Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease, TB and Deer

Actually, baiting in Michigan has been banned (as in absolutely prohibited) in DMU 452, the northeast corner of the lower peninsula, for 2 years. Of course, the DNR has written only a handful of citations. You're right about the powerful hunt club owners, they want to shoot animals, and couldn't care less about the quality of the herd. Also, throughout the state, one can hunt over no more bait than will fit in a 5 gallon bucket at any one time. Watch for baiting to come under further restriction in the future. Also, supplemental feeding is also prohibited, this means the early spring feeding you (and I) conduct. Better take another look at the rulebook. Apparently the MI DNR thinks its better to kill off a load of fawns and does through unlimited antlerless permits, and if that doesn't work make them starve in the early spring. This gets the insurance and farming industries off their back, and the nimrod hunters who never killed a legal buck can brag about taking a button buck around the campfire. Many butchers this year report many more fawns being brought in for processing. Personally, I'd like to see button through 8 point bucks protected, allowing only one license for 8+ point antlered bucks per hunter. Does should be managed according to the carrying capacity of each DMU as it was in years past, rather than carte blanche permission being offered to any hunter who wants one. As to the starvation/habitat issue, this year I intend to plant about 15-20 of my 100 acres in alfalfa, corn, and possibly one of the deer specific crops. This will broaden and increase the nutrition the deer get and eliminate any baiting expense and effort during hunting season. Good luck, Dave Remy (GSP) and Mauser (GSD) http://www.geocities.com/yosemite/rapids/7061 Earth First! We can hunt the other planets later.

The nose to nose feeding does contribute some to the passing of diseases but the greater problem is the fact that the deer herd is too large for the supporting habitat. The area where they're having the TB problem here in Michigan has had far too many deer for years. I can remember over ten years ago that when you drove down the roads in that area it was like driving an obstacle course because of so many deer on the roads. It was nothing to see 50-100 deer in every field. My personal feelings on baiting is I really don't care either way, whether they ban it or not. I have hunted over bait although these days I prefer to hunt without it as long as I can get out and scout properly. This year because of sickness not allowing me to scout like I wanted to, I used bait and had one of the worst years ever hunting. All I seen was yearlings and a couple of does. That's one of the reasons I do prefer to hunt without bait is I've found that bucks tend to not come in to bait until after dark. Like I said I don't care one way or the other but I hate it when things are passed around as fact when they aren't. Baiting has become the whipping boy for the the TB problem here when in fact the real problem lies with the DNR mismanaging the herd and certain hunt clubs in the problem area that are the main cause of the problem to begin with. Did baiting play a part? Probably. But it's not the main problem and those that are responsible would rather put the blame on baiting than own up to the fact that they're the main cause of the problem.

Kevin Volz