September 2010 – Issue 29

As we head into another fall and winter season, the impact of the DNRE’s ban on feeding of white tailed deer anywhere in Michigan’s lower peninsula is now becoming apparent.

For the first time in many, many, years, there will now be no fall turkey hunting season anywhere at all in the northern lower peninsula-all due to a decline in wild turkey populations, proof that although it is NOT illegal to feed wild turkeys to get them through the tough winter months, people were, and still are, afraid of being ticketed for accidentally leaving a kernel of corn on the ground that the neighborhood deer ate.

Last year, before my hunt started, I hadn’t heard a peep out of anything; then, on opening morning, gobblers were sounding off from all points of the compass and I collected one in just about one hour.

Now this year, on the afternoon before my season, at least three toms were gobbling, and this is a bit unusual for late in the day. These guys were lonesome and a lonesome tom is a vulnerable tom.

The next morning I was in the same tent blind as the previous year. There was some gobbling off the roost, but not a lot.

The following is intertwined between the PM Chapter and state chapter activities since the March issue of Michigan Turkey
Tracks.

On 1/16/10 attended the National Wild Turkey Federation annual meeting/board of directors meeting at Big Rapids. It was hoped that common ground could be found on turkey management and hunting regulations between our two organizations. It appears that we are still on different paths.

We attended a meeting of MUCC’s conservation coalition on 2/3/10 in Lansing. A number of conservation issues were discussed. At these meetings we find what the issues and thoughts are of other organizations and perhaps find common ground.