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(Provided by Michigan DNR)
No fishing license required in Michigan Feb. 13-14The Michigan DNR reminds anglers of the annual Winter Free Fishing Weekend scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 13, and Sunday, Feb. 14.
That weekend, everyone - residents and non-residents alike - can fish without a license, though all other fishing regulations still apply.
Michigan has celebrated the Winter Free Fishing Weekend every year since 1994 as a way to promote awareness of the state's vast aquatic resources. With more than 3,000 miles of Great Lakes shoreline, tens of thousands of miles of rivers and streams, and 11,000 inland lakes, Michigan and fishing are a perfect match.
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“Hot” Time for Great Lakes Minnow HarvestersFalling water temperatures can mean a lot of things to those who enjoy the outdoors.
Cold water increases interest in steelhead fishing, for instance, and decreases the focus on bass fishing. However, to Jeff Slancik of Bay County, cold water means just one thing: It's time to catch minnows.
Slancik, 49, of Pinconning is a bait dealer whose business heats up when the weather cools down.
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(Provided by Michigan DNR)
The Michigan DNR reports a total of 3,695 deer in Michigan this year have been tested for chronic wasting disease (CWD). Four deer have been confirmed positive for the disease, with the fourth positive just recently found.
During the firearm deer season, a hunter from Dewitt Township (Clinton County) in the Core CWD Area brought a 1 1/2-year-old buck into the DNR's Rose Lake deer check station. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa, confirmed the deer as CWD positive.
Because the deer was harvested within 10 miles of the Eaton County border, the DNR strongly encourages all hunters within Eaton County to voluntarily stop baiting and feeding, continue hunting and, most importantly, bring harvested deer into a DNR check station.
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(Provided by Michigan DNR)
Each year, the Michigan DNR generates preliminary estimates of the firearm deer harvest shortly after the season closes. The 2015 firearm deer season wrapped up Nov. 30, with indications of mixed results throughout the state.
The harvest appears to have decreased in the Upper Peninsula and increased in the Lower Peninsula.
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(Provided by Michigan DNR)
Michigan DNR conservation officers in southwest Michigan recently conducted enforcement operations targeting illegal importation of harvested deer into Michigan from states with chronic wasting disease (CWD) in their free-ranging deer herds.
Conservation officers conducted operations near the I-94 corridor of the Michigan/Indiana border, resulting in the seizure of six harvested deer. Five deer were transported into Michigan from Illinois, and one was transported from Wisconsin. Michigan law prohibits importing deer from CWD-positive states and provinces.
Five Michigan residents have been charged with the illegal transportation of deer into the state. They will be arraigned in the 5th District Court in Berrien County. Violation of Michiganís wildlife importation laws may result in fines of†up to $500 and up to 90 days in jail.