Environment

Do the crime, pay fine – but what is a deer worth?

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CAPITAL NEWS SERVICE
By ERIC FREEDMAN
LANSING — Is a 21-point trophy buck worth 25,000 bucks? Not according to poacher John Baker Jr. who was convicted of illegally shooting one on property belonging to Valhalla Ranch, a private hunting resort in Grayling. Maybe — or maybe not — according to the Court of Appeals, which upheld Baker’s criminal conviction and prison sentence but ordered a Crawford County Circuit Court judge to reconsider the amount of restitution he owes the ranch. Valhalla promotes itself as “a premier hunting destination, nestled in one of the most picturesque locations in Northern Michigan” and as “a place of incredible whitetails with massive antlers and body size.”

The tangled tale of the poached buck’s price tag — and Baker’s legal woes — began in October 2012 when he and another man were hunting on a friend’s land adjacent to the ranch. A 10-foot fence surrounds the ranch.

Environment

Some nonresident hunters, anglers would pay less under proposal

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By ERIC FREEDMAN
Capital News Service
LANSING – There may be bargain license fees ahead for some out-of state hunters and anglers, but that would mean less money for wildlife and fisheries conservation programs and activities. An Upper Peninsula lawmaker wants to sell discounted licenses to nonresidents who own property in the state and to ex-Michiganians who formerly lived in the state for at least 10 consecutive years. Sen. Tom Casperson, R-Escanaba called it a “come home to hunt” approach that would make their license fees higher than state residents pay but lower than other nonresidents. In the 2013 license year that ended in February 2014, 1,568,760 people bought fishing or hunting licenses, according to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). About 14.5 percent of them – 227,678 – were from out of state.

Environment

Pursuit of endangered species hooked on ethics, culture

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By HEATHER HARTMANN
Capital News Service
Though it is endangered, the lake sturgeon isn’t off the hook. You can still fish for it and even spear it through the ice. But the Michigan Department of Natural Resources has limited the fishing of the species to specific areas, rivers and lakes. These include Black Lake in Cheboygan County; Otsego Lake in Otsego County; Menominee River and Boundary Waters (Michigan-Wisconsin Boundary) and Lake St. Clair and the St.

Environment

Black bear shooting highlights poaching problem

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By LACEE SHEPARD
Capital News Service
LANSING – A bear-poaching incident in Manistee County has shed light on a continuing poaching problem throughout Michigan. “A poacher is nothing more than a criminal. If someone goes into a department store and steals a blender, that would be the same thing as someone who goes into the wild and steals a deer,” said Dean Molnar assistant chief of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) law enforcement division. “They’re a criminal. They’re not ethical, licensed hunters.

Environment

Poachers, trespassing hunters could face higher fines

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By KYLE CAMPBELL
Capital News Service
LANSING — Deer poachers might soon be paying big bucks for illegally killing big bucks in the Great Lakes State. A pair of bills in the Senate aim to deter hunters from trespassing on farmland, as well as increasing penalties for poachers who target large-antlered deer by tacking on additional restitution fees. Ypsilanti resident Jim Pryce, president of the Tri County Sportsmen’s League in Saline, authored a resolution for the Michigan United Conservation Clubs (MUCC) that inspired the legislation. “Here in Michigan we have devalued the big bucks,” Pryce said. “Right now it doesn’t matter if you look at a 10-point buck or small buck, the fine is only $1,000 for poaching.”
Sens.

Environment

Crossbows gain popularity with Michigan deer hunters

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By CELESTE BOTT
Capital News Service
LANSING – The number of deer hunters using crossbows has doubled since 2009, according to a survey by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The survey indicated that while the overall number of hunters in the state have declined, the method of crossbow hunting is growing in popularity. In 2011, about 74,120 hunters used crossbows in the deer archery season. In 2012, the number grew to 88, 565. The rapid growth is attributed in part to the loosening regulations over the past three years.

Business & Economy

Hunting, fishing provide economic boost

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By KYLE CAMPBELL
Capital News Service
LANSING — Despite drought conditions, low water levels and a rash of disease in the white-tailed deer population, fishing and hunting remained a boon to the Michigan economy in 2012. With more than 1.19 million fishing licenses and more than 2.39 million hunting licenses purchased from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) between last March 1 and Jan. 17, 2013, the state surpassed its total revenue from the previous year by more than $375,000. The license sale year runs until the end of February, but Denise Gruben, manager of licensing and reservations for the DNR, said most sales occur before the end of the calendar year. Despite the increase, Sharon Schafer, the head of the DNR’s Budget and Support Services Division, said the state still lags about $400,000 behind projections for the fiscal year, which began last Oct.

Business & Economy

Hunters decline but businesses that rely on them remain stable

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By ALEX MITCHELL
Capital News Service
LANSING—Despite declining deer hunting numbers in Michigan over the past few years, Michigan meat processors say their businesses have not been affected. In 2010, Michigan hunters harvested almost 418,000 deer, a decline of 6 percent from 2009, according to a report compiled by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. About 656,500 people hunted deer last year, a decline of 4 percent from the previous year. There were an estimated 1.7 million deer in the herd last year. But according to Rod Dejonge, owner of Blue Star Meats in Holland, after a dip six years ago, things have been business as usual for the past few seasons.