Thursday I went to the Lansing Center to attend the public meeting held by the Department of Natural Resources. The commissioners talked about various issues regarding hunting permits, private land vs public land guidelines, and the deer baiting ban that was issued in Michigan back in 2008 when a captive cervid facility was found to have Chronic Wasting Disease in the deer. The disease is easily spread in areas where the deer can congregate, such as baiting piles set out by hunters.
The end of the meeting consisted of testimonies from the public. The subject is very controversial because science shows bait piles favor disease spreading and take away the effort that hunting requires. Another issue, that I see in my job, are farmers that set out bait piles do so just outside their pasture where their cattle graze. Chronic wasting disease isn't the only potential problem, but so is bovine TB.
The flip side of opinions consist of "but I want deer, the deer are beautiful..."
"I don't have enough time to go sit in the woods and wait for a deer that MIGHT come by..."
"I don't have private land that I can hunt or bait on...."
In my mind, the purpose of DNR's biological scientists are being paid for absolutely nothing. Their research has indicated the probabilities of disease in the future based on baiting and found significant results due to what we know has happened in the past. So now, the "hunters" that "do not have the time" can cheat a little bit and bring ten deer onto his/her property to be sure they have a winning in the hour they sat in the blind.
ANYWAY...
After public comment, the 7 Commissioners of the department voted whether or not to lift the ban. The votes reflected the complexity and controversy of the topic: 4-3 to lift the ban which will be in effect for the next 3 years.
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