (NRC) to act on these highly expensive and conclusive test results. As public servants and state resource managers, you are obligated to make decisions using the “best science available” to protect Michigan’s ecosystem. Every decision made, small or large, should be evaluated, heavily considering the public trust. Test results clearly concluded that CWD is not threatening the sustainability of the white-tailed deer population in Michigan, thus the precautionary measures associated with the CWD response plan are no longer needed at this time.
Population Density. An actual threat to Michigan’s white-tailed deer herd is population density. Various studies have shown that the white-tailed deer population is at a dangerously high level and expanding each year. High population density within any species can lead to disease outbreaks. The “best science available” is pointing to a reduction in the white-tailed deer population, not a ban on baiting. With that said; how can the Wildlife Division of the MDNR and the NRC support a baiting ban, with little to no hard scientific backing, that limits a hunter’s ability to harvest a deer for his/her freezer, but more importantly decreases the expanding white-tailed deer population? There are many alternatives, and all must be considered when deciding how to manage wildlife. I urge you to think beyond the status quo and consider all options to maintain a “healthy” white-tailed deer population.
Quality Deer Management (QDM). Beyond population density, buck to doe ratio is another good indicator of the “health” of a white-tailed deer herd. The state of Michigan specifically, does not currently have an ideal ratio. QDM practices are widely accepted in hunting forums and promoted by the MDNR, evident by the recent changes in antlered deer license policies in the Upper Peninsula. Eliminating baiting has and will only worsen this ratio. The longer a hunter has to look a deer over, the better chance he/she has of identifying if it is the deer they really wish to harvest. Without bait, may times a hunter will only get a passing shot at an animal as it crosses through an opening. Spreading an “acceptable” amount of bait allows a hunter to drawn deer in range and keeps them in an area longer. The average hunter needs more than a passing glance to identify a “button buck” from a yearling doe or a mature buck from an immature animal. Baiting is obviously not the only way to close the gap between bucks and does, but without it, the herd could potentially head in the wrong direction.
ART
Elite Hunter Mentality. Baiting has been a tradition of numerous Michigan hunters. The baiting ban has essentially made these hunters criminals. I am an avid traditional bow hunter and do not use bait but know many other hunters who, prior to the baiting ban, heavily relied on baiting to aid in harvesting an animal. I also know several hunters who despise baiting, claiming it is quote “cheating” or “not REAL hunting”. This line of thinking is dangerous and must not be the basis for wildlife management decisions. For example, a traditional bow hunter, with good reason, may consider using a 350 fps compound bow or better yet a high powered rifle for deer hunting “cheating” or “not REAL hunting”. It is easy to see how this type of thinking, when given power, could become a slippery slope, leading to excessive hunting restrictions. The MDNR and NRC will fail to uphold the public trust if they make decisions simply based on the elite hunter mentality. As previous mentioned, the “best science available” should be used to ensure the public trust doctrine is upheld and resources are managed for the good of the public at large.
Social injustice. If you happen to live on a large private piece of land, you have the ability to draw in a large quantity of deer to “legal bait piles” or more commonly, food plots. It is not “right” to allow individuals who have more resources (I.E. monetary funds, time, land) to reap the benefits of an animal’s basic survival instinct to obtain energy while making laws that demean and criminalize those who, due to limited resources (I.E. monetary funds, time, land), must bait in order to achieve the same fundamental objective. Hunting has been and will hopefully continue to be part of America’s great heritage. It is critical that we do not allow class to limit a person’s hunting opportunities as many other counties have done in the past.
Lastly, and most obviously, money talks. Hunter recruitment should be the number one priority of the Wildlife Division of the MDNR if they value funding and conservation. It just doesn’t make good sense to patronize and criminalize good people who contribute to conservation and your salaries, through hunter monies, by enabling laws that make traditional methods of hunting illegal. The more hunting is limited (i.e. baiting ban), the less hunters there will be in the woods. The fewer hunters in the woods, the less money is available for conservation. The less money directed toward conservation, the fewer conservation based jobs there will be, and all Michiganders know that is the last thing we need….fewer jobs.