Michigan CO Explains CWD Baiting Ban

Home > Michigan CO Explains CWD Baiting Ban

We spent the day today at the annual Woods and Water show in Imlay City, Michigan. While I was there I heard a lot of people talking about the recent CWD baiting ban in Michigan’s lower peninsula. The general consensus was that most people were going to continue to bait no matter what the law said. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I would say that about 90% of the people I talked with or over heard said they would use bait even though the law specifically banned it.

First of all why would you even tell people that your going to break the law. This just goes to show you the mentality of today’s so called hunters. This is why we get a bad name people! Why do you think that others are out to take away our hunting rights! I will say this though, people where definitely talking about the issue today.

Many of the vendors there were still selling feeders and mineral supplements to attract deer. I talked with one vendor about the issue and asked why he was still trying to sell the feeders even though we are not supposed to use them. His answer was that people were still going to bait, so he was going to try to sell them and make his money. There were other vendors selling the mineral supplements such as “Lucky Buck and C’Mere Deer” that are also banned.

I did report earlier last week that these supplements I heard second hand were going to be allowed. I was WRONG! DO NOT USE THEM in Michigan’s lower peninsula until otherwise told it is ok. I talked with a DNR officer today at the event about this issue on the bait ban. He would not give his name and official response due to the sensitivity of this issue. He did tell me what his interpretation of the law was.

I asked him if it was legal to use these mineral type products, he said no it is not. He told me he would write a ticket for these types of products. He told me also that anything that you put out to attract deer that would promote them to lick or stick their nose in or on would be deemed illegal in his opinion. As for other CO’s he couldn’t speak for them. He also told me that this would include any product such as a scent attractant or lure. The only way he would allow this type of product to be used without issuing a ticket would be if it were placed high enough that a deer couldn’t gain access to it. He said the problem with this is that it is such a grey area, that all CO’s might not see it the same way.

So be fore warned, that you should not use any type of bait or lure in the woods for deer hunting until further notice from the DNR on this issue. You might find that the CO your dealing with doesn’t see it the same way as you or other CO’s.
I did hear that the DNR is supposed to meet this next week to discuss the issue of dropping the baiting ban. Now remember I heard this only as a rumor. Only 25 more days to bow season, Happy Hunting!

http://www.simplyoutdoors.net Arthur

I can’t believe that all of these guys are just going to openly break the law, and tell you that they are going to do so. Doesn’t anyone have any honor anymore? Don’t they care about the deer herd in this state?

Amazing. I also can’t believe that these vendors are still selling their products-knowing that the baiting and feeding ban is in effect.

Geesh. I am really interested in seeing what happens at this meeting that is coming up.
Chuck Parr

I’m with ya. I was at the same show and heard a lot of the same thing, that people were going to continue baiting. My booth was set up across from a vendor selling feeders and while he did say that he wasn’t making nearly as many sale’s as usual, he was still selling a few.
I for one think that it was an over reaction to ban baiting. And to say that any atractant withing reach of the deer is even more off.
But, I will refrain from using any of there because it is ILLEGAL. While I may not agree with the law, it is still the law and, to be taken seriously as hunters by those outside of our brotherhood, we must all do the same.
Tim

I hate to say it but to be honest it doesn’t surprise me that people will still bait anyways. After all people were still dumping more that a 5 gallon bucket out in the woods before the total ban. To me it doesn’t matter whether I agree with the DNR or not if the law says no baiting then I won’t bait. I pride myself on being an eithical hunter, following the laws and setting an example for my kids to follow. From what I have seen over the years and people that I have run into there seems to be fewer and fewer ethical hunters. I for one will not hunt with someone who breaks the law and I wouldn’t think twice about calling the RAP line on them. I say we all need to do our part to help out the COs and if we see bait out in the woods the we must call the RAP line.
Tim

One other comment that I have that does bother me about the bait ban is that the DNR isn’t informing the public well enough as to exactly what is banned and what is not. The law should be inforced uniformly by all COs and not just however each CO interputes the law.
C R Stoia

Now that the other Deer from the Kent county farm have tested negative it will be next to impossible for the DNR to keep the baiting ban intact. There is no basis. Truth be told, without the aid of bait, hunters on state land will not be able to cull the herd. Bait is needed to control the deer population..and the DNR does understand this. Funny how some people think food plots are all the different from bait. Those of us that have the luxury of hunting on private land with food plots should not look down on those hunting over bait…there is nothing wrong with it.
http://www.upnorthjournal.com MikeAdams

C R, I fully understand where your coming from. I do agree that bait does indeed help cull the herd on state land. I do think that if bait isn’t allowed that deer harvest numbers will go down this year. The DNR I feel IHMO is caught between a rock and a hard place. They want to do the right thing to help make sure that CWD isn’t spread, but they also realize the number of deer needs to be thinned. It is a catch 22 situation. As for people who hunt over food plots, I for one have never heard of anyone looking down on someone who baits, they are the same thing except spread out over a greater area. I have used both with some success. I don’t think bait guarantees success though. It does drive deer to become nocturnal. The basis for the DNR keeping the baiting ban on, is the audit they did in 2005. You can find this on my Sept. 3rd blog story here on this site titled: CWD Hunting Regualtions. This audit gives the DNR the basis for keeping the baiting ban on. We still don’t know where this infected deer contracted the disease from. Until that is tracked down, I feel they should keep the ban on in full force. Although I don’t think they will. I think the NRC will cave to the public pressure to allow it again. My 2 cents. Thanks for your comment!
Howard Parker

I was told by a DNR person that last year a week before rifle season they lifted the ban on baiting in the Alpena area and it was done by a mr Charters from the Traverse area who is on the wildlife committee that makes the decisions for the DNR and he has a large track of land in that area of which is hunting land and it was done to bring in the animals to try & get the sick ones out of the herd. I was very upset when I heard of this cause why was this done & kept quiet ? It should of been opened state wide. If they can get away with doing these things, they are just as wrong as the people who bait when its not allowed.

Michigan CO Explains CWD Baiting Ban

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