Rachel:
Red butt... Ha ha. Red butts are often seen hanging. Nope. 

Hannah:
And we descend into madness. 

Announcer:
You know what that sound means, it's time for the Michigan DNR's Wildtalk podcast. Welcome to the Wildtalk podcast where representatives from the DNR's wildlife division chew the fat and shoot the scat about all things habitat, feathers, and fur. With insights, interviews, and your questions answered on the air, you'll get a better picture of what's happening in the world of wildlife here in the great state of Michigan. 

Rachel:
Welcome to Wildtalk. I'm your host Rachel Leightner and co-hosting with me today is Hannah Schauer. 

Hannah:
Hello. Well, today Holly will be joining us later on, along with Chad Stewart and Ashley Autenreith to talk about deer hunting and some of the regulation changes for this year. And, of course, we will be revealing the winners of our Wildtalk podcast camp mugs, and you can find out how you can win one, too, so be sure to listen up. 

Rachel:
We will also be talking about work going on for wildlife around state and answering your questions from the mailbag. But first, we're going to shine our wildlife spotlight on the red bat. 

Hannah:
The red bat is one of the largest bat species found in Michigan. That being said, their body length is only three to five inches long, so they're not a huge bat, as some might imagine. They're rather small, but they are one of the larger ones here in the state. And they get their name from their bright reddish-orange fur, similarly colored to the red fox. The red bat is found throughout much of North America and even South American, so they're a pretty widespread species. 

Rachel:
Red bats are a solitary species, meaning they hang, literally, out by themselves, unless it is a mother with pups. Red bats are often seen hanging in elms and maples and they also hang in conifers, as well. 

Hannah:
Moths are the preferred prey of a red bat, they also enjoy snacking on beetles, flies, leafhoppers, and flying ants. They are often attracted to moths hanging around outdoor lights at night. 

Rachel:
And interestingly, red bats are migratory, spending their winter months a bit farther south. However, even though they go farther south for the winter, they may still hibernate. Red bats can be seen arriving in Michigan in late April and they will leave for the winter in October. 

Hannah:
Breeding is in the late summer and then babies are born the following June, after a delayed fertilization. Basically what that means is the female bat will store the sperm until after hibernation, and then allow her eggs to be fertilized. Bats do this so they can have an easier time surviving the winter on their fat reserves. That way, they don't have to use up extra fat reserves throughout a pregnancy, but rather they become pregnant in the springtime when the insects are most abundant. 

Rachel:
Hmm, that seems advantageous. 

Hannah:
Mm-hmm (affirmative). Yep. Lots of different species will do this, but bats in particular take advantage of this delayed fertilization. 

Rachel:
Awesome. The red bat is unique in that it may have a litter size of two to three babies. This is unlike more other species of Michigan bats that typically only have one pup. Red bat pups are dependent on their mother until they learn to fly at about five weeks after birth. 

Hannah:
And species like owls and hawks and occasionally an opossum are predators of the red bat. Also, blue jays are known to harass and kill red bats that are hanging out in trees. Red bats are fast flyers and they may get struck by vehicles, so that happens on occasion. And during migration, collisions with tall obstacles, such as buildings or towers can occur on occasion.

Rachel:
You can support habitat for red bats by having plenty of deciduous or leafy trees on your property for roosting. Or consider planting a pollinator garden that would be attractive to moths and other potential insect prey. 

Hannah:
Yeah. So there's lots of different ways you can help create habitat for bats in general, so be sure to stick around, because later this episode we'll talk a little bit more about those ways to help bats, and a little bit about bat week that we'll celebrate later in October. 

Announcer:
If you're looking for a fun, free outdoor adventure for the whole family, visit michigan.gov/elk and download your elk viewing information sheet from the elk resources section. Then, guided by your elk viewing map, fill your tank, grab your binoculars, and load up the family to head out to the elk range in Michigan's northern Lower Peninsula. Don't miss out on seeing Michigan's majestic elk or hearing their bugle echo through the fall air. Visit michigan.gov/elk to plan your elk viewing adventure. 

Rachel:
Today, October 1st, is the archery deer season opener, so it's safe to say that DNR staff statewide have been spending some time gearing up for the deer seasons. They have been readying state game areas, getting a feel for conditions this year, and talking with hunters and local sportsman's groups about what they are seeing while scouting out the area. Later in the episode, we'll be discussing the deer season more in depth in our interview with Chad and Ashley, so here are some non-deer staff updates from around the state. 

Rachel:
In the Upper Peninsula, our eastern UP staff have been working at the Black Creek Flooding, which is a small approximately 80 acre flooding created to provide high value habitat to wetland wildlife in the northwestern Mackinac County outside of the town of Curtis. The emphasis is on water fowl reproduction, but provides the public with opportunities for hunting, trapping, fishing, and wildlife viewing. The staff are also improving access on the roads into the flooding and replacing and securing the boards at the dam, while also replacing a heavily worn railing over the walkway. Future plans for habitat work could include enhancing goose and duck habitat through mowing, wildlife plantings, and seeding wild rice, as well as interpretive or educational materials, and potentially a picnic area. In the UP, our wildlife staff have also been working on restoring an openings complex in western Menominee County referred to a [Linbeck Lake and Grondin Memorial 00:06:29]. 

Rachel:
The department entered into a partnership with the Safari Club International and the National Wild Turkey Federation dedicating the access site and four miles of walking trails and three large wildlife openings, totalling 145 acres, as a memorial to the passionate member and turkey hunter Curtis Grondin. Also noteworthy is wildlife staff have entered into a sharecropping agreement that will retain the integrity of previous years work during a year which we were not able to complete management activities as planned. 

Hannah:
Sounds like there's a lot happening in the Upper Peninsula right now. 

Rachel:
There certainly is. What's going on below the bridge, Hannah?

Hannah:
Now is your opportunity to win a Wildtalk podcast mug. As a thank you to our listeners, we'll be giving away a mug or two every episode. 

Rachel:
Our September mug winners are [Kate Burns 00:07:33] and [Allison Schuman 00:07:33]. Kate and Allison, check your email and we'll be getting in touch with you soon. They answered the September question of can you name three Michigan mammals that change color in the wintertime to blend in with their surroundings? Their answers were: weasels, snowshoe hares, and deer.

Hannah:
Excellent. All right. The moment you've been waiting for, to be entered into the drawing this month, test your wildlife knowledge and answer this month's quiz question, which is, name the three species of bats in Michigan that are currently listed as threatened or endangered. A little hint for you, this information just might be found with other batty fun facts at michigan.gov/bats.

Rachel:
Email your name and answer to us at dnr-wildlife@michigan.gov to be entered for a chance to win a mug. Be sure to include the subject line as, "Mug Me," and submit your answers by October 15th. We'll announce winners on next month's podcast, so be sure to listen in to see if you've won, and for the next quiz question. 

Hannah:
All right. Good luck everybody. Now back to your regularly scheduled podcast. 

Hannah:
In the northern lower region of the state, the first two weeks of the fall elk season have been completed and tomorrow, October 2nd, starts the final week of the hunt. Elk are bugling and gathering their harems, making for an exciting time in the woods. The elk season is very hands on for northern lower staff. After harvesting an elk, the hunter calls into the DNR elk dispatch line and provides their location. Then our staff can drive out to where the elk was harvested, conduct a field check. The field check consists of collecting biological information from the animal, making sure the elk tag was filled out correctly, and then sealing the animal. So far, 59 hunters have harvested elk and hopefully the remaining hunters will find success in this final week. 

Hannah:
Woodcock, ruffed grouse, small game, and bear seasons are all also ongoing in the region, so field staff have been chatting with hunters about field conditions and registering bears at registration stations. This past week, one of our biologists registered a bear that was over 600 pounds from Montmorency County. Pretty lucky hunters out there. We've had a lot of great success stories so far with elk and bear this year. So congratulations to those hunters. 

Hannah:
Moving a little further south in the southwest region, staff continue their water fowl banding efforts. This time of year they are focused on catching and banding wood ducks and mallard ducks. The crew at Maple River State Game Area have been pumping water and altering water levels to prep for the water fowl opener on October 10th. And speaking of water fowl seasons, hunters throughout the southwest and southeast regions reported that early teal season was a success and one of the best seasons ever on record. So it seems that the teal migration and the timing of the hunt were pretty spot on this year in southern Michigan. 

Rachel:
What an excellent way to start water fowl season. 

Hannah:
Yes, absolutely. A great way to kick it off. 

Rachel:
Mm-hmm (affirmative). Well, continuing over into the southeast, the managed water fowl areas are ramping up for the upcoming regular season this month. The staff have been working to make sure these areas are ready for hunters, they've been altering water levels, providing high quality habitat and food sources for water fowl, and basically doing all they can to make sure that these areas are ready for all the water fowl hunters that will converge on them this fall. Lastly, the regional forester has been busy putting up acre for timber harvest. These timber harvests create young forest type habitats for a variety of wildlife species such as ruffed grouse, woodcock, wild turkey, and white-tailed deer. All good for hunting opportunities. 

Hannah:
Absolutely. So as you can see, there are a lot of great things happening for wildlife statewide. Stay tuned, next up is our deer discussion with Chad and Ashley. 

Announcer:
You can use your base license to hunt squirrel, rabbit, and hare. Make sure you take full advantage of your base license this season. Visit michigan.gov/hunting and click on small game for more info. 

Holly:
Hi everybody, we're here with, of course, our wonderful Wildtalk podcast hosts, Rachel Leightner and Hannah Schauer. And then, our deer program biologists, Chad Stewart and Ashley Autenreith. Thanks so much for joining us today. We're just going to have a little conversation about how deer seasons are shaping up, about some of the new regulations that are coming for the fall, and what people could expect in this very unusual year of 2020. I think probably the first thing on everyone's mind is how is the deer season going to be this fall? How are things looking? What can folks expect heading into the season? 

Ashley:
Yeah, so I'll start with that one. Overall, I don't have a crystal ball and it's different for every single person out there, but I would say just in general what we're hearing from our field staff is it seems like it's shaping up to be a really, potentially, good deer season. And so what I mean by that is, we had relatively mild winter conditions in the Lower Peninsula and in some areas of the Upper Peninsula, mild to normal conditions. We had a mild spring, which can be a really big difference in terms of survival for fawns, so that's a really good thing. 

Ashley:
And then, of note, I would certainly say most of our field staff have said that we had a really good summer in terms of growing conditions, we didn't have major droughts like we have in the last few years. And so, in terms of food resources, it appears that it's really good on the landscape and that it shows in our deer herd, in terms of the numbers. We've had good reports of the fawn crop this year, we've had really good reports of just overall body condition, antler development, and just lots of sightings this year. 

Ashley:
So I would say it's shaping up to be pretty good. Of course, weather's going to be a big determination on that, as well. If things hold the way they have been and we have good weather going into our openers, I would certainly say that we are looking at a successful season for a lot of hunters. With that being said though, I mean, I would certainly say for people to make sure, if they can, getting out and scouting, figuring out what deer trails are being utilized, what trees might be producing in terms of are there good oak trees near you that might be producing or even wild apple trees. Those can all kind of help in terms of might you be a little bit more successful. Hopefully, it's looking like a good deer season this year. 

Holly:
Awesome. Thanks, Ashley. We had a question on Facebook from a fellow named Mark, and his question was, with the COVID increase in state park and metro park usage, I'm very curious has there been any effect on license sales? I'm curious how much more crowded state land might be this fall. So what do you think we can expect as far as deer hunter participation goes heading into the fall? 

Chad:
Yeah, that's a great question that was posed, and I think we're all kind of interested in seeing what that might look like. At the time of this recording, where we're sitting here in early September, we still haven't gotten into a bulk of our license sales yet. We tend to see license sales increase as it gets closer and closer, especially to firearm season. So we don't really have that prediction yet, but he's absolutely right. We saw an uptick in spring turkey license sales, we saw an uptick in fishing license sales. And I think the situation and the year everybody's having, I think people are finding solace in getting outdoors, and I think that's really important. 

Chad:
So the safe prediction is to continue to see a hunter decline that we've been seeing at a rate of about, probably, two to three percent every year, because we've been doing that for years. And every state's been seeing similar trends, but this year might be somewhat of an anomaly, and we might actually see a slight bump up in participation this year. That's probably not the reversal of a trend, it might just be, as I said, just this one blip of a year that is sort of unique in our lives. But I think most people would be happy to see a little bit more participation with deer hunting, and hopefully that doesn't translate to too much overcrowding on public lands. 

Holly:
Yeah, agreed. Another, I guess, kind of concern or an observation that's been voiced is that we have a lot of new users heading out this year, so new people that aren't necessarily used to the rules of sharing public land. Be mindful, be patient if there are new hunters that maybe don't understand quite how thing work if there's a rogue birder or something like that or biker or something that walks by your deer blind, try to be patient with all the mixed users this year and new users out there, too. So thinking about that, do you have any advice for first time hunters that might be heading into the woods for the first time this fall? 

Ashley:
Yeah. Definitely. I'm happy to take that one. I would say for first time deer hunters, it can be kind of intimidating, right? If you're headed out for the first time, it's kind of like if somebody said, "Hey, do you mind flying this plane really quick?" You're just not quite sure and you want to make sure you do everything right. And so, the first thing I would say to that is, well, congratulations for taking those steps to get ready to head out, but if you have a mentor, that can really, really help. Having someone that has gone out and done this before and kind of show you those ins and outs, even some of the norms in terms of hunting, can just really make it a much more enjoyable experience. I kind of think of it as the equivalent of a copilot. Wouldn't you feel so much better if someone did say, "Can you fly this plane really quick?," but you have someone right next to you that's like, "Hey, I'll help you out. No problem." You'll feel a lot better. So that would be the first thing, is hopefully you can identify someone as a mentor. 

Ashley:
Of course, also, you want to make sure that you have the equipment that you need to do that, and that you've actually practiced with that equipment. If you're headed out for the firearm season, you've sighted in your rifle, done a lot of target practice, things of that nature. And then, of course, you have the right amount of hunter orange, depending on, again, what season you're heading out for. The other thing I would say is scouting is a really great thing to be able to do. As Holly just mentioned, kind of heading out and finding a spot, especially if it's on public land. You might want to find a number of spots, because you could head out there opening day and somebody's right where you were hoping to be. That's just kind of how sometimes it goes on public land, so scouting and finding different areas that you can head to. Look for areas that deer are actually utilizing. Look for those producing oak trees, areas that deer are going to frequent. 

Ashley:
And if you need help doing that, if you don't just have public land right in your backyard, Mi-HUNT is a really good option. And so, if you just go to www.michigan.gov/mihunt, what that does is it basically shows you where the state land is around you, it actually shows you what is there in terms of the forest types, if there are openings there, the age of them, which can actually be really helpful, as well. So I would say utilize that as a resource. And then, of course, definitely, definitely, definitely, take a look at the Hunting and Trapping Digest. You want to know the rules and regulations for the season that you are participating in. And having a good grasp of that, it just gives you that much more confidence stepping out into the woods.

Ashley:
And finally, I would just leave it at, hopefully you just enjoy it. I mean, being outdoors and whether you see something or not, hopefully you do, it's a great experience, to be out there and just sort of reconnect with nature and slow things down. 

Holly:
And just to get back to your mention of being familiar with the hunting regulations, there have been some changes to the deer hunting regulations for this year. What are the biggest changes that hunters should be familiar with as they head out into the woods this fall? 

Chad:
I guess I'll start with that, Ashley, maybe you can build off anything that I miss, because there's quite a few changes. And just to provide some context, we made a lot of changes this year, primarily because we started looking at some long-term trends and, overall, we've seen that over the past 20 years, Michigan has lost almost 300,000 deer hunters. The regulations need to really change given that we're not working with the same group of individuals that we have even 20 years ago. And that combined with diseases on the landscape, whether it's CWD or TB and just how generally robust and resilient deer tend to be, especially in lower Michigan. We felt some changes were absolutely needed to maintain the level of harvest that we need for our hunters to manage deer. 

Chad:
So one of the biggest changes that we saw in the Lower Peninsula is that now, if you have either your deer or your combination license, you can now take an antlerless deer on those licenses during the firearms and muzzleloader season. Previously, you could do that with archery equipment during the archery season, but if you wanted to take an antlerless deer in firearms or muzzleloader season, throughout most of the Lower Peninsula, you had to have an antlerless license. And now you don't need to do that anymore, so it really provides a lot more flexibility and, quite frankly, value for your deer license and combination license. 

Chad:
Furthermore, if you're hunting with your deer or combination license, they are now eligible to be used in the early or late antlerless seasons, as well. Previously, again, if you wanted to participate in that season, you really needed an antlerless license, again, in most counties. Now, you don't need that anymore. If you decide to get a head start on antlerless harvest in the September early antlerless hunt, you can use one of your tags for your combination license and harvest a doe on that. And likewise, if you're unsuccessful in pursuing a buck, throughout the archery or firearms or muzzleloader season, that license or those tags sort of gain new life again to participate in the late antlerless season. So again, tremendous value and a lot more opportunity to pursue deer than what you've had in years past. So we think those are really interesting and, quite frankly, positive changes. 

Chad:
Another big change that we saw was that our muzzleloader season has changed, especially in southern Michigan. So if you're in the SLP, you pretty much enjoyed a 17 day season for a really long time, and that's been shortened now to just 10 days. And you haven't lost those seven days, they've just been replaced with late antlerless season opportunities. Now we have a muzzleloader season that's consistent from the UP, the northern lower, and the southern lower in terms of dates, opening and close dates. And late antlerless seasons that are now consistent with northern lower and southern lower. So we've expanded late antlerless opportunities in the northern lower and southern lower. And again, that's generally in direction with where we're trying to manage our deer herd and some of the trends that we've seen overall in harvest and hunter participation. 

Chad:
A third big one that we saw is that in southern Michigan, again, if you're participating in the muzzleloader season, it's now any legal firearm. So basically any legal firearms that are good for the firearm season will carry over through the muzzleloader season, so it essentially becomes, I guess, a second firearm season. And we've had that regulation in place in 19 different counties already, and we're able to look at some of the participation trends and harvest trends and, overall, we do tend to see a little bit more participation during those seasons. We tend to see a slight increase in antlerless harvest in the two years that we had that in place, we saw an increase in about 3,000 antlerless deer being harvested by hunters during that season. 

Chad:
Of course, that's not completely additive, because hunters previous success in archery and firearm season is going to influence that. And again, this is across 19 counties, so you're really looking at less than one antlerless deer per square mile at this point. So from a management standpoint, we really wanted to expand opportunities, especially for those who might not have a muzzleloader to purchase or own. And you're missing out on some really prime hunting days, so we felt that there was a really unique opportunity to expand that to be a little bit more inclusive to everybody without having certainly a negative impact or detrimental impact on the deer herd, just simply providing a lot more opportunities. Ashley, there's probably a few other things that you can think of that I haven't included in my rant here. 

Ashley:
Yeah. I'll just mention a couple. Related to the Lower Peninsula, the entire Lower Peninsula now is in the early and late antlerless firearm seasons, other than the islands, so that's just something to note, if you're in that area. Related to the Upper Peninsula, there's a regulation that was removed several years ago, commonly referred to as doe with a bow, but essentially this is the regulation that allows antlerless tag on your deer or combination license during the archery season. 

Ashley:
That regulation has been reinstituted in the Upper Peninsula with the exception of several DMUs in the western, northern portion of the Upper Peninsula. So this would be, some off the top of my head, 042066, 036, there's a few others and you'll definitely want to refer to the Hunting and Trapping Digest to figure out exactly those boundaries if you happen to be in one of those of even an adjacent one, so you know whether or not you have that option now. So I just wanted to mention that one.There are others, and so it is really important, again, I'll emphasize just looking at that Hunting and Trapping Digest, because as Chad mentioned, there were several changes this year. 

Holly:
Great. Thank you guys. We did a question on Facebook from Bill, wondering why we are letting everyone shoot a doe this year with their combination license. It's going to cut the population down to nothing in some spots and doesn't seem to be based on any scientific reasoning. Can you explain a little bit more why we're allowing for antlerless harvest with the combination license? 

Ashley:
Yeah, sure. And I think a lot of people have similar worries to that when they see that all of these people are able to take antlerless deer on these licenses. And so, I would first say that we would not put a regulation in place without really looking at the data and really understanding what the potential impacts of that might be. And so, that being said, we did look at the data and as it stands right now, less than 50% of hunters typically take a deer in a year, and there are a lot of areas that we would like to see harvest increase across much of the entire Lower Peninsula we could certainly see an increase in harvest and little to no population level impacts. Even though in some areas really that is desired, we would like to see populations come down. 

Ashley:
And so, the thought process we had behind that is knowing looking at the data that not that many people actually take advantage of harvesting antlerless deer. We wanted to make sure that those that wanted to had the opportunity, so recognizing that, unfortunately, we are losing hunters, and at a consistent rate and at a continued rate. This is not something that will be reversed. At this point, we're simply trying to slow it down. But we wanted to make sure that those hunters that are still afield have that opportunity during all the season that are available to them. We do think that's really important. 

Ashley:
Yes, we might see an increase in some areas, and again, this is likely areas where we want to see an increase. In no way shape or form do we actually feel that this will bring population levels down to anything below hunting capability or anything like that. If anything, we might see an increase in the harvest, but we probably won't necessarily see a decrease in the actual population. And Chad, I don't know if you want to add more. 

Chad:
Yeah, I mean, just to provide some context, over 20 years ago, we had almost 900,000 hunters in the state of Michigan, and that's necessitated the need to manage a little bit more carefully, because you're giving a lot more people the opportunity to take a deer. So we had restrictive lotteries, we had more restrictive seasons. And as you've seen over time, our hunter numbers continue to go down, and our hunter harvest has gone down, too. So when we had close to 900,000 deer hunters, we were also harvesting nearly 600,000 white-tailed deer in the state of Michigan. We fast forward ahead, in just 20 years time, we have about 550,000 deer hunters, so we've lost quite a few, and our deer harvest is probably around the 360, 370,000 range. We're harvesting nearly 200,000 deer less than what we were doing 20 years ago, and that's because we have fewer hunters. 

Chad:
And we know that those changes are occurring, so we have to be fluid with our regulations, as well. And we also anticipate we're going to continue to lose hunters over the next decade. We've seen the age structure of our deer hunters, the number of hunters that are leaving our sport because they're aging out are far greater than the ones that are coming into our sport. So we feel it's really important to provide a lot more flexibility with our licenses now, in terms of what can be used. And we do think that there's actually some potential really great management advantages to this, too. Where a hunter might be force to harvest, for instance, a younger buck later in the firearm season or the muzzleloader season, because that's the only thing that that deer is good for, I'm sorry, that license is good for, they now have an option to sort of switch over and harvest an antlerless deer. 

Chad:
So we can absolutely potentially see increases in our buck age structure by having some of these changes, a little bit more balance in our deer herd. And I think all of those things are desirable when you talk about overall management of this resource. 

Holly:
Also, we got another question, so I wanted to go back to talking about the doe with a bow in the western Upper Peninsula. We had a Facebook question from Trenton wondering why you can't shoot a doe with a bow in the western Upper Peninsula. Could you explain a little bit about why that change happened? 

Chad:
Yeah, sure. I'll start with this one. I guess it's important to understand how deer regulations are formed. Many people don't understand that the DNR does not create or develop the regulation, we do not have, actually, the final say in it. It's really a checks and balance system that we propose regulations to a group of individuals called the Natural Resources Commission and those are seven individuals who have been appointed by either previous or past governors and, essentially, what their responsibility is, is to take the information that the biologist or the agency bring forward and sort of weigh it against popular opinion and thoughts and try to meet in the middle in terms of authorizing overall regulations. So when we developed our regulations this year, we did recommend that antlerless deer be able to be taken across the Upper Peninsula with archery equipment and that was our original proposal. 

Chad:
And obviously, there were several individuals and groups that were opposed to that idea, spoke out against it. And ultimately, what transpired was an amendment that was created by our Natural Resources Commission that closed select units to archery harvest while opening others. So that's why you see some parts of the Upper Peninsula open for antlerless archery harvest, and other parts that are closed.

Holly:
And so what was the big concern for commissioners, for closing those specific DMUs? Was it related to weather or something else?

Ashley:
I can take that one. So if you look at the deer management units, specifically, that are closed, they encompass part of what is known as a high snowfall zone and part of the medium snowfall zone. So these are areas, you can kind of infer what they're called, that tend to get the most snow in the Upper Peninsula. The big driver of the UP deer herd is winter. And so, I think the major concern was that deer populations in that area are not able to support additional antlerless harvest due to potential winter weather conditions that could arise. 

Hannah:
Great. Thank you guys. We appreciate you elaborating a little bit more of our listeners on that one. 

Rachel:
All right, we also had another Facebook question come in and this is about the popular topic baiting. Is the baiting ban still in place? Are there any places where you can bait? Or are there exemptions to the bans in some areas?

Ashley:
Yeah, I can take that one. Yes, the baiting ban is still in place across the entire Lower Peninsula. However, there are exemptions to that. If you qualify for the Liberty or the Independence Hunts, essentially, if you are a hunter with a disability that qualifies under those hunts you are allowed to bait during those seasons and five days prior to that. You would, of course, have to follow all the rules associated with baiting, so no more than two gallons, 10 by 10 area. And so, for this year, for example, if you qualify to participate in those hunts during the Liberty Hunt, baiting would begin September 7th and conclude on the 13th. For the Independence Hunt, baiting would begin October 10th and conclude on the 18th. 

Ashley:
In the Upper Peninsula, baiting is still allowed, except for the CWD core area, which is part of Delta, Dickinson, and Menominee County. And again, you'll want to refer to your Hunting and Trapping Digest to see exactly where those boundary lines are. And in the UP you do, of course, have to follow baiting rules. So again, no more than two gallons, 10 by 10 area, as well.

Rachel:
Thank you. And I'm sure this is a question you guys get often, will we ever all be able to bait again?

Chad:
Yeah, that's a great question. And, again, we don't have a crystal ball, but I'll be honest and say that I don't foresee a recommendation from our agency coming forward with the allowance to bait. We feel that some of the diseases that we have in our state, chronic wasting disease, bovine tuberculosis, they're both transmissible disease, they're both in two, right now, unique parts of the Lower Peninsula and we continue to maintain that baiting is going to facilitate and expedite the spread of transmission in those locales, especially between family groups that utilize those food resources, primarily because you're continuing to replenish food over and over again, and that's going to continue to alter deer movement and behavior and bring animals into much closer contact than what they would normally have in a natural setting. 

Chad:
We feel that both of those diseases are incredibly important in the state from a management perspective, and again, I do not see a scenario where we would recommend back tracking on that recommendation. That being said, regulations can be changed or occur differently to our proposals through several different avenues. So to say that that will or won't happen is really anybody's guess at this point. 

Rachel:
Another Facebook question we had from Derek, why can't we move the firearm opener to a different date? Is it because the November 15th is based in tradition? Is there a reason? 

Ashley:
Yes, there is. I would say it is a long standing tradition, that is very true. However, that does not mean that the agency hasn't considered moving it before. A lot of people have suggested things like a Saturday opener, or just some other timeframe. And so, how we have handled that in the past is we've asked hunters, "Do you want this moved?," and given them different options that they can select. And every survey we have taken, there has been an overwhelming majority, over 80%, which to get a single group to agree to that, is pretty remarkable. And so, over 80% that have said, "Keep it November 15 through the 30th." 

Ashley:
And so, hearing that, knowing that we don't have any biological concerns from that perspective and knowing that that truly is what the majority of what hunters wanted, that's why it has remained in place. So not to say, again, that we wouldn't consider something like changing that, but it seems that hunters really want that to stay as it is. 

Rachel:
In addition to the 2020 deer regulation changes, the DNR also recently announced that there will be some fairly major changes to deer check stations and CWD testing this fall. So what can people expect?

Chad:
Yeah, that's a great question. Obviously, with the circumstance through this year and moving forward with, again, we keep harping on declining numbers, which also means declining license sales, which means declining ability to do some of the things that we've traditionally done. This year, we're going to have to institute some changes, especially with deer check. So, obviously, first and foremost this year is some of the concerns regarding congregating people around check stations. And if you've ever been to a check station, they're really fantastic to be at, you get a lot of people and interaction. I know a lot of staff really enjoy working them, and unfortunately, things are going to have to look a little bit different this year. 

Chad:
So we strategically will be cutting down the locations and the hours of operations where you can get your gear checked, as well as the dates being operated. Unfortunately, these are changes that were sort of necessitated with the situation that we're currently dealing with in the state. But long-term, that's probably also going to be the norm, as well, as we continue to have reduced funding. We'll continue to certainly prioritize the data as much as possible, to collect it in terms of informing management, and certainly continuing to operate or conduct some sort of disease surveillance, because that's obviously important to know the status of these diseases in Michigan. But things are just simply going to have to be looking a little different moving forward. 

Chad:
That being said, we will be prioritizing disease surveillance quite a bit this year. So we'll still continue to operate check stations, provided we're continued to allowed to do that. In the northeast for TV surveillance in select areas where CWD surveillance is a priority, places like Dickinson County, southern Isabella, and western Gratiot County, southern Jackson County, all of those areas we've identified chronic wasting disease, but we don't have quite enough samples yet to maintain the level of confidence in terms of what we're really dealing with. And then, additionally, we typically will continue to provide service testing in select locations where CWDs previously been identified. But we've tested a lot of deer there and we kind of know what we're dealing with.

Chad:
So places like, obviously the core areas of Montcalm and Kent County, parts of Ionia, and Clinton and Ingham County, I'm sure I'm missing a few others like Eaton County. But we'll continue to do some surveillance on a limited basis in some of those areas, as well. 

Rachel:
So in light of some of these changes that you had just mentioned there has been some criticism from hunters that these reductions might mean that the DNR doesn't care about CWD anymore, and that it might not just be as big of a threat to the deer herd as we initially stated. What would you guys say to that?

Ashley:
Yeah. I think that's certainly a fair question. I'm sure, from the outside looking in, people can kind of wonder what's going on. We're saying we're going to test less, we're shrinking down carcass restriction areas, but I think the most important thing is, yes, it's absolutely of major importance and priority for our agency, and yes, we do believe it is a threat to the deer herd. At this point in time, there is no cure nor anything on the horizon in terms of a cure for chronic wasting disease. And so, for us, it is all about trying to slow the spread. But the thing that's really important to keep in mind about disease is that it's a learning process. And so, starting in 2015, when we first discovered it, we've learned a lot in five years. First and foremost, we had to learn at what point are we in the disease? Is it established? Where is it? I think that was probably the core question and one that we're still trying to figure out. We have a pretty good idea, as you've seen in terms of the carcass restriction area of Montcalm and parts of Kent County. 

Ashley:
But as Chad mentioned, and where we're trying to get surveillance, these are areas where we are very concerned and we want to see has the disease spread to this area? So that's a huge component with any disease. You have to adapt and adjust as you learn things. I mean, obviously, we can look at what's happening in our own society right now with this pandemic and the things that have changed and adjusted just in a very short amount of time. And so, it's definitely still a priority, but again, we have to learn as we go. And so, unfortunately, the other thing is, we don't have endless resources, as Chad mentioned. And so, we really do have to prioritize the areas that from a surveillance and management perspective, we need to know more about. 

Chad:
Yeah, I'll add on. I think Ashley made some great points there. But so much of it is really balancing the risk and the need within our capacity, as well. It's the same reason why I don't have 60 inch flat screen TVs in every room in my house. It's beyond my capacity, and some of the work that we've been doing in terms of surveillance has really been above our capacity. In a perfect world, we would test every deer that's harvested in Michigan for CWD and TB, but we certainly do not have the resources to test 360,000 deer for either of those diseases. It just simply is not in the cards. So with that, we're building on our surveillance history that's occurred over time. And as we gain more information out of areas due to that previous history, we reallocate those resources into new priority areas. And obviously, TB is continuing to be a priority that has, obviously, important agricultural interest, as well. 

Chad:
CWD is certainly just as important from a deer resource standpoint. But because we've done so much work over the past few years, we really have a good idea what's occurring in many counties. Now we're starting to shift focus and priority and resources into some areas that our surveillance levels are a little bit less. So we're prioritizing some of those areas while still maintaining some level of service with those other previous areas, because we know it's important for hunters to get their deer tested and want to know the status of their deer that they harvest. And I think that really underlies the importance of trying to maintain the disease at locations where it already exists and try to prevent expansion. Because it is a concern for a lot of people, and eventually, it's going to overtake the amount of resources, not only within our state but other states, as well, and that certainly has the ability to put off a lot of hunters into pursing deer, and that's, obviously, not what we're trying to accomplish. 

Rachel:
One last question for you regarding testing, now if there are hunters who are really concerned about feeding a deer to their family without having it CWD tested, are there options for them if they DNR testing isn't available?

Chad:
Yeah. And I don't know where we're at in the back and forth, so I'll start with this Ashley, and feel free to correct me. Yeah, again, it's important we know that our capacity is limited in how many deer we can test this year and probably moving forward. But we wanted to try to strike up some relationships with some private labs, so we'll be putting a lot of information out, I both at our CWD and our deer website. So if you go to www.mi.gov/cwd or mi.gov./deer, there should be resources on either site that can direct you to a private lab where, unfortunately, you would have to cover some of the expenses for that testing, but it would remain an option and would certainly give you the status of the deer that you harvested, in terms of whether or not you want to make the decision to feed that animal to your family or not. 

Chad:
And it is important to reiterate that that is, obviously, sort of one of the biggest concerns about CWD the potential for that. I would not feel comfortable feeding a CWD positive animal to my family. However, that link has never been proven to be strongly identified. What I mean is, that link from a positive CWD animal affecting a human. That's an ongoing area of research. It is important to know that, and I certainly understand the concern and can appreciate those concerns that many would have, because I have the same ones. But it important to sort of underscore that that link has never truly made that connection yet, though it is obviously very important. 

Hannah:
So just to reiterate for our listeners, people who want to learn more about CWD testing options and deer regulations those websites are: michigan.gov/cwd and michigan.gov/deer. And at the michigan.gov/deer you can also find the electronic version of our Hunting Digest and find all of those handy dandy deer regulations if you want to review those before heading out this fall.

Holly:
Absolutely. One thing I did want to mention before we close out today in relation to Digest is that we did print many fewer Digests this year, and so it might be tricky for you to find a print version of a Digest. And again, this is due to budget being tight due to COVID-19 and the other challenges that we've had this year within the state. If you can, grab an electronic copy of the digest. You can download it right to your phone and you can find instructions, how to do that, at michigan.gov/dnrdigest. And you can just download it right to your phone, you don't need internet to access it, you have it at your fingertips all the time, if you need to check a regulation while you're out in the field. So it's a really good option for you to have it with you all the time. 

Holly:
I want to say thank you to all of you for being here today, this was so much fun, and we really appreciate your knowledge and sharing that knowledge with our deer hunters. To everyone out there, have an awesome and safe deer season and we're really grateful for you, for our hunters. Thanks everybody. 

Chad:
Thanks, Hol. Good luck this year. 

Ashley:
Thank you. 

Announcer:
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Hannah:
Welcome back. Now it is time for us to answer your questions from our mailbag. Rebecca wanted to know if her 16 year old daughter who is hunter safety certified has to harvest a buck that complies with the antler point restrictions. And so, mentored youths, ages nine and younger, junior license holders, so those age 10 to 16, and apprentice license holders, are exempt from antler point restrictions in all seasons, in all deer management units, and under all types of licenses that these folks would have. And that includes both the regular and restricted tags on the deer combo license. 

Hannah:
And please be aware, if you are a youth hunter and you're 16 but you turn 17 during the season or just before it, at that point, then you must follow antler point restrictions. So if you're 17 years of age of older, you do have to follow antler point restrictions no matter if you had the junior license earlier and are still using that. Once you turn 17, those antler point restrictions are in effect. 

Rachel:
All right. As we zip this segment to a close, remember if you have questions about wildlife or hunting you can call 517-284-WILD or email dnr-wildlife@michigan.gov. Your questions could be featured on the mailbag. 

Announcer:
Did you know that Michigan is the number one state in the nation for woodcock harvest, with excellent habitat for woodcock, ruffed grouse and more? Visit michigan.gov/hunting and start planning your bang up fall quest for upland game birds. 

Rachel:
Bat week is October 24th through the 31st every year. Fall is a fun time to celebrate bats and the important roles they play in our ecosystems. You'll likely see a lot of spooky decorations this month, some of those may include bats. 

Hannah:
And, and I'm sure many of our longtime listeners are aware, I really love bats and find them fascinating. I don't think they're spooky at all. In fact, I think they're pretty cute, especially the handsome red bat we talked about earlier this episode. Bat week is a great time to spread the word about these fascinating flying mammals and how important they are to Michigan's ecosystems. 

Rachel:
Here in Michigan, you can find nine different species of bats. The bats that are found here are insectivores, meaning they eat insects. Moths, beetles, flies, stinkbugs, and yes, even some mosquitoes are common prey items. Many of the insects bats eat are considered pests to people, causing crop damage or other problems, so they seem like they're pretty helpful to have around. Bats play an important role in controlling these insect populations. 

Hannah:
Absolutely. They are handy critters to have about. Bats depend on a variety of different habitat types. For example, some bats prefer roosting in trees during the summer months, and others might depend on very specific conditions in places such as caves or mines for hibernation throughout the winter months. We work to maintain different types of forest habitats across the state as well as protecting some known hibernacula or hibernation sites that are found throughout Michigan. 

Rachel:
Many bats here in Michigan and across North America face severe declines due to white-nose syndrome a disease that typically causes issues during hibernation and disrupts bats, causing them to use up fat reserves before spring, when insects are once again plentiful. We've been working with partner agencies and researchers to learn more about the disease and find ways to mitigate its impacts to bats. 

Hannah:
Yes. And in some past episodes, we've talked about bats and white-nose syndrome in a little more detail. I believe a past episode we've even had an interview topic about it. So be sure to check out some of our past episodes about bats, if you want to learn a little bit more about some of the research projects and efforts to conserve bats here in Michigan, as well as learn a little bit more about white-nose syndrome. 

Hannah:
Some ways that you can help bats are by maintaining bat habitat in and around your property, such as trees with loose bark, which make perfect roosting spots for a lot of species having that loose scrappy bark for them to crawl underneath and hide. Again, our bats here in Michigan aren't very big, so they don't need a huge space to roost in. And those trees should preferably be near water where aquatic insects can be found, because that's where bats are going to find a bulk of their food. You can also help bats by following any mine closures. And if you do visit a cave or mine, follow decontamination guidelines for your gear to reduce the potentia spread of the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome to other locations. 

Rachel:
Well, you can help spread the word on the important role bats play in Michigan's ecosystems and learn more about Michigan's bats by visiting michigan.gov/bats. Thanks for tuning in to another episode of Wildtalk podcast, we will see you back here in November. 

Announcer:
This has been the Wildtalk podcast, your monthly podcast airing the first of each month and offering insights into the world of wildlife across the state of Michigan. You can reach the wildlife division at 517-284-9453 or dnr-wildlife@michigan.gov.