GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Michigan DNR officers recently confirmed a case of chronic wasting disease in northern Michigan deer. That’s as the department is reconsidering a ban on deer baiting meant to stop the spread of disease.
According to the Detroit News , officials with Michigan’s DNR are open to negotiating changes to penalties associated with that controversial ban on deer baiting. That’s as the department looks to increase fees for hunting and fishing licenses.
The Michigan Natural Resources Commission drew significant scrutiny in 2018 when it banned baiting in the Lower Peninsula over concerns that deer would spread chronic wasting disease and other illnesses through bait piles.
However, bills introduced in Lansing last week would allow hunters to bait and receive free doe tags. Under one bill, Michigan hunters could buy a $20 permit in areas where baiting is banned — allowing them to use up to five gallons of bait per day at a hunting spot during the fall deer season.
Proceeds from that would go towards research and monitoring diseases in free-ranging deer and elk in Michigan. Additional legislation would include two free doe permits with the purchase of a base license — encouraging the hunting of does and helping curb the state’s surging deer population.
The current penalty for baiting or feeding deer in the Lower Peninsula is a 90-day misdemeanor, with a fine between $50 to $500.
