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Poachers who killed nearly 60 ducks received stiff sentences.
Poachers who killed nearly 60 ducks received stiff sentences.
Four Ottawa County men ticketed recently for poaching nearly 60 wild ducks from a private agricultural pond near the Grand River watershed were sentenced this week in district court.
Tyler John Meerman, 24, of Conklin, Colson Thomas Modderman, 22, of Wyoming, Justin Allen Beckman, 20, of Coopersville; and Michael Duane Sorenson III, 20, of Marne pleaded guilty Tuesday and were sentenced the same day in Ottawa County District Court.
The convictions resulted from an Oct. 9 incident, near a popular waterfowl hunting area in Chester Township, which is situated in the northern part of the county. A total of 58 ducks were killed.
"These four individuals used over 200 pounds of corn to illegally entice these ducks in for the kill," said DNR conservation officer Dave Rodgers. "The men were not using decoys or duck calls and therefore were not hunting, but rather, they were poaching."
The use of bait for duck hunting is not allowed. The ducks poached included 35 wood ducks and 23 mallards, including 13 mallard hens.
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Muskegon County Wastewater System Offers Excellent WaterfowlingWhen many think of wastewater facilities, they think of smelly, unpleasant areas unfit for humans. Hunters and birders know that Muskegon County Wastewater System is something special. With large storage lagoons and 3,500 acres of agriculture habitat, Muskegon County Wastewater managed waterfowl hunt area produces excellent habitat for both ducks and geese.â€
Canada geese are plentiful at the Muskegon County Wastewater and are one of the most harvested species. Opportunities for snow, RossÃs and cackling geese sometimes occur. During the regular waterfowl season, hunters commonly take mallards, black ducks and other dabblers.
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Poachers Nabbed for Killing 60 Ducks
Four Ottawa County men were ticketed recently for poaching nearly 60 wild ducks from a private agricultural pond near the Grand River watershed, an area popular for waterfowl hunting.
The names of the four Coopersville area men, who range in age from 20 to 24, are being withheld, pending their scheduled Oct. 26 appearance in Ottawa County District Court in Hudsonville.
"This was not hunting," said conservation officer Dave Rodgers. "Hunting involves a lot of hard work and fair chase. What these guys were doing is killing."
At 7:38 a.m. Oct. 9, operators of the Michigan DNR Report All Poaching (RAP) line received a call reporting an immense amount of shooting during this past weekend's opening of the South Zone waterfowl hunting season.
Minutes later, Rodgers and conservation officer Chris Simpson responded, headed for Chester Township in north Ottawa County.
Rodgers said he found the four men on private property along an agricultural pond. He allegedly saw them shooting at crippled ducks on the water and gathering them.
Rodgers next spoke to the men.
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The hunting season dates for waterfowl and other migratory birds in Indiana have been finalized.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service accepted the dates as proposed, with no changes.
The season dates for webless migratory game birds are:
- Mourning doves: Sept. 1 to Oct. 16, Nov. 1-13, and Dec. 10 to Jan. 8.
- Sora rails: Sept. 1 to Nov. 9.
- American woodcock: Oct. 15 to Nov. 28.
- Common snipe: Sept. 1 to Dec. 16.
The daily bag limits for webless migratory birds are 15 mourning doves, 25 sora rails, three woodcock and eight snipe. Possession limits are three times the daily bag limits.
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Michigan’s 2016-17 Waterfowl Season Dates AnnouncedIt's almost time to polish up the shotgun, warm up the retriever with some practice throws and don camouflage as the season nears for hunting ducks and geese in Michigan. Area wildlife managers have been working hard all summer to make sure migrating waterfowl have great habitat conditions in Michigan's state game and wildlife areas this fall.
Waterfowl hunting [ http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10363_10859---,00.html ]regulations and bag limits can be found in the 2016-2017 Michigan Waterfowl Hunting Digest.