In this episode of the Michigan DNR's Wildtalk Podcast, you’ll find out what work is happening for wildlife in Michigan’s Southwest Region, talk deer with Ashley Autenrieth and Chad Stewart, and hear listener questions answered in the mailbag segment. The episode wraps up with some helpful hunter safety tips.
Questions or comments about the show? Contact the DNR Wildlife Division at 517-284-9453 (WILD). You can also email dnr-wildlife@michigan.gov, and even send your question as a sound file that you record on your phone to be played on the air!
Episode Hosts: Hannah Schauer and Rachel Leightner
Producer: Eric Hilliard
Around the State Guest: John Niewoonder
Main Interview Guest(s): Ashley Autenrieth and Chad Stewart
Questions or comments about the show? Contact the DNR Wildlife Division at 517-284-9453 (WILD) or email dnr-wildlife@michigan.gov.
In this episode of the Michigan DNR's Wildtalk Podcast, you’ll find out what work is happening for wildlife in Michigan’s Southwest Region, talk deer with Ashley Autenrieth and Chad Stewart, and hear listener questions answered in the mailbag segment. The episode wraps up with some helpful hunter safety tips.
Questions or comments about the show? Contact the DNR Wildlife Division at 517-284-9453 (WILD). You can also email dnr-wildlife@michigan.gov, and even send your question as a sound file that you record on your phone to be played on the air!
Episode Hosts: Hannah Schauer and Rachel Leightner
Producer: Eric Hilliard
Around the State Guest: John Niewoonder
Main Interview Guest(s): Ashley Autenrieth and Chad Stewart
Questions or comments about the show? Contact the DNR Wildlife Division at 517-284-9453 (WILD) or email dnr-wildlife@michigan.gov.
Announcer:
You know what that sound means? It's time for the Michigan DNR's Wildtalk Podcast. Welcome to the Wildtalk Podcast for representatives from the DNR's wildlife division, chew the fat and shoot the scat about all things habitat brothers infer. 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 Leitner, and here with me today is the wonderful Hannah Shower.
Hannah:
Hello. The months of November is the start of the firearm deer season, and the most exciting time of the year for many of Michigan's hunters. To celebrate the beginning of the deer season, we'll be chatting with our deer experts, Chad Stewart and Ashley [Autenrieth 00:00:52] to hear about the forecast for the upcoming deer season, new hunting regulations, and some of the science behind the new hunting regulation changes. And then later in this will answer some of your questions from the mail bag. And sometime during the episode, we will also be revealing the winners of our Wildtalk Podcast mugs. And you could find out how you can win one too.
Rachel:
We'll also be talking with Johnny [Wonder 00:01:15] to hear about the fall wildlife Fork going on in the Southwest region. But before we dive into those updates, let's start things off by shining our wildlife spotlight on the cottontail rabbit. Today, we'll be talking about the cottontail rabbit, one of the most common and well known small mammal species here in Michigan. Chances are you've seen a cottontail hopping through your backyard or a city park. The Eastern cottontail can be found throughout most of Michigan, but is most common in the Southern portion of the state where the habitat is more suitable.
Hannah:
Cottontails, prefer habitats with plenty of vegetation along with shelters, such as brush piles or shrubby thickets. You are unlikely to find a cottontail in large grasslands without out adequate hiding spots, or you probably won't find them in the deep forest where there isn't much ground cover.
Rachel:
And then in the summer months, cottontails will feed primarily on grasses, but they'll also eat other vegetations, such as clovers and dandelions. And of course, if they can gain access to your veggie garden, they might also eat your lettuce, beans or peas. As fall approaches and vegetation is less available, the cottontail will switch to eating woody plants for foods, such as buds, twigs, and bark of plants, things like raspberries, apple trees, red apples, honey locust, and many other woody species.
Hannah:
Cottontails mate from late March into September and adult females may produce three litters in a year. Now the description of rabbit courtship I found rather entertaining. So the male will sniff the air and try to get closer and closer to the female. At which time the female may slap the male on the nose and run off with him chasing her. When they stop, the female will then suddenly charge the male and he will jump straight up two to three feet in the air while she runs underneath. And this jumping and running underneath may continue for a little bit. I've never witnessed this myself, but I really want to, it sounds highly entertaining.
Rachel:
Females build a nest in a shallow hole and line it with fur and grass. Once the babies are born, the mother rabbit generally leaves the nest unattended as to not draw attention to where her babies are hid. She'll return once or twice every 24 hours to nurse those babies. The young rabbits are fully furred and ready to venture from the nest after just two weeks and are fully weaned at three weeks.
Hannah:
Now, eastern cottontails are sexually mature at about two to three months of age. And some of the young rabbits will reproduce the same summer that they were born.
Rachel:
Being a small mammal, cottontails do have a lot of predators, including coyotes, foxes, bobcat, hawks, and owls. Not to mention they're also a popular game animal for humans to pursue. I know I have... Starting to get into rabbit hunting and it is fun. However, it's easy to see rabbits in your backyard when you have a vegetable garden, it is not so easy to see cottontail rabbits in the woods, however, same thing for squirrels. It seems like I see squirrels running around in the street all the time, but rarely do I actually see them in the woods. All right, folks, well, don't hop away, next up we'll be finding out what's going on in the Southwest region.
Announcer:
Putting on your [inaudible 00:04:33] and heading out to a blind. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources wants to remind deer hunters that their assistance is critical to bovine tuberculosis surveillance and managing disease in Michigan's deer and cattle. Successful hunters in Cheboygan, Crawford, Iosco, Ogemaw, Otsego, Presque Isle and Roscommon counties are encouraged to visit a 24 hour self-service drop box or check station to submit their deer head for testing. Visit michigan.gov/deercheck for locations and hours. The DNR hopes you have a safe hunting season.
Rachel:
Welcome back to Wildtalk. Joining us today is Johnny Wonder, field operations manager in the Southwest region. Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us today, John.
John:
Thanks, Rachel. Good to be here.
Rachel:
So we've heard a bit about some projects going on in Maple River. So can you tell us more about the wetland repair project happening at the Maple River State Game Area? And what wild staff will be working on there this fall?
John:
Yeah, the Maple River Game Area is one of our more visible game areas. It's straight north of Lansing, 127 goes right through the Game Area. We got wetland units on the east and the west side. So it's probably one of the most, if not the most visible state game area that we have in terms of people seeing it, they might not know what they're looking at, but that's one of our game areas. It's about 10,000 acres stretched out along the Maple River corridor. So a lot of riparian habitat, lowland hardwoods and the east unit, which is what you drive through is about 2,500 acres and includes around 900 acres of flooded area. So, wetlands contained by dikes and some natural wetlands associated with the river. So it's a pretty good chunk of area, pretty big area. The largest contiguous state managed wetland complex in public land and mid Michigan is a real important place for wetland loving wildlife.
John:
The areas managed by the staff out of the Rose Lake Field Office, Chad [inaudible 00:06:41] or Chad Fedewa, [Todd Beshore 00:06:44] and [Joe Bellman 00:06:44]. The area around Maple River State Game's intensively farmed. The watershed is intensively farmed. There's been a lot of activities focused on draining those farm lands. So more tiles installed, more ditches, cleaner ditches, and we've got a big project going right now where we're looking at spending several $100,000, especially in the A unit and B unit as well, and a few spots in D unit. So it's an annual thing. And if we don't keep up on it, then you get behind. And so it takes a lot of effort by our staff to keep the water levels at the right level, the levels where we fill their optimum for waterfall use.
Rachel:
So I've got a question, how does all of this like high water that we're experience impact the waterfall and say maybe some waterfall hunters that might be out in the area this fall?
John:
So some of the areas are walk-in so you can... Don't have to have a boat. You walk right in, wade in, bring your waders and you can hunt, unless the water's too high. So, if the water's too high in those areas, you can't hunt it unless you have a canoe or a kayak or a boat. So it presents a challenge for access for hunters to get in there. And also when you have too much water or too little water that affects the use of waterfall. If you have too much water, it's too deep for the dabbling ducks to really make use of it. And they won't be there. You have too little water, obviously won't be attractive to ducks. So we try to optimize that, the increased flooding of the Maple River really challenges of us.
Rachel:
Well, it sounds like a large project you guys have going on there. Is the project going to continue throughout the fall? Is it going to impact hunting or recreation through the fall into the winter at all?
John:
Good question. We just finished up an emergency repair, which is a pretty big stretch that had to be done, because water was leaking right out of the A unit it into the river. But that's been completed. There won't be much going on in terms of dike repair and restoration during the fall hunting season. Most of the work will occur next summer when conditions are hopefully better and the water's a little bit lower. So we are at the mercy of mother nature and the Maple River in terms of getting the area dried down. It's really hard to work on those dikes when the water's high. In fact, it's most of the work be done in the summer and shouldn't impact hunters directly.
Hannah:
Well, thanks again, John, we really appreciate the updates. A lot of great work happening this fall, all for wildlife in the Southwest region. So next up we'll be talking about 2021 deer hunting seasons.
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, bears, spring and fall turkey, [inaudible 00:09:41] deer, and first picket 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:
Welcome back to Wildtalk. Today we want to welcome back Chad Stewart and Ashley Autenrieth, who are joining us to talk about the 2021 deer hunting seasons. Thanks for coming back on the show you guys, we appreciate it.
Chad:
Thanks for having us.
Ashley:
Good to be back.
Hannah:
All right. So have either of you had a chance to get out and do some deer hunting yet this season?
Chad:
Ah, not yet. My tree stand is actually like the area around it's still underwater. So I'm sort of waiting for that to recede a little bit. So I'm looking forward to I'm chomping at the bit. I have not been out yet. Hopefully by the time this airs, I will have been out several times.
Hannah:
Excellent. Yeah, we've gotten a lot of rain.
Ashley:
We've prepped our area, and I know my husband went and sat out, he took our four year old with him and they were actually able to sit out there quietly for 45 minutes, which for a four year old is like eight hours. So, but yeah, didn't see much, but hey, they still got out.
Hannah:
Impressive. Well with firearm opener right around the corner, we thought it would be good to chat a little bit about deer. Can you guys give us an overview of what conditions are going to look like for this deer season?
Ashley:
Yeah, so, I mean, it's shaping up to be probably a really good deer season just in terms of the deer herd itself. So it's been a really great growing season. So deer looking really good in terms of body condition. We also are seeing really great deer numbers. We've heard from hunters as well, lots of action on their trail cameras, and just a lot of movement of deer. So that's great to hear. The weather, you can never are really predict the weather. It has been unseasonably warm thus far, and so that can certainly have an impact on what the season's going to look like. I think right now the opener is predicted to be a bit warmer and kind of rainy. So oftentimes, you may not see the deer moving at that point in time.
Ashley:
Hopefully we get some nice temperature drops though during the season and that should get things moving. But so much of hunting too comes down to luck. So if you are getting out, definitely try and look for those deer trails, things like that. Producing oak trees, look for those acorns and just really look for that sign, that deer are in the area. And hopefully that can lead you to, if not a successful harvest then maybe just a successful hunt of getting out and seeing some things, but it is looking like it's going to shape up to be a really nice season in terms of deer numbers.
Hannah:
Awesome. And is there anything hunters need to know about regionally?
Chad:
Well, definitely in the south, from a regional perspective, we know that we have been seeing cases of epizootic hemorrhagic disease in certain locations. Hemorrhagic disease is a viral disease, usually associated with weather conditions that were experienced either in the summer or early fall. And typically what we see is, when those weather conditions were ripe enough to sort of promote increased [inaudible 00:13:02] populations, which is basically the vector that causes the virus, we do tend to see a little spike in this hemorrhagic disease. So it's a viral disease, not always fatal with deer, but in many cases it is. And we are experiencing pretty substantial outbreaks that we've certainly confirmed in Oakland county, as well as confirmations in Macomb, St. Clair and Shiawassee counties. I've also heard other counties, like I think Kalamazoo and a few other ones that are experiencing it. We haven't been able to confirm it yet.
Chad:
But certainly if you are hunting in some of those areas, the outlook might be a little bit different than what it was at the start of the summer. Because that disease certainly can have impacts on populations at a local level. The good news is, is that once we get a hard frost, it pretty much shuts down that cycle and we know that deer populations can rebound pretty quickly with certainly within a year or two. So it's not something that's going to be experienced long term or repetitively year after year, but hunting in some of those areas could definitely have an impact this year from that disease.
Hannah:
So some things for some hunters to consider based on where they're at in the state, but large conditions are looking like they will hopefully be enjoyable and not super wet, hopefully things dry up and cool down a little bit for hunters this year. So now for this upcoming season, there are a number of changes that hunters can expect. One of them is the introduction of the universal antlerless dear license. So could you just tell us a little bit more about the universal antlerless license and what basically what it is and what are the advantages for this type of license license versus the previous structure that we've had?
Ashley:
So this is a pretty cool concept actually, and so we're pretty proud of this. The universal antlerless license is essentially an antlerless license that you do not have to apply to purchase this. This is just something that you can purchase over the counter, and it is good in the entire lower Peninsula and areas of the upper Peninsula as well, that there are some areas of the [UP 00:15:13] that it is not able to be used, really think of those like northernmost units and then kind of in the middle area of the UP there, you do need a special access permit. But those Southern central units, you are able to use it. And what's really great about this is you purchase this antlerless license. It is good on public land or private land, if you have permission and you can use it anywhere from Jackson county, all the way up to Menomonie county in the upper Peninsula.
Ashley:
And so it's good of course, for one antlerless deer, but you are able to purchase up to 10 of those as well statewide. And so for anyone who has purchased an antlerless license in the past, probably know that you had to oftentimes apply and you're applying for either public or private land. And if you're able to get one, you're purchasing an antlerless license for that deer management unit. So for example, Otsego county, you'd be purchasing an antlerless license for Otsego county, either public or private land.
Ashley:
If you wanted to jump over and say, Montmorency county, you had to buy an antlerless license for that county as well, or DMU 487, which is what that one is part of. So rather than having to kind of puddle jump now and buy these different licenses, you buy this one universe antlerless license, and it really gives you the flexibility to use that across almost the entire state of Michigan. Again, you want to be checking the upper peninsula ones where you aren't able to utilize it, but it just offers hunters maximum opportunity to utilize that license across a lot of different landscapes in Michigan.
Hannah:
Got you. So it provides more flexibility and they're available. There's no need to apply or have to deal with not having any licenses available to you in the area. But you did mention quotas. So with the universal antlerless license there no longer is antlerless quotas in these areas, will that impact the deer population?
Ashley:
No. We don't believe that it will. So when we're talking about out this, this was something that we've looked at for a number of years, looking at deer number trends. And in most areas of Michigan, deer trends tend to be upward to stable. And so we see a lot of growing deer populations and this has shown through a lot of things that we're able to look at. Things like deer vehicle collisions, deer harvest, crop damage, things of those nature. And those all tend to be on the upswing in a lot of areas. And so that's a strong indicator that deer numbers at the very minimum are stable to increasing in a lot of areas. At the same time unfortunately, we recognize that we have been losing hunters for the better part of 20 years now. And so a recognition of that is realizing of course, that hunters aren't able to have the same impact that they once did on the landscape.
Ashley:
And so we're at a point now where we want to make sure that the hunters that are at field have max them opportunity because in a lot of areas, we really need to see deer harvest at the very minimum stay the same, if not maybe increase. And that's really hard to do when you're losing hunters on the landscape. So in terms of, are we worried about deer numbers? At this point in time on a larger landscape level, no, we are not. Of course there is some concern you would likely hear about in the upper Peninsula. That's why a lot of those areas, especially in the Northern most areas, they are not open antlerless deer hunting at this point in time.
Chad:
I think it's important to point out how hunter numbers have changed over the last 20 years. From since 2000, we've lost well over 200,000 deer hunters in the state of Michigan. So that's a pretty proportional trend that we're seeing with a lot of other states and just like we would have to account and change our management style if we started seeing an influx of 200,000 deer hunters, we also have to try to make changes for when we see 200,000 deer hunters go away. And from a projection standpoint, we're probably going to lose another 100,000 or more hunters over the next decade. So, to Ashley's point, we need the existing number of hunters to continue to be able to harvest the same number, if not more deer especially antlerless deer, especially as we're talking about the lower Peninsula than those hunters that we had in the past when we had almost a quarter million more.
Chad:
So, trying to make changes and account for that loss to try to maintain and improve some of the trends that we're seeing is really important. And I think what you're seeing now with this universal antlerless license and the continuation of the ability to take antlerless deer on your deer and combination license in the lower Peninsula, are some of those changes that resulted from the fact that we have lost so many hunters over the past 20 years.
Hannah:
Now is your opportunity to win a Wildtalk podcast mug. As a thank you to our listeners will be giving away a mug or two every episode.
Rachel:
Our October mug winners are Joe [Sigma 00:20:20] and Dave [Delpree 00:20:21], check your email as we'll be getting in touch with you soon. They answered the question, name a bird in Michigan that feeds its young milk. And remember I used air quotes around the word milk. And so this would be morning doves, or if you said pigeon, that could also be an acceptable answer, it's called crop milk. So it's not actually milk, but they call it crop milk because it comes from the bird's crop. And that's part of the bird's digestive system. Their body produces this milky substance, and then they feed that to their hatchlings, their tiny babies, and it has lots of important nutrients to help the new hatchlings survive.
Hannah:
To be answered into the dry this month, you can test wildlife knowledge and answer our wildlife quest question. This month's back [inaudible 00:21:11] is, beavers mark their territory by secreting a musk like substance from their anal castor gland, what is the name of that substance?
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 answer by November 15th. We'll announce winners and the answer on next month's podcast. So be sure to listen in and see if you've won and for the next quiz question.
Hannah:
Best of luck you. Now back to the show.
Rachel:
So I'm curious, Ashley mentioned a few things that we are kind of keeping track of. And so I'm curious if there have been any deer population research that has maybe been used to inform those regulatory decisions, and if you could maybe touch on those a little bit in more detail?
Chad:
Yeah. So what's great about working with deer is that they're probably the most studied species.... Oh gosh, I would even say in the world. There is so much research involved around white-tailed deer. So we have lot that we can rest on. I don't know if many people know, but some of the premier work that was done on deer population dynamics was actually done in Michigan and it was done in this place called the George Reserve, which is in Southeastern Michigan. Some people may have heard of it. Some people might not have. Essentially, I think it's a two square mile facility in Southeastern Michigan. I believe it's actually owned by the University of Michigan right now. But in 1928, six deer were added to that facility. And by 1934, those six deer had reproduced to a number of about 180.
Chad:
So just in six years time, we saw a population from six to 180, and then it went... And the next year it was up to 222. So I mean just massive exponential growth. And what's fascinating about this research, that was the initial work done, but that work was done again almost 50 years later in the '70s when 10 deer were added to that facility in 1975. And by 1981, again, you're looking at about six years, the number of deer was up to about 212. So almost identical results 50 years apart. So it really sort of provides a testament to the growth population of white-tailed deer and how important it is to intensively manage them. So certainly we relied on studies like that and others in terms of what a deer population can support in terms of removal and then how the deer herd is expected to respond in light of that removal.
Chad:
But we also started evaluating some of the trends we've been seeing, the harvest trend we've been seeing here in Michigan alone. So specifically we can be a lot more open with our antlerless license allocations, our universal antlerless license distribution, because we know license buying trends. So most people probably don't know that 60% to 65% of hunters in Michigan don't even purchase us an antlerless license. So right away, of the hunter populace that we're looking at, we're only looking at maybe about a third of them purchasing an antlerless license. Additionally, we know that only about 2%, maybe 3% are purchasing three or more. So when we talk about the ability to purchase more, that ability exists for everybody, but not very many people are actually going to do it. So it's really about tailoring a management style that's specific to an individual hunter because we know that not many people are going to take advantage of that maximum.
Chad:
We also look at harvest numbers and harvest rates. So for example, we know that only about 25% of our hunters are even taking one antlerless deer. So that's important to know when we factor in our quotas and our recommendations that three quarters of our hunters are not even going to take an antlerless deer. Furthermore, less than 2% are going to take more than three. And then when you extrapolate what we know from harvest to what it looks like on a per square mile basis, we're looking at probably between at most two and five antlerless deer per square mile being taken in the state of Michigan, especially in the lower Peninsula. It's obviously going to be much lower in the upper Peninsula where we're a lot more restrictive and conservative with our recommendations. So all of those is go into factoring how our regulations and recommendations are made.
Rachel:
I'm actually very surprised, hear only a third of our hunters purchased antlerless licenses, and only 25% of them are successful and harvesting is an amazing statistics to hear and reasoning why we change the license structure to how we have. So thank you for that very thorough explanation, Chad. So we talked about conditions for the season. We talked about these license options, kind of why they are structured the way that they are. Now, what about hunters after they've harvested their deer, should hunters take their harvest, the deer to deer check stations this year?
Chad:
Certainly we've got check stations available. And if you want to know where a check station exists, we've got a great website it's www.mi.gov/deercheck. So that has all of the locations, hours and dates of operations. So you can certainly go to those check stations and dates that they're open. I will say that we have started to structure our check stations more in areas where we have disease surveillance priorities. So specifically where you're more likely to encounter a check station is an area where we're looking for specific samples for a deer disease that we've identified in Michigan. So in Southern Michigan, specifically, sort of the tier of three counties that we have in the most Southern part of Michigan, we are conducting what we're starting to do call rotational surveillance for chronic wasting disease. So, essentially we've always structured our surveillance around chronic wasting disease, around known positives and have tracked the trends and expansion of the range around those areas.
Chad:
But in recent years, there's, again, some emerging school of thought here that the disease doesn't move very quickly. Certainly it is a progressive disease, not only in your deer, but on the landscape, but we want to be able to find it as soon as possible once it enters the landscape. So in order to do that, we need to start looking everywhere. And certainly Michigan's so big. We don't have the ability to look everywhere at once. So we're starting in Southern Michigan, where we have certainly the highest number of deer, the highest number of deer hunters and where we've already found CWD. So it seemed to make sense to start in that Southern part and start checking every county as much as we can, probably between five and 600 deer, depending on the type of deer we're testing. Bucks have a lot more weight or impact in terms of our ability to detect CWD compared to say like a [inaudible 00:28:29].
Chad:
So the more deer that we can test specifically older deers, specifically older bucks, if possible, the more we're going to know about the likelihood of CWD in those counties. So we're starting in those areas. If you shoot a deer anywhere in the Southern three county tier of counties in Michigan, it would be really helpful for you to bring your deer to a check station, get it tested. Certainly, we have patches that we're giving out there, plus those are free tests that we're covering in those areas. So you have a piece of mind in sort of knowing a result of the test from your deer that you experience in those areas. Outside of CWD we also are prioritizing again, bovine TB surveillance to these lower Peninsula. And it's not just sort of the four core counties where we've been identifying it, which is, Alpena, Alcona, Oscoda, and Montmorency, but all of those surrounding counties as well.
Chad:
So again, we've got priority areas all the way through Presque Isle, Cheboygan all the way down through, down into Iosco and up to Roscommon, and whatnot. So, all of those counties are a huge priority for us, and we're not only working... Have check stations, but we're also working with processors in some of those areas too, to try to make it a little bit easier for you to get your deer tested. So you don't necessarily have to go to a check station and a processor. We're going to try to meet you in the middle at some of those places. So those are certainly priority areas for us, for both diseases that we're doing surveillance for.
Rachel:
Okay. So you, you mentioned you're prioritizing check stations in those areas where we've got disease surveillance happening. If someone wants to report their harvest to us, and there are no deer check stations in their immediate area, is there another way they can submit their harvest information to us?
Chad:
Yeah. So, we do have options for hunters to get their deer tested certainly for CWD outside of those areas. So certainly if you go to our website, www.mi.gov/cwd, we have partnerships established with Michigan state and the University of Wisconsin to get your deer tested. I forgot to mention, we also are doing CWD testing in certain parts of the upper Peninsula too, specifically in Southern Dickinson County. So that remains a priority. Outside of that, if you're looking to just simply report a harvest, we do have a really new cool system that's open now. And I don't know if Ashley... I've been talking a lot, I don't know if Ashley wants to jump in, but it's we have a new DNR harvest reporting system that we're hoping people try out. The website is www.mi.gov/dnrharvestreport. So it's a really neat thing that we're trying to experiment with and test out this year and hopefully expand it in future years. I don't know, Ashley, you want talk about some of the work that's gone into some of this and developing it. This has been years in the making now.
Ashley:
Yeah, I mean, it definitely has been years in the making and it's been something that hunters have told us they've wanted for years as well. We previously and will continue to do a mail survey where we do ask several questions of hunters about how their season was, but it's also a nice chance for us to expand and kind of get counter opinions on things as well. I think we'll certainly continue doing that in some way, shape or form. It does help kind of corroborate reporting that is done through this new system, especially as Chad mentioned, once we are able to expand that on a bigger basis.
Ashley:
But yeah, this has been something... We always like to say that, Michigan has done great research and we lead the way in a lot of things. And so this is a next big step for us is moving in this direction. So I would say it's largely been a decade in the making and definitely working really hard in the last three years. So yeah, it's really exciting. This is the first year. And first of many, hopefully.
Rachel:
That is great. I was playing around on the DNR harvest reporting system, just to see what information we were looking for. And it looks like it's a lot of harvest information, specifically how is that going to be used? Why is that important for us to collect?
Chad:
Yeah, it's a lot of harvest information. The way the questions are structured, hunters really shouldn't be able to spend... It shouldn't take more than about three to four minutes to really report your harvest. It's very quick. What it really does is first and foremost, it gives us almost a near real time understanding of how the harvest is going. And certainly this year being its first year, we're not certainly expecting... We don't have anything to compare to from previous years. And certainly we know that not as many people are going to participate in the first year as is hopefully once it's established several years from now. So there's sort of limited inferences that we can make in year one with this program. But the hope is that once it becomes established and people start using it with frequency, we'll be able to compare how seasons are going.
Chad:
And not only that, but communicate that to hunters almost in near real time. And so our... As of the start of the firearm season, our harvest is X percent up or X percent down compared to last year or the five year average. Buck harvest is up, doe harvest is down. So we can do all of these things. It's a lot more information at our fingertips. Obviously once the season is concluded and the information is compiled, we'll have all of that in again, almost in near real time. Now we'll still, as Ashley said, probably apply a correction through the survey because what the harvest report does is it simply provides a minimum count of the number of animals that were harvested. And we know that not everybody's going to report it, even if it becomes required in the future.
Chad:
It's just a minimum report that we know of, but we have to try to estimate what the total harvest is, and that's going to be really important for us. And that's going to be the piece that makes our management decisions, but ultimately if that rate stays the same, we'll have a really fast opportunity to compare harvest from years in historical harvest. And we'll be able to communicate that back to hunters, throughout the season and at the conclusion of the season, which as of right now, we don't have that ability to do that. It takes until usually about June or July.
Chad:
Hopefully that's something that hunters appreciate how the season went and it'll certainly provide a lot more conversation as folks get together around the holidays after the season. And you can sort of talk about those numbers. A lot of times, there's sportsman's banquets after the season to talk about how the season went. There's going to be a lot more information to be shared in near real time, like I said, and sooner
Rachel:
That's wonderful in today's fifth, best pace world we all want all of the information as soon as we can. So this certainly makes things more efficient. Thanks, Chad and Ashley. So you've talked a lot about a lot of deer regulations and what we can look for and new things this year, and we appreciate having you on to do those kinds of things. Is there anything else you want deer hunters to know about?
Ashley:
Just wishing everyone a safe and happy fire arm opener.
Chad:
Yeah. I like to offer like a reflection, I mean, deer hunting means much to people in Michigan, like just reflect that we again have an opportunity to participate in a great deer season. Like how much history is involved with deer hunting in Michigan up to this point. So it's just really cool to be a part of history in the making and that tradition in Michigan. And then the other thing is always, as anything be safe out there. If you're going a tree, make sure you have a harness. Certainly know what you're... Not only shooting at, but what's behind what you're shooting at very important. We want everybody to be safe and go home and tell great stories at the end of the day. So that's the most important part really.
Announcer:
Did you know that you can take your hunting and fishing regulations with you wherever you go. Have access to the information you need when you need it right on your smartphone. Just visit michigan.gov/dnrdigest to download the applicable hunting digest before you head out to the woods or the Michigan fishing guide before you hit the water. Download the most up to date regulations available today at michigan.gov/dnrdigest.
Hannah:
Welcome back to Wildtalk. Now let's dig into the bag and answer some of your questions. Rachel, what do you have for us today?
Rachel:
Well, I have a question from Zachary. He wrote in wondering if their family's five acres of land was legal to hunt on in an urban area? This is a good question. We get this question a lot during this time of year. So first of all, you will need to check with the township office or the local law enforcement to verify that there are no ordinances in place for that city or township that would prevent hunting or discharging a firearm in that area. So first check with them, because they have the authority to put those types of ordinances in place. If there are no local ordinances prohibiting hunting or discharging a firearm, you will want to check that you will be outside of any safety zones around neighboring buildings or homes. If you're hunting with a firearm, you can find the safety zone regulation in the hunting digest.
Rachel:
And then you will need to follow all other applicable hunting regulations for the species you are pursuing. Additionally, make sure you have permission from the land owner before you hunt private land. So if it's not your own land, if it's somebody else's, you'll want to obtain permission. I also have another question here related to hunting. This is from Jim. He asks if you can shoot a doe during the rifle season on public land, and if you will need to buy a combo license in order to get the doe license. Hopefully we can clear up some little bit of confusion here. So if you're hunting in the main land, lower Peninsula, you may harvest an antler or antlerless deer on your dear dear combo license during the archery, firearm and muzzle loader seasons. You can also purchase a universal antlerless deer license or licenses, if you want the opportunity to harvest in antlerless deer.
Rachel:
Now the universal antlerless deer license can be used on both public and private lands in any deer season in areas that are open to antlerless hunting. And you do not have to have a deer or deer combo license to be able to purchase a universal antlerless deer license. Also, you can view antler point restrictions and the types of deer you can harvest with each tag during H season and the 2021 hunting digest, which is available at michigan.gov/deer. Those are my questions. Hannah, do you have any questions for the mailbag segment today?
Hannah:
I do. I got a question from Rachel who sent in a photo of a frog, which was very blue in color and wondering what species it was, and if it was rare to see. Now, the frog Rachel found was a green frog. And the blue coloration comes from a lack of yellow pigment in the skin. And so if you remember back to primary school, mixing your yellow and blues together to get green, same applies here with frogs. And if they lack that yellow pigment all together, they can appear blue. Now the blue coloration, however, is not typical coloration for a green frog, hence their name they're usually green. And while we do get an occasional report of a blue colored frog, it is not something that's common to see. So a very unique observation that Rachel had.
Hannah:
I also had another interesting observation sent in from Keith. Keith sent in a photo of a squirrel that they harvested that had growths on its body and was wondering what was going on there. This particular squirrel had a case of squirrel pox. Now squirrel pox is a viral disease that infects squirrels and is usually transmitted via mosquitoes. So mosquito bites one squirrel, bites a different squirrel and passes on the virus that way. And now it forms tumors on the skin of gray and fox squirrels. And in really severe cases, it could be fatal. Now this virus is not transmissible to humans, so it's not something that people need to be concerned about, but we do occasionally see cases of it in squirrels.
Hannah:
Now if you have any observations like this of diseased wildlife, you can report those through our online reporting form at michigan.gov/eyesinthefield. So that's a good place if you're noticing anything strange like that, you can make those reports there. Mark on the map where the sighting was, upload any pictures, and then our wildlife laboratory staff can take a look at those.
Rachel:
That's a great resource to share and to report too. So thanks Hannah.
Hannah:
Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Rachel:
Well, as we zip this segment to a close, remember if you have any questions about wildlife or hunting, you can 517-284-WILD or email us dnr-wildlife@michigan.gov. Your questions could be featured on the mail bag. With the November 15th firearm deer hunting opening day, coming up fast, we know many folks will be out in the fields and forests and thought we'd share some hunter safety tips and reminders.
Hannah:
Always important to keep safety at the top of your list. With that in mind, it's a good idea to tell someone the specific time, duration and location that you'll be hunting at. Schedule check in times with them and be sure to update your contact if your plans change. Also good to carry a two-way communication device that receives service in remote areas that you'll be in, such as a phone or a two way radio. And make sure the device is always within reach in case you need to call for help.
Rachel:
And if you're hunting with a firearm, keep the safety of your firearm on until you are prepared to take your shot. Make sure to also keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction at all times, be aware of your surroundings, know your target and what is beyond it. Also don't use your scope as binoculars. You only point your firearm at something that you intend to shoot. You should also consider unloading the firearm when crossing obstacles or when you're getting in and out of your tree stand.
Hannah:
And speaking of tree stands, be sure you are using your hands and feet and maintain the three points of contact at all times when ascending or descending into your tree stand. You should always use a full body harness that is attached to a secure fall line positioned above your head. And when you're lifting your firearm or crossbow into a tree stand, use a secure pole system, such as a rope and make sure it is unloaded and the safety is on. Do not attach anything to the trigger guard.
Rachel:
Yes. And while you're securing your firearm to your pulley system, refer back to the previous suggestion and make sure your muzzle is pointed down when you are pulling it up into your tree. And then additionally, while you are out there, you should wear as much hunter orange as possible to increase your visibility. Hunter orange should be worn as the outermost layer of clothing and must be visible from all directions. You can wear a barrage of things, including a cap, hat, vest, jacket, raincoat. Any of these things will do. As long as you can see them all the way around your body. They can also include a camouflage type print, but they must be at least 50% hunter orange to meet the legal requirements.
Hannah:
It's also good to keep in mind if you're planning to do any outdoor recreation near any hunting areas, just make sure you're wearing hunter orange so you can be seen by hunters. You can find the safety tips that we've covered as well as additional safety tips and some videos from our conservation officers going over these tips and other information at michigan.gov/huntingsafety.
Rachel:
While you're out, have a safe and enjoyable season and the best of luck to all of the hunters out there. Again, thank you for joining our podcast this episode, and we will see you back here in December.
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.