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MDNR Report
Michigan Whitetails
This year, chronic wasting disease testing will still be focused in some areas of the northern Lower Peninsula as well as the Upper Peninsula. The counties for CWD testing in 2024 include Antrim, Arenac, Baraga, Benzie, Cheboygan, Chippewa, Clare, Dickinson, Gladwin, Grand Traverse, Houghton, Iosco, Kalkaska, Keweenaw, Leelanau, Luce, Mackinac, Manistee, Ogemaw, Ontonagon, Otsego and Schoolcraft.
In these counties, a variety of sites will be popping up, with at least one of the following depending on the county: drop boxes, staffed submission sites, and partner processors and taxidermists to assist with collection efforts. To find out about available sites near where you hunt, see the CWD testing page.
Historically, testing occurred in and around areas where CWD has been detected to date.
Starting in 2021, the DNR began a rotational approach to testing for CWD around the state. With this approach, a group of counties is selected each year, with a desire to eventually test sufficient numbers of deer in every county across the state. This has led to detection of CWD in 13 of Michigan’s 83 counties, with Ogemaw being the latest in the fall of 2023.
The goal of this approach is early disease detection, as management has the potential to be most effective when the disease is caught early. Most of these areas have not had a CWD detection or have not previously been part of intensive testing efforts, so little is known about disease status in these locations. To date, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources has collected enough baseline information in 61 of the state's 83 counties and is conducting surveillance in the remaining 22 counites to meet the baseline information needs in these areas.
For more on where CWD has been found, see the County-level CWD detection information page.
CWD testing overview
CWD is a serious neurological disease affecting deer, and testing your harvested deer is crucial for monitoring and managing its spread. Testing options currently available in 2024 include:
- Testing locations: The DNR offers various submission sites in the northern Lower Peninsula and Upper Peninsula counties that are part of the 2024 rotational testing. Hunters can find a list of submission locations on the DNR website.
- Self-sample kits: For your convenience, self- sample submission kits are available for hunters in certain counties where DNR submission is not available. The kits come with instructions and supplies to collect samples and free overnight shipping to the diagnostic testing laboratory. Results are emailed directly to the submitter. Kits are available in the following counties: Clinton, Eaton, Gogebic, Gratiot, Hillsdale, Ingham, Ionia, Iron, Isabella, Jackson, Kent, Menominee, Midland and Montcalm. Kits can be picked up from the locations listed on the CWD testing page. Hunters should call the office prior to arriving to ensure someone will be available to assist.
- Sample testing for a fee: Deer harvested in counties that are not eligible for free CWD testing can be submitted through one of the following participating USDA-approved laboratories for a fee. Results from deer submitted to an approved USDA laboratory using testing for a fee will be sent directly to the hunter from the laboratory.
- Instructions to submit samples to the Michigan State University Diagnostic Laboratory.
- Instructions to submit samples to the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.
Whichever testing option is right for you, make sure to follow the submission guidelines carefully to ensure your sample is processed correctly. For detailed information on testing procedures and locations, please visit the DNR CWD testing page.
CWD regulations and best practices
Carcass transportation: Deer harvested outside of Michigan and deer harvested in Montcalm County in its entirety; Otisco, Orleans, Ronald or North Plains townships in Ionia County; or Nelson, Spencer, Courtland, Oakfield, Grattan or Cannon townships in Kent County cannot be possessed or transported outside of those listed areas, unless:
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By Louie Stout
The legal battle over the proposed Eagle Lake Public Access in Cass County, Michigan appears to have ended.
Maybe.
The Eagle Lake Improvement Association lost yet another court appeal in circuit court and had 21 days to file an appeal.
It didn’t file. However, DNR sources say the association still has the option of filing a late appeal, but had not done so as of late last week.
The lake association has spent thousands of dollars in its fight to prevent the DNR from building the badly needed ramp and parking area. The battle has lingered for 11 years despite the fact DNR has won every court case and met all of the environmental requirements and objections the lakers have made.
If the group decides to no longer pursue litigation, the DNR will still have to put it through public hearing process which, in all likelihood, will require local officials blessing.
We’ll keep you posted if there are any further developments.
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By Louie Stout
There’s good news for those anglers who fish Pipestone Lake in Berrien County, Michigan.
There are plans to repair the steep ramp which historically has had a big hole in the pavement near the water’s edge. The access is not a Michigan DNR property and the ramp is located at the end of a road with limited parking at roadside.
According to details published online, the county is teaming with the township to repair the ramp. County commissioners will be working with the township to “implement an interlocal agreement” in which the township will reimburse the county for repair expenses. It also must get approval from Michigan’s Environment, Great Lakes and Energy division.
We have been told the ramp is presently closed. As of right now, it sounds like repairs won’t begin until next spring.
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MDNR Report
With the recent discovery of two new invasive aquatic plants in Michigan, the Michigan Invasive Species Program is asking waterfowl hunters across the state to take extra precautions this season to prevent the spread of invasive species.
Hydrilla, considered one of the world's most invasive aquatic plants, was found in private ponds in southwest Michigan in fall 2023. The Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy is working with landowners to eradicate the infestation. This month, a hydrilla detection in Ontario, Canada forced the closure of a portion of the Hillman Marsh Conservation Area popular with waterfowl hunters.
Glyceria maxima (also known as rough mannagrass) an invasive plant similar to phragmites, has been found in the Dollarville Flooding in Newberry. The Department of Natural Resources is working with the Three Shores Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area to manage the infestation.
In addition to these new invasive plants, concern remains about the spread of European frog-bit and invasive phragmites. All four species tend to grow in slow-moving waters – just the kind of places that ducks and geese flock to.
Invasive phragmites and Glyceria maxima are tall reed-like grasses that out-compete native species along shorelines and in shallow waters and block access for humans and wildlife.
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MDNR Report
The Michigan DNR is offering up to $1.5 million in Fisheries Habitat Grants for activities that can improve state fisheries and aquatic resources, such as fish habitat conservation, dam removal and repair, resource assessment studies and recreation opportunities. The funding is available through an open, competitive process to local, state, federal and tribal governments and nonprofit groups.
“Recreation and local economies throughout Michigan rely on healthy rivers, lakes and wetlands to support fishing, boating and other enjoyment of our natural resources,” said Joe Nohner, DNR fisheries resource analyst. “These grants help our partners protect and rehabilitate fisheries and aquatic ecosystems in a state that depends heavily on those resources. In cases where we remove, repair or renovate dams, we also can improve public safety for residents and visitors.”