Announcer:
You know what that sound means. It's time for the Michigan DNR's WildTalk Podcast. Welcome to the wild talk 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:
Hello and welcome to wild talk. I'm your host Rachel Leightner and co-hosting with me today is the wonderful Hannah Schauer.

Hannah:
Quite the introduction. Thank you. Today's podcast is a great one. We will be fielding your questions from the mailbag and we'll also be chatting about the statewide wildlife happenings and then we'll be visiting with the director of the DNR, Dan Eichinger.

Rachel:
Then we'll wrap up the podcast talking about some upcoming small game hunting seasons and some premium grouse hunting opportunities on our gems. But first let's hear about what's going on around the state.

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

Hannah:
Welcome back to the wild talk podcast. We're about to hear all about the great things happening for wildlife around the state. So I'll get us started with the upper peninsula report. Don't forget if your Labor Day weekend travel plans include crossing the mighty Mac. Keep in mind that the Mackinaw Bridge Authority will close the bridge Monday, September 2nd from 6:30 in the morning to noon for the 62nd annual Mackinaw bridge walk. Be Sure to plan accordingly. We have some habitat improvement that is underway at the sturgeon river slough wildlife management area. Were doing structural improvements including a new central water pump, a dredged water supply ditch, a new berm on the goose pasture or farm fields and ability to flood this goose pasture farm field area, which means great habitat for waterfowl.

Hannah:
Construction on this project started last fall, but all this rain that we've had this spring has put the project on hold until the summer. As of August 7th, about 95% of this project is completed and staff have been pumping water into the impoundments. These impoundments will allow for better control of water level management, therefore improving habitat for wildlife that use the area.

Hannah:
Additionally, staff will have the ability to flood planted fields providing habitat for migrating waterfowl. We've also been working on some invasive species work on Drummond Island, that's in eastern Chippewa County, where we have a globally rare community type called [Elvar 00:03:03]. It's a grass and sedge dominated community with some scattered shrubs and sometimes trees. That's usually a broad flat expanse of bedrock that has a very thin layer of soil on top of it [inaudible 00:03:20] extremely thin. During an inventory process on state forest land, DNR staff identified invasive plant species that were a potential threat to this very fragile system.

Hannah:
In 2017 the DNR works with partners through three shores cooperative invasive species management area, CISMA, which you may recall us discussing in previous podcasts. And these groups surveyed the system partners from the three shores CISMA including the DNR and the Nature Conservancy, worked together to survey over 600 acres of the system. The survey identified problem areas and helped to inform management decisions for potential control efforts.

Hannah:
The DNR and three shores CISMA use the survey information to plan control efforts. In 2018 over 40 acres of treatment occurred with most treatment areas near roads. We've also done some additional surveying. The three shores CISMA received grant funding to continue control efforts and in 2019 the CISMA crew has treated over 50 acres. The DNR and CISMA hope to continue monitoring and control efforts to maintain this very rare community type into the future. We will be sure to include a link. So for those of you who might want to learn a little bit more about this rare ecosystem in the [inaudible 00:04:48] island area, we'll have that link for you to check out.

Hannah:
And one more tidbit that we have from the upper peninsula. At the New bury office, our staff hosted an open house last month kicking off the Silver Creek birding trail. So this trail is complete with trail signage and a kiosk, was created by a student volunteer, Evan Griffiths. The trail is located about 10 miles north of New bury. We had 17 attendees participate in the open house, including a boy scout troop and participants were able to take a hike down the trail, had some snacks, one some door prizes, and had a great time experiencing the new trail.

Hannah:
Be sure if you're up in that area to check it out. It's a very cool place. Rachael, what is happening in the northern lower?

Rachel:
There's a lot of excitement in the northern lower right now as it's time for one of the most coveted hunts in Michigan. It's elk season. Hunters from all over the state got together for the fall elk hunting orientation in mid August where they met with DNR staff, learn the elk hunting rules and regulations and the history of how elk in Michigan came to be. The time period began a few days ago for 100 lucky hunters and of those 100 tags there were 70 antlerless only tags and 30 elk tags awarded. Good luck to all of our hunters on their pursuit of a prize Michigan elk and to the rest of the region. Staff have been attending trainings working on budgets and their work plans for our new fiscal year, which begins on October 1st

Hannah:
All right, Rachel, what other updates do you have for us? How about the southwest region? What's happening over there?

Rachel:
The southwest staff recently completed a compartment review at the [Langston 00:06:32] state game area in Mont Calm County. This process involves the local habitat biologists reviewing specific state game area compartments in consideration of the various management plans that we have in place. These plans are designed to provide direction to local land and wildlife managers as they develop state game area master plans and then implement those management activities. The plans are comprehensive and detailed playing close attention to regional featured wildlife species, rare plant and animal communities, invasive species and forest management. Also in southwest, the Trowbridge dam, which is located between Allegan and [inaudible 00:07:14] on the Kalamazoo River is currently under construction to have the dam removed.

Rachel:
The construction began mid August and intermittently while the dam is being removed. The waterway access will be closed off to boaters, kayakers, canoes or anyone wishing to access the waterway. So if you're planning to access the Kalamazoo River, you will want to check the day of to make sure the gate is open or if it's closed because there is construction to remove the dam that day. So Hannah, what's going on in the southeast?

Hannah:
Waterfowl season starts today. Early goose and early tale seasons are now open statewide. So wildlife staff in southeast Michigan had been hard at work preparing the wetland wonders and managed waterfowl hunt areas for waterfowl hunting seasons. Crops like corn, buckwheat, small grains are growing and will provide fowl food for the ducks and geese and offer some cover for hunters during those waterfall seasons. Beginning of the growing season was rough though with plenty of flooding and heavy rains, which we had mentioned before delaying things planted so some of our fields will have significantly less cover this year than previous years, so be prepared for that.

Hannah:
Staff will begin flooding corn and grain fields in late September, early October, so flooding provides great resting and feeding habitat for migrating waterfowl. Hunters should have good conditions at the managed waterfowl hunt areas for upcoming seasons. Open houses at each of the managed waterfowl areas will be available again this fall. Check the DNR website for dates of each of the areas or the show notes will include a link. You can also check refuge counts and condition reports at mi.gov\slash wetlandwonders. Point Millie A. state game area hosted numerous birding tours in August. We had several southeast Michigan Auto bond clubs like McComb Auto Bond and Oakland Auto bond hold caravan style deriving birding tours.

Hannah:
It's a rare treat to be able to drive around the 20 plus miles of dikes at point Millie A. so these trips fill up fast. August is an especially great time to find shorebirds while fall migration is occurring. Rare migrants frequently show up. Point Millie A. is also home to some unique Michigan breeding birds like American White Pelicans, blue grosbeaks and king rails, which are infrequent breeders in Michigan. So they're not often found here. Point Millie A. is a great spring and summer birding locale and starting today, September one the areas use largely shifts over to hunters really quick.

Hannah:
For those of you who are teachers or know of a teacher and now is the time to register for our free wildlife educational curriculum for the classroom. You can find a registration information at michigan.gov\slash DNR education and just look for the wildlife classroom curriculum link. We'll also include links in our show notes.

Announcer:
Did you know that Michigan lies where the Atlantic and Mississippi Migratory byways intersect? This springs over 340 species of birds, the Michigan each year. Follow my birds on Facebook to learn more about our feathered friends, year-round guided bird walk, stewardship events and community science opportunities near you. Mi birds is an education and outreach program created by Auto bond Great Lakes in the Michigan DNR search Mi birds on Facebook. That's Mi birds.

Rachel:
Welcome back. And thanks for tuning in to the wild talk podcast today in the studio. We have a very special guest. With us is the director of the Department of natural resources. Mr Dan [Eichinger 00:10:59]. Dan, welcome to the Wild Talk podcast.

Dan:
Thanks. Thanks for having me.

Hannah:
Oh, we're so excited. You're here.

Rachel:
We are excited heavy here and to pick your brain a bit about conservation and life of the director, so we'll just jump right into it. What's the day in the life of a director like?

Dan:
I go to a lot of meetings. I sit in a lot of conference rooms. It's weird. It's a little different than some of the other things I've done in my career where you might have a certain number of tasks that you have to do. There's reports that you write or there's things that you produce on a daily or cyclical basis. And this job isn't like that at all. It's a lot of meeting time and it's just I'm sitting and talking to staff internally, talking to external folks, legislators interfacing with the governor's office. There's just a lot of that time and much less of it is producing of something. It's a lot of just make making decisions or more often than not just asking the right questions when you're in those meetings.

Hannah:
So we're lucky to snag you for a few minutes out of your day.

Dan:
No, that's perfect. Just another meeting. Right? This is what I do. I just sit and talk.

Hannah:
It works.

Rachel:
Yeah. So what sparked your interest and what made you decide to be director?

Dan:
Ah, well it wasn't really my decision. I mean it was the governor's decision. But in the fall after the election, I was working in the conservation arena already and had a lot of folks, that I worked really closely with on the advocacy side and the NGO side that were encouraging me to say, "Look, this is... You should throw your hat in the ring and you should raise your hand for this." I did that and met with some of the folks who are on the transition team, talked to them a little bit about things I thought we could accomplish and work together on in the department and had a chance to talk with the governor shortly before Christmas about the opportunity and met with her a couple of times about it and then got the phone call that they wanted to offer me the position and it's been just a lot of fun. I love it.

Hannah:
Awesome. Well, we're glad to have you.

Dan:
Yeah.

Rachel:
So before this then, what were you doing with your career professionally?

Dan:
Well, I immediately, prior to this job I worked for Michigan United Conservation Clubs, which is a statewide member based organization. I had been in the executive director there for about four and a half years. So I joined MUCC in 2014. Actually went back to MUCC. I started my career there as an intern and spent some time on that staff really early on in my career. I book ended sometime with state service with a MUCC. Before that I worked as an administrator at central Michigan University for a couple of years actually doing nothing related to conservation, but that was really... I enjoyed that, it was close to home for me, which was the main thing.

Dan:
My kids are still pretty young, but they were really young at that time, so I really felt like I needed to be closer to home. And then of course, prior to that I worked in wildlife division. I was legislative liaison for DNR, and prior to that I worked for Lieutenant Governor Cherry as a policy advisor on his staff, and before that I was working at MUCC. With the exception of those couple of years that at CMU I've worked my entire career exclusively in the conservation space.

Hannah:
Given your previous experience, do you have any advice to anyone who's interested or are already in the conservation field?

Dan:
When I was getting my undergraduate degree at MSU, I wasn't studying biology. I wasn't in wildlife biology program, I wasn't fisheries program, wasn't a science based program, wasn't on political theory program. And I always had a recreational interest in doing stuff outdoors. And it was through that internship experience that I saw... I thought, "Okay, well there are career pathways for people who are not following that traditional path." And early on in my career I saw that there was this interesting intersection between folks on the political policy-making side who really had a hard time understanding, folks who were biologists or science-based. And I saw a lot of biologists and science-based folks who really struggled to understand the world in the perspective that policymakers and political folks were bringing to the table.

Dan:
And so, where those two lines intersected or in some cases came into conflict with one another. I thought, well that's a really interesting place. Like trying to carve out a niche right in that space was a good place for me maybe to try and land from a career standpoint. That that was always the niche that I worked in. There was that where the policymaking world meets the very science based research based natural resources management world and trying to help translate back and forth among those groups and being an advocate for both perspectives, whether it's to natural resources managers trying to help connect some of the dots about how some other public policy issues might indirectly be brought to bear on natural resources management.

Dan:
But then also, for policy makers and political folks who maybe don't come from a natural resources background or user background to really help understand the guiding principles and the load stars for our... How we conduct that management. There are two fundamentally different worldviews at times and we all know they come into conflict with one another occasionally. I really wanted to try and I just thought that was an interesting place. I didn't see a lot of folks who are really intentional about working with a foot in both camps. And so as I started to plan out like what my career arc was going to be, I mean I think I was going to be here necessarily, but I just thought, always working in that space would probably be about where I always spend my career cause I just find it really rich and interesting. And I feel like we can get a lot of good things done when we're able to understand some of those different perspectives and navigate them a little bit and bring them together.

Hannah:
You talked a lot about meetings. Is there something that makes being the director worthwhile or what's your favorite part?

Dan:
There's are a lot of ways to answer that question because I think being in the is a great job. One of the most important things is I'm surrounded by incredible talented, creative professional people who work in this department. This work that we do... It was interesting cause one of the things that the governor and I talked about back in January when she came through and was visiting each of the state departments real early on in the administration. She just wanted to get a feel for meeting some of the staff and understanding, some of the work that they do. And we had a few minutes in my office, I had a time before we went around and dropped in it offices and that kind of thing.

Dan:
And she's like, "What do you want me to know about the Department of Natural Resources?" And it would have been really easy to go through and site like all back of the baseball card type statistics. But what I told her was like, the people who work in the Department of Natural Resource, a little bit different than, than other folks that may find a career pathway in state government. This work is... It's not really a job, it's a calling and people feel very called to doing this work and project a lot of their own... Their own sense of self worth and their own value system on the work that they do.

Dan:
I think that's a pretty unique and a pretty special thing. So a lot of what I really enjoy is being able to work alongside people who are really passionate about what they do and are really creative and talented and have a good sense of history and have a lot of fidelity to the history of professional conservation but at the same time are also really willing to think about and look over the horizon and see new opportunities, embrace new ways of thinking. That's a lot of fun.

Dan:
The other piece that I enjoy a lot is I just feel really comfortable. I'm really comfortable in this role. Like I've been around this community for a long time. We have wonderful stakeholders who don't always agree and don't always have nice things to say about us and that kind of thing. But it's a really fun enriched space to work in because, our stakeholders and folks... The public that we serve, this is all advocational for them.

Dan:
So it's now it's a little bit different than if we regulated a business community or we did a some other function, that you might find in [inaudible 00:20:10], collecting taxes. We're doing provision and community services or something along those lines. This is all very advocational, lot of recreation and interest based work that we do with our public. And so there's a lot of passion there too. And I like interfacing with our stakeholders. I've worked a lot with our traditional stakeholders. And one of the things that I've gotten a lot of enjoyment out of is I never spent a lot of time in the city of Detroit before this job. I spent some time down there, but seeing the possibilities and the prospects of how we can work with communities that maybe we haven't engaged as much within the department of natural resources or haven't been as present in some of those communities. Finding ways and inroads that we can provide a pathway to nature for a kid or a family who haven't felt like nature's been very accessible to them up until that point.

Dan:
That's a lot of fun. I mean we are laboratory for a lot of really cool ideas and we get to play around with that stuff here. And I think that's it's fun.

Rachel:
The laboratory for a lot of cool ideas. I really like that. So I know you have some interest in background in natural resources and getting out and enjoying the resources that we have. Do you have a particular favorite outdoor activity or species to hunt for?

Dan:
Yeah, I'm a pretty ardent grouse and woodcock hunter. It's a thing I really like to do. When I got real serious about grouse and woodcock hunting I had forsake bow hunting, because [inaudible 00:21:49] deer season in October, and you can't... At least it was hard for me to be serious about bow hunting and serious about bird hunting. And when I got my dog that became... At least my all consuming focus for the month of October anyway. So my favorite bird hands down is the American woodcock. It's a fascinating study in evolutionary biology and how they are just very different birds.

Dan:
I mean, everything from how their skulls are put together and where their brains are in their skull. I mean there's just all these cool adaptations that woodcock have undertaken. And they're cool species because they're migratory... They have... It's not... We have more American woodcock in Michigan than anywhere else on the planet. But that's a shared resource, because it's a migratory species.

Dan:
I think woodcock meat that tastes pretty good to some people to say they taste livery, but liver is not my thing, but I really like to eat woodcock, but that's the thing I like to do. I like to fly fish. My wife's getting into fly fishing a lot now, so that's something we're able to do together. So we've had some fun doing that and getting back into it. I did a lot of fly fishing when I was younger. Things [inaudible 00:23:14] you get away from something and you set your fly rod down for a while and you might pick it up a couple of times a year. And with her interest in fly fishing, that's renewed my interest in fly fishing.

Rachel:
So what sparked your passion for natural resources? Was there any specific thing growing up that helped spark that passion for you?

Dan:
I grew up... My dad, my grandfather were real active sportsman. We hunted and fished, we camped a lot together. But they were also, in addition to being really active sportsmen themselves, they're also really active in the conservation movement in Michigan. Both were really active in MUCC. The organization I worked at for a while, both were active in the National Wildlife Federation at the national level. Parallel to this recreational interest and being outdoors, hunting and fishing, there was always commensurate with that recreational interest was this stewardship responsibility. I grew up always knowing that those were two sides of the same coin that it was... If you're going to be a hunter and angler, you also have a responsibility to be a steward of the natural resources.

Dan:
Being an advocate and articulating for what is good conservation and science-based natural resources management. That was just the house that I grew up in. I was just baked into our DNA that that's just how we see the world. I always thought, well, I'll follow the same path that my dad, my grandfather did, which was they had their own business careers and careers that they pursued on their own. And being active in conservation was a volunteer exercise for them. And I always thought, "Well that's the same path I'll follow." As we talked about a little while ago, it was not until I was almost done with college that I said, "Well, there's a career path here." And that's a career path that I want to get on that I can do this and someone's actually gonna pay me to work on this stuff. And that's me.

Dan:
Later on in my dad's career, once we were all launched and on our own and adults and that kind of thing. He actually moved into the conservation space professionally and worked for an nonprofit organization, a grassroots society doing conservation work at that level at the end of his career. So he at the tail end of his career was able to bring his recreational interests aligned with what his with what his career was.

Rachel:
Very cool. It's really awesome when you can align your passion with your career.

Dan:
Yes.

Hannah:
Dan, I have a question in regards to something you mentioned earlier. And this can be a controversial topic, but what kind of dog do you have?

Dan:
Now, there are some people who will remain nameless, I know, who work in this building that believe you dishonor the grouse when you shoot it over anything other than an English [setter 00:26:04], but I have a wirehaired pointing griffon so I have one of the continental breeds is a Dutch breed, so versatile hunting dog, so he points retrieves, he can do a water retrieval and that thing. But he's big and ugly and but he's a great dog. I've all right a hundred over griffs for a number of years ago and we really enjoyed it. I love hunting over dogs. We had setters when I was growing up and setters are great dogs but I ended up with a griff and I'll probably never not have a griff now.

Hannah:
Let's shift a bit and talk a bit about one of greatest natural resource achievements. The Pigeon River State forest. So 2019 marks, the 100th year of the Pigeon River state forest. And that's quite a milestone. Why is this forest in particular so important?

Dan:
It's the big wild. It's something like 118,000 acres of contiguous forest land in the lower peninsula. That's a big footprint. It's a big chunk of dirt. That's relatively accessible to a lot of folks who live in the state of Michigan. The big wild was always intended to be managed a little bit differently. I mean, the first vision for the pigeon river country as articulated by PS Lovejoy talked about this concept that there are some places that we need to very carefully and intentionally balance use and have really dedicated focused intentional management plans for the pigeon river country in large measure. We as a department and the Pigeon River Country Advisory Council and a whole bunch of other folks that love the pigeon have been faithful to that original intent and that we've had fidelity to place.

Dan:
The pigeon is... It is unique in and of itself, but it's also the idealized representation of this legacy type commitment to a specific purpose and that some places are just special and we manage them that way.

Hannah:
We're very fortunate to have such a large swath of land, not only for wildlife habitat and our forest resources, but just for that recreation for people just to go out and explore and enjoy.

Dan:
Yeah. I mean, it's a place... My grandfather was one of the charter members of the Pigeon River Country Advisory Council, so he started on the Pigeon River Country Advisory CounCcil from like 1973 to the mid 1990s when he passed away. And that was always... We always thought that was a pretty big deal, because that's a cool connection to that place. My Dad and I used to camp up in the pigeon and we'd fish a lot on the pigeon river on the Black River. I caught my first brook trout on the Black River. So the pigeon is a remarkable place and it's also been a place that's been the subject of some controversy too. I mean, whole debate about oil and gas development and the 1970s, the genesis of that was, was the pigeon river country.

Dan:
That dispute gave rise to the natural resources trust fund and the concept of the extraction of nonrenewable resources and can we convert that into a revenue source by which we can make investments back into the acquisition of public recreation land. I mean, there are a lot of, a lot of roads and a lot of threads that are woven throughout the department of natural resources in some way end back at at the pigeon river country. It's a remarkably special place, and people who go there, they connect with it for very different reasons.

Dan:
I mean, certainly, hunters and anglers use that place tremendously. We have folks who make use of the trails for hiking and other things, pick mushrooms and berries and that thing. But everybody projects their own value under the pigeons. So it's this in a lot of ways it's like this crowdsourced piece of conservation history because everybody has a little bit of themselves that are in it. And it means a little bit something different to everybody who goes and used that place.

Hannah:
Yeah. I read today that the big wild is very fitting name because it spans 107,600 acres across northern lower peninsula, which is half the size of New York City. So it is vast. Somebody was listening to this podcast and they decided they wanted to visit the pigeon, do you have any recommendations on where they should start or things they should go to? What's something you have to see or an area you have to go to at the pigeon?

Dan:
You need to go to the headquarters building out there and then you need to go back around there. And because we have a little museum that was set up, a team from the Michigan History Center helped provide some of the consulting for that Interpretive Space and that tells the story of the Pigeon River country. And so I think everybody needs to make a point to go and visit that spot cause it's a cool location. It was an endeavor of the Advisory Council and some of the community around the pigeon river country to get that off the ground. We need a place where we can tell the story of the pigeon. And like I said, the team from Michigan History Center and other folks within the department helped work on the displays and the interpretation at that place.

Dan:
The thing everybody wants to do when they go to the pigeon is look at elk, right? You want to go and find... You've got to find [elk 00:31:14] so that's the other reason you got to stop in the headquarters to get to find out where the elk are at that particular moment. But beyond that, I mean honestly the best thing to do in the pigeon is just get lost in the world, but find yourself there. That's the thing. That's the uniqueness that the pigeon can offer you within 15 miles of i75 that's what, that's an experience that you can have and there aren't a lot of places in this country where you can say that.

Hannah:
It sounds like the pigeon is certainly a place that has a little something for everyone, whether you're a hiker or an angler or a history buff. A pigeon has something to offer.

Dan:
Yes it does.

Rachel:
All right, well thank you so much for taking a little time out of your busy day to chat with us today, Dan. We really appreciate all your insights and we're happy to have you as our director here to lead us into the future as we move forward with our various conservation activities throughout the state.

Dan:
Cool. This was fun. Thanks for having me.

Announcer:
Pure Michigan hunt applications are on sale now. If you want your shot of what is considered Michigan's ultimate hunt, pick up a $5 application or two. There's no limit to the number you can buy. If you're one of the three lucky winners, you'll get a hunting prize package worth thousands as well as licenses for elk, bear, Spring and fall Turkey, [anterless 00:32:22] deer, and first pick at a managed waterfowl area for a reserved hunt. Purchase anywhere hunting licenses are sold or online at michigan.gov\pmh

Rachel:
Hello again, I'm Rachel and hosting with me is Hannah and we are going to continue this episode by answering some your questions from our mailbag.

Hannah:
Okay. Our first question from the mailbag comes from Robin and Robin asks, "What is the difference between using food-based scents and urine-in based scents?" For those of you who have been following along, we've recently had some regulatory changes for the upcoming deer season. You can use food scent in materials, whether composed of natural or synthetic materials as long as their made inaccessible for consumption by deer and placed in a manner to prohibit physical contact with deer. These would be things like oil-based attractants, scented wicks and so forth. Urine based scents are legal such as mocks, grapes, drag ropes and so forth. As long as these products have the archery trade association, ATA symbol marked on the packaging or bottle, it's just the food scented materials that need to be made inaccessible for consumption or physical contact with deer.

Hannah:
Remember baiting and feeding is banned in the entire lower peninsula. You can find out some more about those regulations if you need to in the hunting digest in the deer section and we also got a question from John related to deer hunting as well. John asks if we're offering discounted antlerless licenses in the CWD area this year? Yes, there is a 40% discounted private land antlerless license for purchase in the chronic wasting disease management zone in the lower peninsula. However, it is important to remember that this license will expire on November 3rd. It's a discounted antlerless license, but it is valid through November 3rd. So do keep that in mind if you're planning to get one of the discounted licenses, you want to use it earlier in the season. Rachel, do you have any questions from the mailbag to answer today?

Rachel:
Dan wrote into us asking if antler point restrictions applied to youth hunters during the liberty hunt. To answer Dan's question, antler point restrictions during the liberty hunt do not apply. This firearm deer hunt will take place one weekend earlier this year on September 14th and 15th and during the hunt a deer or deer Combo license may be used for an antlered or antlerless deer and another new change to note this season, youth hunters are now allowed to hunt with firearms on both private and public land. If there are any youth planning to hunt on public land, depending on your age, whether you are hunter's safety certified, you may need to have a parent or guardian accompany you, so please be sure to check the hunting digest for those rules and we can link to the show notes as well to our hunting digests so you can make sure to be following the new regulations.

Rachel:
I received a question from Tory regarding Turkey hunting. Tory is an avid Turkey hunter, but I knew resident to Michigan. She is looking for recommendations on where to Turkey hunt. First welcome to Michigan. You're going to love it here. Second, Tory and anyone else looking for a new Turkey hunting spot should check out the Turkey tracks locations similar to our grouse enhanced management sites or gems. These pieces of public land are specifically managed for Turkey Habitat. There are currently four Turkey track locations across southwest in the mid Michigan area, and speaking of Turkey hunting, the fall season is almost upon us. If you did not apply for a license during the application period, but are now interested, you're still in luck. Available leftover licenses will go on sale September 3rd. Hunters may purchase one license a day until quotas are met. To learn more about our Turkey tracks or the fall Turkey season. Visit mi.gov/turkey .

Hannah:
Well as we zip this segment to a close, remember if you have questions about wildlife or hunting, you can call 517284 wild. Email dnr-wildlife@michigan.gov or stop by one of our offices. Your question could be featured on our next mailbag.

Announcer:
September is the perfect month for elk viewing. If you're looking for a fun free outdoor adventure for the whole family, visit michigan.gov\elk and download your own 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.

Hannah:
All right, well, we'll close out this month's podcast talking a little bit about small game hunting opportunities that are on the horizon. Small game is one of the most inexpensive and fun ways to get into hunting. Whether you're new to the sport or you've been in avid rabbit or squirrel hunter for decades now is the time to purchase your base license for only $11. Your base license doubles as your small game license opening tons of hunting opportunities for you this fall. Cottontail rabbits, snowshoe hare, ruffed grouse and gray and fox squirrel seasons open on September 15th and woodcock season begins shortly thereafter. So there are ample opportunities to get out and enjoy the fields and the forests and try out some of that small game hunting if you haven't thus far.

Rachel:
And Hannah, if you purchase your base license and are looking to do a bit of gross hunting this fall, be sure to check out our gems. These grasped enhanced management sites are areas of habitat specifically managed for grouse with mode walking lanes down trees for drumming, logs and open parking areas with trail maps. These sites provide premium hunting spots with ease of access. There are 19 gems across the northern lower peninsula and the [yuppy 00:39:11]. Each one of them ready to flush a few birds for an enjoyable hunt. For more information on the gems, visit mi.gov/gems but we'll also include the link in the show notes as well.

Hannah:
These are really awesome habitats to go check out. As you mentioned, Rachel, these sites have excellent walking lanes and down trees and parking areas. They also have excellent kiosks that you can see a map of the area and get a little more information, which are super helpful for you especially if it's your first time out at one of these particular sites and we hope to see you out in the woods.

Announcer:
This has been the wild talk 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.