Several years ago the Wildlife Division of the DNR proposed that a private land hunting season during the spring turkey season be established in southern Michigan. The license quota would be liberal and could be adjusted so that anyone applying for a license to hunt on private property would be assured of one.

      The new area would include all of southern Michigan as turkey management Unit ZZ. The hunting period would be the first two weeks of hunting season. We were assured that this private land season would remain in southern Michigan and not be considered any further north because of the millions of acres of public land intertwined with private land.

      After consideration, we did not oppose the establishment of this private land hunt. After all, with the exception of the state game areas the entire southern portion is all private. The private land owners will determine the hunting pressure. The ZZ hunt became an experimental season that has now become permanent.

      It seems that every time we open the door a crack that there is always someone that wants to push it wide open. Now there is an initiative by another turkey organization to extend the private land only hunt north to include all of the lower peninsula.

      Petitions were circulated that asked the DNR to extend the ZZ hunt. During three weeks this past March we circulated petitions opposing extending ZZ any further north and were able to collect hundreds of signatures from hunters who hunt in northern Michigan.

      There is a great difference between the southern portion and the northern two thirds of Michigan because of the millions of acres of public land intertwined with private land. There is a very limited number of wild turkeys throughout northern Michigan with about one gobbler for each square mile and where most of the private land does not contain any wild turkeys. Throughout most of the northern lower peninsula our turkey numbers have been declining since 1999. Winter mortality, poor nesting and hatching conditions, increased predation and perhaps disease such as West Nile Virus have taken its toll.

      Hunter satisfaction surveys by the DNR have consistently shown that those hunters confined to private land only in northern Michigan have the lowest hunter satisfaction rate. There is a spring hunting area in the northeast corner of the lower peninsula. It is all club country. Enough permits are issued so that everyone who applies receives one to hunt turkeys for an entire month. It would seem that those hunters would have the highest hunter satisfaction. It turns out quite the opposite, as they have one of the very lowest. It appears that like everywhere else throughout the north, turkeys are not found on every club and those hunters are locked in and not able to gain access to surrounding public land in search of active gobblers.

      Under current spring hunting regulations, each and every turkey hunter can hunt each and every year, with a month long season to hunt anywhere in Michigan open for turkey hunting, excluding southern Michigan state game areas. This is now called the guaranteed Hunt Period 234.

      The guaranteed hunt was initiated by the founders of MWTHA. We have always insisted that hunting gobblers during the spring season should remain as a high quality hunt, trying to balance the amount of hunters to the limited number of available gobblers. As hunter numbers and interest increased, more were unable to obtain a permit. Rick Riley, current president of our Traverse Bay Chapter, initiated an idea of an open season following the permit seasons. It was taken to the DNR as a 10 day open season available to everyone who applied for it during the application process and adopted. In those few years since, our seasons have seen bastardized liberalization from their intended purpose.

      Many hunters who hunt turkeys in northern Michigan do so out of necessity. They are unable to obtain access to private land in southern Michigan that contain wild turkeys. Permits to hunt state game areas are difficult to obtain and hunting conditions are much to be desired. Under our current system a hunter in northern Michigan has the option of hunting both private and public land and has millions of forested public acres to roam and seek an active gobbler. To restrict a hunter to private land will result in the continued privatization of our turkey resource, the erosion of our quality hunting experience and adverse impact on hunter opportunity.

      If the ZZ hunt was to be extended north, enforcement of its provisions would be impossible. Look at a map of northern Michigan. There are numerous white spots in a sea of green that indicate private parcels. Do you think that if a hunter hears a gobbler on public land and none of his land that he won’t go after him? Let’s face it, our conservation officers are spread very thin and there is little enforcement activity during the spring season, let alone creating a bad situation we can not enforce or control.

      For the past 20 years we have championed the cause of quality one on one turkey hunting and reasonable hunter opportunities. For the above reasons we will oppose any movement to extend a Private Land Limited Quota Hunt any further north than presently exists.

                                                                                                      For MWTHA

                                                                                                      Jim Maturen