Hannah:
Welcome.

Rachel:
Hello. I thought you want me leading.

Hannah:
Lead us then.

Announcer:
You know what that sound means. It's time for the Michigan DNRs Wildtalk Podcast. Welcome to the Wildtalk Podcast where representatives from the DNRs 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.

Hannah:
Welcome to Wildtalk. I'm Hannah Schauer and hosting with me this episode are Rachel Leitner and Holly Vaughn. Welcome ladies.

Rachel:
Hi Hannah.

Holly:
Hi Hannah.

Rachel:
This episode we'll be joined by Sarah Cummins and Krista Hubbard, members from the policy and regulation unit to give us an overview of how regulation setting process works.

Hannah:
And we'll be answering your questions from the mailbag, but first we'll kick things off with what's happening around the state.

Announcer:
Are you looking for some last minute gifts or stocking stuffers for those special hunters in your life? Do you want to see smiles wider than the rack of a monster elk on Christmas morning? Then buy them some entries for the DNRs pure Michigan hunt, and let visions of a $4,000 hunting prize package and hunting licenses for elk, bear, spring and fall turkey, annulus deer and first pick at a managed waterfowl hunt area dance to their heads. Forget about the sugar plums and visit mi.gov/pmh or your local hunting license retailer to buy.

Hannah:
Well, right. It's time for some updates on what's going on in the wildlife division around the state. Let's start in the Southwestern portion. Rachel, what do you have for us?

Rachel:
Southwest is in the grips of deer season. Our staff have been braving the cold to me and deer check stations and talk with hunters and we have tested several hundred deer and several of those areas have already reached their sample quotas that were initially established to determine the prevalence of chronic wasting disease in those areas.

Rachel:
If you're curious what your deer management unit sample quota is, you can find that map and those numbers at michigan.gov/cwd and you can see if the area you're hunting in still needs sample submitted. If you're from Isabella, Gresha or Jackson County or from the CWD surveillance area in the UP we most likely needed your heads to contribute towards our sample goals so please continue to submit your heads.

Rachel:
Also, our Southwest staff and some of our awesome partners in conservation have held several learn to hunt events across the region, the spa. A lady pheasant hunt, a youth pheasant hunt and the pheasant hunting initiative event all drew dozens of hunters of all ages and provided a full day of mentorship, equipment safety, guided hunts, and lessons on field dressing and how to prepare your wild game. Each event was really unique and based on all the smiles that went around, I would say that each were a great success.

Rachel:
Also, over at the Berry state game area, there is some construction going on and official shooting range is going to be built in a new location on the game area and it will include multiple berms and be equipped with shooting benches and sound dampening structures to reduce the noise impacting the surrounding areas. They're currently in the beginning stages of construction and just broke ground a few weeks ago, so if you see some trees being cut or big equipment in the area, they are just clearing out a new space for the range to be.

Hannah:
Very cool. That sounds like a neat project to have going on?

Rachel:
Absolutely.

Hannah:
All right. Holly, what about in the Southeast region?

Holly:
As you know, the name of the game is waterfowl in the Southeast, and there are still great opportunities to harvest ducks and geese in the Southeast region. The regular waterfowl season continues until December eighth and then there's an additional weekend for duck and goose hunting December 28th and 29th.

Holly:
Diving duck's like scopp, canvasbacks, redheads, buffalo heads, goldeneye, tend to move into the big waters of Lake St. Claire in Western, like airy, in late November and early December. So head out for some layout hunting or sneak hunting on the big waters this December. We also want to remind you that deer check stations are open and available to take your deer. To find hours, check out mi.gov/deercheck and like Rachel mentioned earlier, there are locations where we still need samples and in the Southeast, that's Jackson County.

Holly:
So if you harvest a deer this December in Jackson County, bring it out to one of our tech stations. So we can help meet that big quota that we have. I think we need something like 2,500 deer from Jackson County. So come on out, bring us your head, especially if you're hunting in Jackson County.

Holly:
We also want to remind everyone that a special urban archery deer hunt will take place throughout the month of January in Oakland, Macomb, and Wayne counties. So now's the time to prepare and get your archery skills on point. This hunt is open on public and private lands that are in areas open to hunting. And in urban areas, there are a lot of areas that are not open to hunting, but this particular hunt is an opportunity for municipalities to open places like city parks or Metro parks for archers to go in and try to reduce urban deer herds.

Holly:
So this is a unique opportunity for cities that manage their urban deer problems and reduce those deer herds. So please contact your local municipality to determine if there are special hunting opportunities available for this archery season. And of course our state game areas in those counties are always open for hunting during that archery season.

Hannah:
All right, so lots more deer hunting opportunities and waterfowl hunting opportunities continuing through this month and into January. It sounds like.

Holly:
You bet.

Hannah:
Alrighty, we're moving Northward now. Rachel, what is going on in the Northern lower region?

Rachel:
Well, speaking of deer season, while most of us are in full deer hunting mode, the Northern lower is gearing up for an additional hunting season for a much bigger animal. The coveted December elk hunt opening up on December 14th the winter elk hunt will take place in the Northeast section of the state. 100 extremely lucky hunters who essentially hit the hunting lottery, will embark on their hunts and hopes of bagging their prize, Michigan elk. So good luck to all of our hunters who are listening and to our DNR staff who will be spending some really chilly days outside working it out, check.

Hannah:
Great. I'll be excited to see photos from all of those December elk hunts that are happening. All right, so finally, Holly, what updates do you have for us from the upper peninsula?

Holly:
Well, the arrival of snow and cold temperatures, Harold's a time of difficulty for upper Michigan deer and some of our upper Peninsula locations have just been hammered so far this year with snow. So looks like it's going to be quite a season for snowfall up there in the UP. Deep snow restricts deer movement and inhibits their ability to seek food. And in many locations, deer must abandon the range that they occupy through the spring and fall and migrate to landscapes dominated by conifer cover. These landscapes are called deer wintering complexes or deer yards, and those conifers provide nice thermal cover for those deer and also food during the winter.

Holly:
So the depth and duration of snow cover has a larger impact on the size and trend of the UP deer herd than almost any other factor. Deep snow that persists for many months can cause widespread mortality of funds that are eight to 11 months old because their fat reserves and body stature are sometimes insufficient to withstand the rigors of winter. Even adult dose can be negatively impacts, sometimes giving birth to Fonds that are too small to thrive or are easy prey for predatory animals.

Holly:
The wildlife division has formally monitored winter impacts on deer since 1964. When legendary deer researcher Louis Vern developed the Winter Severity Index. His system required weekly measurements of snow depth, compaction and air chill at 10 sites across the UP. In 2004 the UP region transitioned to a simpler system involving weekly measurements of snow depth only at 15 sites. Beginning last fall, technical logical innovations in meteorology resulted in the UP adopting an entirely new system of monitoring winter impacts on deer.

Holly:
So the new system currently in use makes use of snow data assimilation system data that's downloaded from the national snow and ice data center. This is a broad scale data set based on one kilometer grid cells that are monitored daily via remote sensing and ground station measurements. UP wildlife staff prepare a weekly map of snow coverage and depth across the region from this snow depth data. Included with the map is a statement of UP average snow depth that week compared to the 2004 to 2018 average and the accumulated number of days with snow depth greater than 12 inches, again compared to the 2004 to 2018 average. 12 inches is significant because it's a depth that typically hampers the mobility of deer.

Holly:
Monitoring of snow accumulation, provides information to accomplish these important functions to communicate to DNR staff and the public, the winter severity as it progresses, to monitor snow triggers for authorizing Southern UP, supplemental deer feeding permit issuance, and predicting the impact of winter weather on the next falls deer population.

Hannah:
All right, so a lot of good information about the winter weather impacts from that.

Holly:
It's going to be a cold and snowy on Hannah.

Hannah:
Yes, indeed. All right. That's all from around the state. Next we'll be talking with Sarah Cummins and Krista Hubbard, so stick around.

Announcer:
A base license for $11 is a fair affair to go hunt hair, or even a squirrel to two, if you care. You hunted a deer last month, the lessons is already there, so no more money from your pocket or your billfold square. To get your share of squirrel or hair to eat yourself or share with flare and fanfare with a nice set of flatware at a table you prepare, just bundle up warm with something to wear and don't miss when you shoot or your labral to swear and possibly despair if you see no more signs of hide nor hair. So happy hunting to all and y'all take care.

Holly:
Welcome back to Wildtalk. Today we're joined in the studio by two wonderful ladies. We've got Sarah Cummins with us and also Krista Hubbard. So let's start with Sarah. Sarah, can you tell us a little bit about what you do for the DNR?

Sarah:
Absolutely. I am the policy regulations unit manager. I really feel like I have a fantastic role here at the wildlife division. I get to work with a lot of great specialists and subject matter experts who have a lot of interesting information about our wildlife in Michigan. I also get to work with our natural resources commission who are another group of excellent individuals who care very passionately about our state, and I get to work with other resource divisions throughout our department and ensuring that our policy and regulations are meeting the needs of our people.

Holly:
All right. Thanks Sarah. Krista, what about you? Who are you? What do you do for the wildlife division?

Krista:
Yeah, so I am the policy and regulations analyst, and I get to work with our species specialist in developing wildlife conservation orders and policies for the wildlife division. And I feel like I am... I love my job and I get to work with very passionate people who do have a very big interest in wildlife and I am happy to be here today.

Holly:
Awesome. Well we're very glad to have both of you here in the studio. Sarah, back to you. So what drew you into the field of natural resources, policy and regulations?

Sarah:
So I started out my career focused much more in corporate communications and as an editor and I ended up doing a lot of standards and regulation writing for the security and technology industry. that was an interesting role and I enjoyed it immensely. But when I found out that the department of natural resources was looking for someone in their wildlife division to focus on some of those similar topics of standards and regulations, but with a focus on wildlife, I was really interested.

Sarah:
I've always been passionate about our state. I'm from a family of avid outdoors people. I grew up harvesting animals and processing them in our house. And so I was very interested when I found out that there was a position open here and I was very fortunate to have been selected as an analyst who was working on policy and regulations almost a decade ago in that timeframe. Since then, I got my master's degree in public administration so that I could be even more effective in this process setting, and I am very happy to be here and I hope to be here for many years to come.

Holly:
Awesome. What about you Krista? What got you excited and inspired about natural resources' policy?

Krista:
So I went to MSU and I graduated in 2014 and I do have a degree in environmental studies and Agri science with a concentration in science and policy and a specialization in science technology, environment and public policy. And in the beginning at MSU I didn't know what I wanted to do but I knew I wanted to do something with environmental policy. And so I actually applied for the Demmer Scholars Program through MSU and that was an internship based out of Washington DC and I was a policy intern for the US composting council.

Krista:
And so that was a really great experience getting to learn the nonprofit organizations and how they work in DC, and I also learned a lot about the federal, what feds do for natural resources. And then after that internship I came back and my senior year, I loved the Demmer Program so much that MSU actually did a Glass and Scholars program, and that focused on natural resources' policy in Michigan.

Krista:
So I applied for that and I was placed in the wildlife division as a student assistant working on policy and regulations. And so after that internship was over, I was fortunate enough to stay on as a student assistant. And then I actually got to work for the legislative and legal affairs office in the executive division working on legislative matters. I'm being the legislative assistant and doing bill analysis and shepherding that process. And then I got hired on full time as the policy and regulations unit analyst and I've been here since, so I've been here for about five years.

Hannah:
It's great that you both have so much background in the policy and regulations setting, and we were hoping to chat a little bit more in detail for our listeners about what some of the different avenues are in which a regulation change could get proposed.

Krista:
All right. So there are actually a few ways that a regulation can be proposed. And the first way is that we have our species specialist who work with department field staff and stakeholders and work groups, and the public to identify some regulatory issues and they thoroughly research and discuss them in preparation for an advance of natural resources commission meetings.

Krista:
So we do have a multi year regulations cycle that were set by the DNR and the NRC back in 2014 and that just basically means that the regulations are on different yearly cycles. For example, the elk regulations are on a two year cycle and the regulations are up for information to the NRC in March of 2020. So over the last two years, department staff had been working on developing proposed regulations with stakeholders and field staff. So once those recommendations are thoughtfully put together, our species specialist work with our unit at least two months in advance of the NRC meetings to develop a memorandum and a wildlife conservation order amendment on those proposed changes.

Krista:
The memorandum includes the pros and cons, biological, social and economic impacts of those proposed regulations. And so those regulations are posted on the NRC agenda and the species specialists will prepare a presentation to give to the NRC when the proposed order is up for information. And the public also has the opportunity to comment on those proposed regulations as well.

Holly:
So maybe we should back up for just a minute here and define for our listeners like what is the natural resources commission? Who are they?

Sarah:
The natural resources commission is a seven member advisory body that is appointed by the governor. Their appointments are actually scattered so they are not all appointed at once, so it changes just by a couple of members every few years. They are citizens of Michigan representing different areas of our wonderful state and they have an interest in natural resources but are not necessarily natural resources professionals. So the scientific information, that professional standpoint really comes from our department and they really represent the citizens of our state and their various regions.

Sarah:
At this time we do have seven members. We have a chairperson and the chairperson communicates very closely with the department. They are part of the agenda setting process. They bring requests directly to our department in terms of information gathering. They support other avenues such as when we had our CWD symposium. They're very active in all of those kinds of processes as well. They are legislatively given the authority to regulate method and manner of take when it comes to game animals and they do take that authority with the passionate and interest that we would all hope that an appointee would.

Holly:
We talked a little bit, some of the steps that some of those proposed regulations would go through. I'm curious, like if you wanted to propose or thought there should be a change, what avenues might you go through to get that done?

Sarah:
There are also other avenues that a person could approach as well. So that would be specifically fallen in within our regulations cycle. So if you contacted our organization, we would point you to the appropriate subject matter experts. Sometimes there are topics that wouldn't fit neatly in with something like deer hunting regulations. Like maybe, it's something related to equipment that would be on a broader scale and use.

Sarah:
In those cases, those conversations might take place with some of our law enforcement officers. They might take place at the executive level, they might be part of emails or phone calls that are sent into our department. And we try to be very conscious of making sure that those kinds of inquiries are passed along to our natural resources commission.

Sarah:
They also have their contact information available on our website. If you went to www.mi.gov/nrc, you could get all of their information there as well. So there are other avenues for having your information heard. You can also come to a natural resources commission meeting and give public comment and make requests directly there as well.

Holly:
Great. So lots of different ways to go about making suggestions or comments about regulations. What considerations or review do those changes go through? Like the proposed changes? Like what considerations do our staff look at?

Krista:
So they look at what issues could come about. So pros and cons, they really do look at the biological issues, the social issues and the economic issues. And we do put that into our memorandums for our wildlife conservation order amendments. And so we do work closely with our law enforcement division and our executive staff to make sure that those issues are well-vetted through the regulatory process.

Rachel:
So Krista, you mentioned setting elk regulations and certain regulations cycles. Could you expand a little bit more on maybe the intricacies or specifically how proposed regulations become set regulations?

Krista:
Yeah, of course. So our elk regulations are on a two year cycle and they will be up for information in March of 2020. And so over the past two years, our specialists and department staff have been working with stakeholders and work groups and hunters on developing these regulatory recommendations.

Krista:
So two months prior to the NRC meeting where the order would be posted for information, all of those regulations are vetted to me and I work with the specialist in order to develop the memorandum and the wildlife conservation order amendment. And so we work for about a month on getting that order prepared and making sure it goes through our full departmental review process.

Krista:
And then that order, once the order is finalized, it goes for executive signing through department divisions. And so once that order is signed by our divisions, it gets posted for information to the NRC agenda. So that order will be posted on the March NRC agenda for information. And at the March meeting, our specialists will present those regulatory recommendations to the NRC, and it also provides the opportunity for public to come and give public comment on those regulations. And once that is discussed during the policy committee on wildlife and fisheries at the NRC meeting, there will be a full discussion on it.

Krista:
And then once there's public comment, the NRC and the department take those regulatory recommendations into consideration. And then that order is then posted for action to the NRC the following month. So the elk order will be up for action at the April NRC meeting. And once it's up for action, the NRC will vote on those regulations and the order can either be approved and not be approved, tabled or amended, and there needs to be a majority vote from the commission. And once the order is posted for action, the NRC will take action.

Rachel:
So suppose someone has some questions or concerns about these proposed regulations. Is there only time to comment on those at the NRC meetings when they're up for debate?

Krista:
No. So the public can, once the order's posted on the agenda, the agenda usually comes out three weeks prior to the NRC meeting. And the public can contact our natural resources commission assistant and they can... Or they can email the NRC on. You know what they would like to say. They don't necessarily have to speak at the NRC meeting. They can always email, they can call the NRC assistant and she will pass along what those comments are. So they don't have to come to the NRC meeting to give public input.

Holly:
So after all this regulation setting process occurs, then who has the final say on whether a regulation becomes law that is enforceable?

Krista:
So a statute actually gives the NRC the exclusive authority to regulate the taking of game, which would include hunting with any weapon, equipment or the use of dogs. So in addition, the NRC also has the authority to regulate baiting and feeding of deer and antler point restrictions. So that's delegated by the natural resources and environmental protection act.

Krista:
And so also that act gives the department the authority to manage animals and write orders, which includes bag limits, special licenses and discounts, the transportation and possession of game. And the statute also gives the department and the NRC the authority to establish orders like the wildlife conservation order.

Sarah:
And so one of the things that you'll see if look up any of our wildlife conservation order memorandums and amendment is that it is signed by the director of our department and also the chairperson of the natural resources commission. And that's really because we follow the open meetings process. So we deliberate in front of a public forum and we work on those regulatory changes together.

Sarah:
So in areas where it is director's authority, we take advisement from the natural resources commission and where it is natural resources commission authority, they take advisement from the department of natural resources. So that's why you'll see in those orders that there is a signature from both the natural resources commission and the department because those are worked out together.

Holly:
So every once in a while we'd get these proposals, they circumvent the NRC and the department and they go straight to the legislature. Like for example, it seems like every couple of years we have a bill up for action. Is that the right word? We have a bill up for action that wants to change the date of the opening day of firearm deer season. Walk us through the steps that a bill would have to take in order to be put into law.

Sarah:
So we have a legislative and legal affairs division of our department and they have excellent personnel who spend a lot of time communicating with our elected officials and following the different kinds of bills that are introduced. And any time they have a natural resources related topic that staff will ensure that the bill is passed along to the correct division and subject matter experts.

Sarah:
And so if it's related to wildlife or hunting, the first day of hunting season, that would come over to us and we would review what the legislation says and we would actually do an analysis of that proposed legislation. In that case we would include in our analysis any of the survey data we have from our customers regarding opening day, the success rates of our deer hunters over the last few years. The amount of time that our deer hunters spend in field. We would work with our statisticians to accumulate that information and also our people who work on human dimensions, and of course, our deer program specialist as well.

Sarah:
And so we put together some very specific information regarding any data or information we have on whether or not changing that date would be well received or be successful for our citizens. And then we make a recommendation to the administration whether or not they should oppose support or stay neutral on that particular bill. And so those recommendations are done under a pretty specific process. We have a template that we fill out and then the executive office makes some further suggestions for those analysis. And then eventually that could go back to the legislature's or it could go to the governor's office for more information setting. It's basically our role to inform those decisions and make sure that our elected officials all have the best scientific data available.

Sarah:
I'd like to add that we do really encourage stakeholders and citizens and hunters and conservationists to get involved in the process. These meetings take place once a month. There are always really interesting topics on our agendas. We have so many passionate community members that it's always wonderful to have them come and attend and give public testimony and comment. In addition, when there are committees that are meeting over at the legislative office, those meetings are also open to the public and people can certainly come and give their opinions as well.

Sarah:
So I do encourage anyone who has questions or concerns or interest in that to look on our website or the agendas in the past minutes and presentations that are given at the natural resources commission meetings. In addition that you can always contact the wildlife division if you have an interest in what we think about any bills or policies that are being proposed. The executive office and all of our other divisions would also be happy to respond to topics that are related to their work as well.

Holly:
That's really good advice, Sarah, and it's a great way for conservationists to really come together, and provide feedback and also be involved in the stewardship of our natural resources here in Michigan. So very good ladies. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us and for taking the time to be here with us today. Stick around. Next up we're going to answer your questions from the mailbag.

Announcer:
The wetland wonders challenge started October 12 and runs through February, 10 2020. Winners take home a duck hunting prize package, including a $500 gift card for duck hunting gear, a custom zinc duck call, a Yeti water bottle, and a golden ticket. Good for one first choice fit getting non reserved managed area drawings. He must fund at least three of the seven areas to qualify, but each additional area you visit get you another entry. Visit michigan.gov/wetland wonders for more info.

Hannah:
Welcome back to Wildtalk. Now it is time for Rachel, Holly and I to dig into your questions from our mailbag. Rachel, how about you kick us off?

Rachel:
Sure. So Charlotte wrote to us inquiring about her portable deer blind on public land, and she was curious when she needed to remove her portable ground line from the state game area she was hunting on. And there is a specific date. So deer hunters may place their constructed ground blinds on all zone one and zone two public lands, but they do need to be removed by the end of the annual deer season.

Rachel:
So any constructed blinds and that includes portable ground blinds as well that are found on public land after the annual deer season will be considered abandoned. So if you've got a ground blind out there, just be sure to remove it after the last day of deer season this year.

Holly:
And what about blinds up in trees? Are there different rules for that?

Rachel:
There are different rules. So those can actually stay a little bit longer. Those scaffolds, raised platforms, ladder steps, or any other devices to assist in climbing a tree, those have to be removed from public lands sites by March 1st. So if you put a tree stand up and public land you have a little bit more time before you have to remove it.

Hannah:
Thanks Rachel. So I got an email from Aaron, he wrote to us asking, so I've heard about a Christmas bird count. Is that something that the DNR leads and how can I get involved this year? Well the DNR is not in charge of the annual Christmas bird count. That's actually the National Audubon Society who leads that and you can get involved by contacting your local Audubon club and seeing if they have an opportunity for you to go out with one of the leaders of the account circle and help count birds.

Hannah:
So this coming holiday season, tens of thousands of Americans are going to fan out across the country to look for and count as many species of bird as they can find. These observations add to a huge data set that goes back 119 years-

Rachel:
Wow.

Hannah:
To December 25th, 1900 when the Christmas bird count, known then as the Christmas bird census was first established.

Rachel:
That's crazy.

Hannah:
Yeah. So the Christmas count remains one of the most important citizen science datasets today, helping scientists understand population declines and range shifts in North American birds. From beginning birdwatchers to experts, participants in Christmas counts gather to identify and census birds within 15 mile diameter count circles. So these circles are generally drawn in the center of a County and then divided into multiple segments and someone is assigned to lead a particular segment.

Hannah:
So there may be an opportunity for you to join up with one of these count circle leaders or count area leaders to do some Christmas bird counting. It's a great opportunity to learn more about winter bird life and for beginners to gain experience birding alongside experts. Some participants just count for an hour or so. Some bird watch for the entire day starting before the sun comes up to look for owls and some count at their bird feeders at home.

Hannah:
There are now more than 2,500 Christmas bird counts in the US Canada, the Pacific islands, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. Michigan alone has 75 count circles, stretching from the Q & A Peninsula in the North, to Monroe and bearing counties in the South.

Rachel:
Cover the whole gamut.

Hannah:
That's right. I participate in two of those counts in Sanilac County and Oakland County as well in the Southeast. To find the nearest count circle, the national Audubon society maintains an informative map, which we'll put in the show notes. Clicking on account circle on the map shows where and when the bird counting team meets, and who the count compiler is.

Hannah:
So Christmas bird counts are open to the public, family friendly and a great way to meet local birders. So contact your local Audubon chapter and participate this year.

Holly:
Sounds like a great opportunity to get out, look at some birds and enjoy the winter weather.

Hannah:
It's a lot of fun.

Rachel:
Yes, it sounds really fun and festive and makes me think of a bunch of birders with their bird scopes and dressed in Christmas sweaters really enjoying themselves.

Holly:
Yes. That's what we do.

Hannah:
Fantastic. Rachel, did you get another question for us to talk about?

Rachel:
Yes. I received a question from Trudy. She had heard that a shotgun can be used in the CWD core and management areas during the muzzle loader season and was wondering if that was true? That is true. So in the CWD management zone and the core CW area during the muzzle loader season, it's open to the use of all legal firearms. So anything that you can use during the regular firearm season you can use in the muzzle loading season as well.

Holly:
All right, and one final question from the mailbag today. Tyler asked about Coyote hunting and wondered what licenses needed and if a center fire rifle can be used? Michigan residents may hunt Coyote with a valid base license. However, during November 10th through the 14th a resident must also have their furharvester license and would be limited to the use of a 22 or smaller rim fire.

Holly:
Non-residents who want to hunt for Coyote in Michigan would need a base license and their furharvester license. Just to keep in mind that both residents and non-residents would need their furharvester license if they wanted to go trapping for coyote. But those Michigan residents can hunt for Coyote with a valid base license.

Holly:
Center fire rifles may be used to hunt Coyotes during the regular daytime hunting hour statewide, center fire rifles or center fire pistols, 0.269 caliber or smaller may be used at night, except they may not be used in state park or recreation areas statewide or on any public lands in the limited firearm deer zone at night. So nighttime is when you're limited on some of those public lands where they can be used. So just keep that in mind to double check before you head out.

Holly:
For more details on Coyote hunting or trapping, please check out the 2019 furharvest or digest or visit michigan.gov/trapping. As we zip this segment to a close. Remember if you have questions about wildlife or hunting, you can call five one seven two eight four wild. Email us at dnr-wildlife@michigan.gov or stop by one of our offices. Your question could be featured on the next mailbag.

Announcer:
Did you know hunters contribute $2.3 billion to Michigan's economy and pay for wildlife conservation, and management work throughout the state? We want to take a moment this holiday season to say thank you to everyone who purchases Michigan hunting, trapping and fishing licenses. We appreciate your support for wildlife conservation and management in Michigan. Happy holidays and we hope you all have a wonderful time outdoors with family and friends. We'll see you in the new year.

Hannah:
Today, we have a few final thoughts to share before we wrap up this episode.

Holly:
First, be sure to take advantage of all the furharvesting opportunities this winter. Beaver, Bobcat, Coyote, Fox, Muskrat, Mink, Otter, and Raccoons are just some of the species that are open to hunting and trapping this winter. You'll need to have your base license and a furharvester license and some species like the Bobcat, Otter Fisher and Martin do require a free kill tag. [inaudible 00:40:36] licenses and kill tags are available online or wherever licenses are sold and you can learn all about different furharvesting opportunities by visiting michigan.gov/trapping.

Rachel:
And we don't want to forget to mention that the pure Michigan hunt application period end soon. Don't forget to apply. You can apply as many times as you like, for this multi-species hunting opportunity. Applications are $5 and can be purchased anywhere hunting and fishing licenses are sold. Three winners are chosen and are awarded a bear spring and fowl Turkey, and antlerless deer license. If you are a Michigan resident, you'll also be awarded a coveted elk license. In addition, the winner will have first pick at a hunting location at a managed waterfowl area during the reserve tuck period.

Holly:
In addition to all these limited access licenses, three winners will receive a prize package from Michigan companies and organizations. The prize package will from year to year based on donations that are received. Donations typically include things like shotguns, rifles, blinds, and guided hunting trips.

Hannah:
Yes. And don't worry folks, applying for the pure Michigan hunt does not affect your eligibility to apply for or purchase other hunting licenses. We do get that question sometimes. Winning the pure Michigan hunt drawing does not cause an individual to forfeit any preference points or weighted advantage for any other limited hunt such as elk or bear.

Hannah:
So in theory, you could apply for your regular, through the regular drawing for bear or elk licenses. And through the pure Michigan hunt boosts your chances that potentially getting one of those limited tags.

Holly:
And we did have one very lucky individual one year that received both a pure Michigan hunt elk tag and also an elk tag through the elk drawing. Applications are available March 1st until December 31st withdrawing results announced in January. Apply before the end of December for your chance at the hunt of a lifetime in 2020. Learn more at mi.gov/pmh

Rachel:
And finally, we would like to wish everyone a very happy holiday. We hope that you have a great holiday season and we will see you back here in the new year.

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 5172849453 or dnr-wildlife@michigan.gov.