Antler point restrictions have been removed on the deer license in parts of deer management unit 122, including areas outside the core chronic … Can I still take an antlerless deer with my combo or archery license? You asked, we answered! An APR is a tool used to advance a particular age class of bucks to the following age class (e.g. For those of you who hunt in Michigan's Thumb region, we need your help! This proposal is to change current antlered deer hunting regulations in Tuscola, Huron, Sanilac, Lapeer and St. Clair Counties to a 4 point APR for single tag or both combo tags. The goal of these permits is population control in order to mitigate crop damage and shooting antlerless deer has been shown to be the most effective way to achieve this goal. The Thumb Hunters for APRs organization will host two public meetings to explain and answer questions about its proposal for new deer antler point restrictions (APRs) for Huron, Lapeer, Sanilac, St. Clair and Tuscola counties. An APR is a tool used to protect an age class of bucks from being harvested in order to graduate them to the next age class by only allowing hunters to harvest bucks with a certain number of antler points on a side. From there, a random list of individuals is generated. According to a news release from the Michigan … Individuals are chosen from the pool of hunters that received AND returned the previous year's Deer Hunter Harvest Survey. How are people chosen to partake in the survey? And there is a group in southern Michigan pushing for the same regulations to be installed there. In the Lower Peninsula (zones 2 and 3) you may still harvest antlerless deer using your combination or single deer license. A supermajority is a 2/3 majority or 66%. An APR is intended to be the same across all antlered deer licenses (i.e. The restriction would begin in 2019, provided a survey of hunters shows support for the requirement and specific department guidelines are met. Do other permits such as Deer Management Assistance Permits (DMAPs) and out-of-season kill permits have to follow APRs? 1 whitetail state since 1999 is Wisconsin with 1,189 typical and nontypical entries, and it has no antler regulations. Deer hunters in 12 northwest Lower Peninsula counties will have to count antler points before they shoot a buck this fall, as the Natural Resources Commission enacted antler point restrictions (APRs) at its June meeting in Lansing. Are there any areas in Michigan currently under evaluation for an APR? May 2019 ANTLER POINT RESTRICTIONS SURVEY IN THE DEER MANAGEMENT UNITS OF THE THUMB AREA Brian J. Frawley ABSTRACT A survey was completed to determine whether hunters supported proposed mandatory Antler Point Restrictions (APRs) in five counties in the Thumb Area in Michigan. Michigan Department of Natural Resources 06.21.13 Deer hunters in 12 northwest Lower Peninsula counties will have to count antler points before they shoot a … kõz»VvQԞζž>"ƶ"ëeô Ã#fô7üüv¿ßÙùd›nü+£Ñ›Ö漅Ðûâ¦D˜Ð뼘uÞ¿OóªnNoÓªå$¾¼¹ ŸÒV…[G/~oPWÕÏÌ#«‡õà«=€Ùþ1î©%"ìã%ò×I¹œo։9°NÀy['æ‰u²ûŒWÆ&þX¿²~ºx´ÀÊïÁú°ØN%0_»UÀ6b@ÝÕ(ãè¾.ÌÝj7$ð¦Ȼ8yx&ØÔ. An experimental mandatory antler point restriction regulation in a five-county CWD Core Area, including Ionia, Kent, Mecosta, Montcalm and Newaygo counties. New antler point restrictions. It is not possible to conduct a survey of all hunters in an area of any significant size using available tools and financial resources. In other words, we would expect very similar results if we surveyed a reasonably-sized representative sample of the hunting community versus a much larger sample of most or all hunters in the area. Implementation of a 4-point Antler Point Restriction (APR) on the deer license and deer combination license for Mecosta, Montcalm, and Ionia Counties — Also in the Lower Peninsula, set a four-point antler point restriction, or APR, for all deer and deer combo licenses for Mecosta, Montcalm and Ionia counties. It will last a minimum of four years. An antler point, if it is at least 1 inch long Any broken tine that is at least 1 inch long The brow tine, if it is at least 1 inch long Tines, main beams and brow tines all count as a point if they are at least 1-inch long. Hunter's Choice was a restriction designed to allow hunters to have different restrictions based upon which license type is purchased. Regulations are implemented by the Natural Resources Commission (NRC); they are decision-making body on method and manner of take for the Wildlife Division. The restriction would begin in 2019, provided a survey of hunters shows support for the … Michigan simply provides a good example due to the current debate going on there. In October 2017, the Thumb Area Deer Hunters submitted a formal request to the Department pursuant to the guidelines for initiation, evaluation, and review of mandatory antler point restrictions. A resolution to urge the Natural Resources Commission and the Department of Natural Resources to end the research study begun in 2019 concerning the effectiveness of antler point restrictions as a management tool in the chronic wasting disease core area. Michigan needs mandatory statewide antler point restrictions. If this occurs the best course of action is to call the RAP line (800-292-7800) to report the mistake and they will notify your local conservation officer. What are the costs and benefits of an APR? The Natural Resources Commission approved an experimental four-point Antler Point Restriction (APR) in Mecosta, Montcalm and Ionia counties, said James Miller, a wildlife biologist with the DNR Flat River Field Office. The restriction would begin in … This is intended to help answer questions that you may have about Antler Point Restrictions (APR) in Michigan. How many check stations will be in the APR areas? What is the process for implementing APRs in the study area? Keep in mind that the vast majority of crop damage permits and all deer management assistance permits are for antlerless deer only. That pool is narrowed down by selecting people who indicated that they hunt in one of the counties included in the survey proposal. A key feature of the If you are not able to find the answer to your question please send us an email with your question to dnr-wildlife@michigan.gov, Carl T. Johnson Hunting and Fishing Center, Bluesource/DNR Big Wild Forest Carbon Project, Assistance for Private Forest Land Owners, County and Municipal Law Enforcement Information, Fisheries Division Citizens Advisory Committees, Michigan History Center Commissions & Committees, Pigeon River Country Equestrian Committee, Timber and Forest Products Advisory Council, Upper Peninsula Citizens' Advisory Councils. A bit of history Michigan changed to a multi-buck system for the lower peninsula back … Furthermore, well-established principles of surveys and sampling statistics indicate that conducting a survey is a statistically accurate method to gauge how the entire community may feel about a particular issue. It will be the officer's discretion on how to handle the situation from there. The only permits that are exempt from APRs are Disease Control Permits, the deer tags associated with the Mentored Youth License and a permit to hunt from a standing vehicle. Send your comments to. The DNR supports the voluntary implementation of APRs on private land and will only recommend mandatory implementation if there is a clear majority (66% or more) of support within the hunting community. This is intended as a tool to evaluate the effects of antler point restrictions on the spread and prevalence of CWD, along with deer population reduction. If bucks are specifically responsible for causing damage in a particular instance (such as by rubbing antlers on trees in nurseries or orchards), exceptions can be provided to allow antlered deer to be taken using crop damage permits, and an APR would likely not apply. The survey process of contacting a representative portion of a population is outlined in the current APR Proposal Process that we follow. protection of 1.5-year-old bucks in order to advance them to the 2.5-year-old age class). Click here for a history of APRs in Michigan. once I approach it? Officers will typically be more understanding if someone reports a mistake rather than the officer discovering that you attempted to cover up the mistake. Check station data are used to determine for any proposed area the minimum number of antler points necessary to protect at least half of yearling (1.5-year-old) bucks. Any buck taken that violates the APR regulation could result in a fine of up to … The restriction would begin in 2019, provided a survey of hunters shows support for the requirement and specific department guidelines are met. For example, for the Northwest APR Proposal Survey we had the following data available: Estimated number of hunters that hunt the area: ~250,000, an estimate gained from previous survey samples of about 2% of the population proportion would be sampled, Using this data the minimum number that would need to be surveyed was 189 people (which would give us a margin of error of 2%), However, we increased this number to 2100 people in order to further decrease the margin of error, By surveying 2100 people the margin of error decreased  to >0.07%. Adding these counties to the management zone will allow for further testing and surveillance of CWD in the 2019 hunting season. The proportion of hunters supporting mandatory antler point restrictions in the 5- county Core CWD Area, Michigan, in 2019. The NRC will accept comments regarding any regulation change that is made and opportunities exist to comment on all regulations changes before they are enacted. • Keep in mind that a mistake in counting antler points is not viewed as an innocent mistake. Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0) Status: (Introduced) 2021-02-18 - Referred To Committee On Natural Resources … Dirty Politics Behind Push for Mandatory Antler Restrictions - Monday October 21, 2019 - Richard P. Smith If you are one of the 800,000 hunters who chase whitetails in this state, you should be aware of some current shenanigans (including a rigged survey) involving the Department of Natural Resources and other wildlife policy makers. As with APRs, opinions on what constitutes acceptable or preferable rules vary widely within the deer hunting community, but responsible hunters are expected to do their best to understand and abide by the regulations whether they are hunting public land, their own private land, or are a guest on private land. The logistics of running a voluntary voting process would also be difficult to address, and such a system would be very vulnerable to bias in favor of any well-organized group with a particularly favorable or negative view on APRs. Antler Point Restrictions in Huron, Lapeer, St. Clair, Sanilac, and Tuscola Counties. If you are not able to find the answer to your question please send us an email with your question to dnr-wildlife@michigan.gov … And, like it or not, the top-10 states for record-book whitetails impose few or no antler restrictions, unless you count the 3-inch spike rule. Michigan's deer herd belongs to the citizens of Michigan and they have entrusted the DNR to manage the herd for the use and enjoyment of current and future generations. How is an APR different from Quality Deer Management (QDM)? Bill Title: A resolution to urge the Natural Resources Commission and the Department of Natural Resources to end the research study begun in 2019 concerning the effectiveness of antler point restrictions as a management tool in the chronic wasting disease core area.