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Goose hunters anxious to begin hunting at the Muskegon County Wastewater Facility Managed Waterfowl Hunt Area will have to be patient for a little while longer. Muskegon County Wastewater and DNR Wildlife staff members are working to prepare the fields for waterfowl hunting.
A combination of rainy weather and equipment breakdowns has delayed hay cutting and crop harvest in many of the fields. After Muskegon County Wastewater staff members and contractors harvest the crops, the fields provide space for hunters and waste grain for local and migrating waterfowl use.
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(Provided by Michigan DNR)
Michigans improved central reservation system (CRS) that manages state park camping, lodging and harbor reservations will launch in November with minimal customer disruptions during the system transition.
The new system, which features customer-requested enhancements, opens Nov. 1 to state park lodging reservations (camper cabins, mini-cabins, rustic cabins, yurts and modern lodges), which typically have a one-year reservation window.
The DNR Parks and Recreation Division contracts with Camis USA, Inc., to provide the reservation system, including a call center in Ann Arbor, Mich., and servers in Southfield, Mich. The previous contractors term expired and Camis was selected through a bidding process.
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(Provided by Michigan DNR)
A rabbit hunter shows off his prize and his beagle. This season, cottontail rabbits and snowshoe hare can be hunted from Sept. 15 through March 31, statewide. (Photo Courtesy Michigan DNR)Michigan wildlife biologists across the state say hunters should find conditions similar to last year in Michigan's wood lots, farm fields and wetlands.
Heres an overview:
Rabbits
Season: Cottontail rabbits and varying (or snowshoe) hare can be hunted from Sept. 15 - March 31, statewide. The daily bag limit is five in combination with a possession limit of 10.
Outlook: Roughly 60,000 hunters reported pursuing rabbits in 2010 (the most recently completed harvest survey) and about 15,000 hunted hares. Cottontail populations are good throughout their range over much of the state. Concentrate on thick cover, such as briar patches and brush piles, often near agricultural fields. Snowshoe hare populations are down somewhat from historic levels. Look for early-successional forests (such as aspen stands) and low-lying swamps with blow-downs and brush piles in the northern two-thirds of the state.
Squirrels
Season: Sept. 15 - March 1. The daily bag limit is five per day with 10 in possession.
Outlook: Both fox and gray squirrels are at moderate to high levels across much of the state. Last years mast crop was poor, so squirrels gravitated to areas adjoining agriculture. This years mast crop appears to be abundant, so squirrels should be widespread in areas with beech, oak and hickory trees. About 70,000 hunters pursue squirrels each year.
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(Provided by Michigan DNR)
The Michigan DNR announced that ground blinds for deer hunting purposes now may be placed on public land beginning on Sept. 1.
Previously, deer hunters were not allowed to place ground blinds on public land before Nov. 5. This change makes placement dates and opportunities for ground blinds consistent with those for raised platforms/scaffolds (often called tree stands), which also can be placed on public land as early as Sept. 1.
The Natural Resources Commission adopted this regulation change at its August meeting - after the 2013 Hunting and Trapping Digest was printed, so the new ground blind placement date does not appear in the printed version of the digest.
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The Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Michigan State University Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health announced that epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) has been confirmed in a white-tailed deer in Muskegon County, which is the first county to have EHD hit this fall.
The disease is caused by a virus that is transmitted by a type of midge. A constant characteristic of EHD is its sudden onset. Deer can suffer extensive internal bleeding, lose their appetite and fear of humans, grow progressively weaker, salivate excessively and finally become unconscious. Due to a high fever and extensive internal bleeding, infected deer often are found sick or dead along or in bodies of water. The first, hard frost should kill the flies. Visit www.michigan.gov/emergingdiseasesM/a> for more information about EHD.