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Provided by Michigan DNR
Last week, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources responded to calls of a male mule deer lying on the side of the road in a rural area of Eaton County. The antlers had been removed and the animal was field-dressed, though DNR staff determined, after close X-ray examination, the animal was killed by a vehicle. There were no bullet holes or lead fragments, but there were numerous broken ribs and other trauma indicative of a deer/vehicle collision. Since there are no registered mule deer in Michigans privately owned cervid facilities, it is believed that this carcass was brought into Michigan from somewhere out west.
Mule deer are located in western North America. The most noticeable differences between white-tailed and mule deer are the size of their ears, the color of their tails and the configuration of their antlers. The mule deer's tail is black-tipped and their antlers "fork" as they grow, rather than branch from a single main beam, as is the case with white-tails.
The fact that this was called into the DNR indicates that our chronic wasting disease (CWD) communications are being received by some, but there are clearly more individuals to reach, said Chad Stewart, DNR deer specialist. We received more than one call that this deer didnt seem to be a white-tail and that we needed to have it picked up and tested. We would like to thank everyone who called in.
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The Michigan Natural Resources Commission approved several fishing regulations last week in Lansing.
All regulations immediately went into effect and will remain in effect for the 2016 fishing season (which begins April 1).
All of the changes are highlighted below and also will be reflected shortly in the online version of the 2015 Michigan Fishing Guide, available at www.michigan.gov/fishingguide.
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(Provided by Michigan DNR)
The Michigan Natural Resources Commission Thursday approved several fishing regulations at its meeting this week, but rejected a Division of Fish and Wildlife proposal that would allow bass tournaments on some larger lakes earlier in the season.
The bass proposal called for special permits that would allow tournament groups to hold bass in livewells during competition before the regular season opener on specified lakes.
However, the Commission did approve other regulation changes noted below.
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(Provided by Michigan DNR)
The Michigan DNR reported that a 46-year-old man was injured last week in a suspected attack by a black bear in Greenwood Township, Clare County, in the central Lower Peninsula. The man was treated for minor injuries at a local hospital and released.
At approximately 7:30 p.m., the man was alone in a ground blind, hunting for porcupine. The man said a black bear came from behind, knocked him over and attacked him. Using his hunting knife, the man stabbed the bear, which scared it off. The bear is thought to be injured.
The DNR was informed about 45 minutes later. Sgt. Jon Wood spoke with the individual and advised him to seek medical attention. The DNRís Law Enforcement Division is continuing to investigate the incident.
The DNR is placing a bear trap in the area. Michigan has an estimated black bear population of 8,000 to 10,000 bears, with 90 percent of the population in the Upper Peninsula. Bear frequent locations in this area of Clare County, where this attack occurred.
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(Provided by Michigan DNR)
The Michigan DNR reminds hunters that 5:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18, is the deadline to return unused deer and deer combination ("deer combo") licenses for a refund.
The DNR allowed license returns for refund after antlerless deer hunting regulation changes were implemented by the DNR this summer. Some hunters had purchased licenses for the upcoming fall hunting seasons prior to the rule change.
The NRC eliminated the option to harvest antlerless deer during the archery seasons for hunters using deer or deer combo licenses in the Upper Peninsula. The decision makes deer and deer combo licenses used in the archery season "buck-only" licenses.