Waterfowl bag limit

[Jackam]

Didn't Ted Nugent get into hot water when his arrow bounced off a bear and he didn't use that tag?https://www.liveleak.com/view?t=s7lsZ_1571313732

So Ted cannot hunt in anywhere in America for two years? Oy vey!

[wsr]

When you go deer hunting I assume you only take ONE bullet ..... right?

Stupid question

Once you have shot that, you are done hunting.

Another stupid question

Does anyone else in your hunting camp follow your idea of what "harvest an antlered deer" in the hunting digest means?

I know I don't & none of the hunters I have ever known do.

I don’t “hunting camps” anymore, got tired of people’s fuzzy ethics

The game laws are written to maintain healthy populations....a dead dear is a dead dear whether you retrieved it or not...try and French it up all you want, doesn’t change anything

[Jackam]

On October 31 2019, I sent an email to the DNR:

I was waterfowling recently at the Shiawasee River State Game Area and a C.O. addressed the crowd just before the draw for hunting areas.

He said that if you shoot a duck or goose and cannot find it, that it must be included in your daily bag limit. Someone asked about hitting a goose and rocking it in flight, but the goose flies away with no chance of falling. "You just shot a goose."

He said that the language is in the waterfowl digest on page 27

"Wanton Waste
You may not kill or wound any migratory game bird without making a reasonable attempt to retrieve it and include it in your daily bag limit."

The way that I read this, it is to deter wanton waste - guys that are out to just shoot at anything that flies, with no desire to retrieve their game.

The pure definition of "wanton" - playfully, mean, cruel, mischievous, merciless, inhumane or malicious speaks directly to someone that kills just for the killing's sake.

I also see this wording in the digest to mean that you MUST make a reasonable attempt to add the animal to your daily bag.
The origin of the word bag, a purse, describes a number of animals in your possession.

To take this one step further, I see that the same language is in the hunting guide.
on page 60 it says:

"Additional Hunting Rules
It is unlawful to:
Kill or wound any game without making a reasonable attempt to retrieve the animal and include it in the daily bag"

That leads me to question how this affects deer hunters that cannot find their deer. Sometimes there is no blood and the deer keeps running, but there is a definite clump of hair that has been left by an exit wound. Does this language mean that the hunter's deer tag is then invalid and he must quit deer hunting (unless, of course, he has another tag)?

I recently saw a video that Ted Nugent posted https://www.liveleak.com/view?t=s7lsZ_1571313732 that has him explaining about an incident in an Alaska hunting trip. He was filming and his arrow bounced off the rib of a bear. It did not enter the bear. Mr. Nugent continued to hunt bear and was successful a few days later.
He was charged with an Alaska law that states that anytime an arrow or bullet touches a hunted animal, your tag becomes invalid.
Since Michigan does not have this law, it only reaffirms my belief that the Wanton Waste section is truly meant to stop people from just shooting animals for the sake of shooting them, and that you cannot include an animal in your bag limit if it is not in your bag.

Please clarify this for me, as I believe that the C.O. may be reading this rule wrong.

Thank you,
Jackam


On November 4 2019, I received the following response:

Good morning, Jack!
Thanks for writing with your concerns!
We are working with the Law Enforcement Division on clarification regarding that issue and we will share that with the check stations ASAP.

Holly Vaughn
Acting Public Outreach and Engagement Unit Manager, Wildlife Division
Michigan Department of Natural Resources
(24 881-9429 (cell)




I called last Friday for an answer, but had to leave a message.
Today I called again and had to leave a message.
I was going to give it a day and then start with the Law Enforcement Division of the DNR and then progress to my state representative if necessary.

This afternoon I received this response:


Hi Jack!

Thanks for your patience.
It was determined that the CO’s interpretation of the law as stated at the Shiawassee check station was inaccurate. As long as you make a reasonable attempt to retrieve any birds that are wounded, you don’t have to add that wounded bird to your daily bag limit.
I hope this helps!

Holly Vaughn
Acting Public Outreach and Engagement Unit Manager
Michigan Department of Natural Resources
(24 881-9429 (cell)

I replied asking if this info has been communicated to the COs in the field and she replied that it indeed has.

This makes much more sense. Wanton waste is just that - wanton. It has nothing to do with not making a clean kill.

[bentstick]

In next yrs hunting Digests that wording will be changed as they seem to change wording on many aspects of our shooting sports Just my opinion. CO's Where thick this yr on state lands and nit picking all and any thing they could,even checked my son and all that was hunting a Sq mile at daylight showing up at blinds and tree stands opening day.

[Jackam]

showing up at blinds and tree stands opening day.

Isn't there a law against hunter harassment?

Only the DNR can stop you for doing something legal and check you out just in case you're not.

[bentstick]

That is a fact,most CO's are courteous,but there are a few that just have a chip next to the badge.