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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.
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(Provided by Michigan DNR)
Michigan’s 2015 big-game, furbearer seasons look goodProspects for the 2015 Michigan big-game hunting and furbearer hunting seasons are very good, say DNR wildlife biologists. Michigan offers a diversity of species and a wide variety of seasons to maximize recreational opportunity.
Here's a quick overview of some of the upcoming seasons:
Bear
Season: Bear licenses are issued by a preference-point system for specific time periods and geographic areas. A total of 6,951 licenses were available.
Hunting on the mainland of the Upper Peninsula runs Sept. 10-Oct. 26. On Drummond Island, the season is Sept. 10-Oct. 21. In the northern Lower Peninsula, the season is Sept. 20-28 and Oct. 2-8 (archery only) in the Red Oak unit; Sept 11-26 in the northern Baldwin unit and Sept 20-28 in the entire unit; and Sept. 20-28 in the Gladwin unit. In the Upper Peninsula, the first five days are for bait-only hunting only. In the Lower Peninsula the first day of the season is bait-only and the Red Oak archery-only season is bait-only. The last two days of the Red Oak, Baldwin and Gladwin area are dogs-only.
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(Provided by Michigan DNR)
Bowfishing - combining two pastimes into one sport.Roy Beasley grew up fishing, but when he discovered bowhunting, he changed his technique. He became a bowfisherman.
“I still bass fish at my parents’ cottage or with the guys at work,” he said. “But I like doing this more.”
A research vessel captain with the DNR, Beasley is one of a growing number of sportsmen and women who like to combine hunting and fishing, using bows and arrows to take a wide variety of fish, including many that are generally not targeted by hook-and-line anglers.
Bowfishing is legal for bowfin, bullheads, burbot, carp (including goldfish), catfish, cisco, drum, gizzard shad, longnose gar, smelt, all species of suckers - including buffalo and quillback - and whitefish.
Beasley has taken most of them, including a number of Master Angler fish of six different species. But he particularly likes chasing gar and gizzard shad, because their narrow bodies make them more of a challenge.
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(Provided by Michigan DNR)
The Michigan DNR's survey crews from the Charlevoix Fisheries Research Station headed out on Lake Michigan Aug. 24 to conduct surveys of yellow perch populations and other nearshore fish species. The surveys are being conducted from the research vessel Steelhead, as well as from smaller DNR vessels that permit sampling in shallow, nearshore waters. The surveys will run through September 11.
The DNR has been involved since 1995 in a lakewide collaboration with other Lake Michigan natural resources agencies to assess yellow perch. Data collected during these surveys is used to estimate a broad range of biological variables vital to understanding yellow perch populations in Lake Michigan and associated tributaries.
"Early indications from work in southern Lake Michigan by our sister agencies are that 2015 may be a banner year for yellow perch spawning and survival of young fish, so we're excited to get out and see what populations look like in Michigan waters," said Dave Clapp, Charlevoix Fisheries Research Station manager. "Fish hatched in 2010 and 2011 are just now reaching full maturity, so we expect to see an increase in spawning activity and an abundance of young perch this year, supported by increased lake levels and slightly warmer water temperatures this summer."
Survey operations will be conducted near the ports of South Haven, Grand Haven, Portage, Pentwater, Charlevoix and Petoskey. Vessels involved in the surveys will be docked at these Great Lakes ports, and the public is encouraged to visit the vessels and talk with crew members about fisheries assessment operations.