Proposal 5 – Supporting Mandatory Antler Point Restrictions

Member to vote on:

Proposed Resolution #5

Requires 2/3 Majority

Submitted by: Todd Johnson Region 4 CPB, Luke Sitton Life Member
Passed: August 26, 2023 Conservation Policy Board Meeting
Title: Supporting Mandatory Antler Point Restrictions

WHEREAS: The majority of hunters across all of Michigan’s deer management units have supported antler point restrictions (APRs) in every survey over the past 15 years (surveys conducted by the MDNR),

and;

WHEREAS: 77% of hunters in the Northwest 12 APR counties STILL approve APR’s four years after implementation,

and;

WHEREAS: The minimum antlerless to antlered harvest ratio in most of the whitetail deer’s range to maintain deer densities is one antlerless per antlered deer (1:1),

and;

WHEREAS: MDNR harvest data shows that under current regulations in 2022 Michigan hunters only harvested .76 antlerless per antlered deer leading to out-of-control deer densities and increased disease risk,

and;

WHEREAS: MDNR data presented at the May 2023 Natural Resources Commission showed 12. that the Northwest 12 APR counties are leading the state in antlerless to antlered harvest ratio 13. with the #1 county (Lake 1.38 to 1), five of the top eight counties, and an average for the entire 14. NW 12 APR area of .98 antlerless to antlered ratio versus the statewide average of .76, and; 15. WHEREAS: MDNR Data from the CWD experiment shows that the APR counties increased antlerless harvest more than the non-APR counties, and; 17. WHEREAS: two and three-year-old bucks are able to express 25% to 75% of their antler growth 18. potential, while one-year-olds only average 15% to 25%,

NOW;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: that MUCC will support the adoption of antler point regulations that are designed to protect the majority of yearling bucks, while also making a majority of 2.5-year-old bucks eligible for harvest.