Michigan lawmaker hopes to repeal order requiring e-reports for deer hunters
GAYLORD — State Rep. Neil Friske (R-Charlevoix) has introduced a measure to repeal a Michigan Department of Natural Resources order requiring deer hunters to report their harvests within 72 hours.
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The current order requires hunters to report their deer harvest within 72 hours of recovering the deer and prior to transferring possession of the animal to others like a deer processor. The potential penalty for failure to comply is a 90-day misdemeanor. The fines and costs for such a violation can range from $50 to $500.
Friske said the current order is broad and excessive government overreach.
"The DNR is using its regulatory power to mandate hunters e-report their harvests or face big fines and potential jail time," he said.
Chad Stewart, a DNR deer management specialist, said the agency is open to adjusting the penalties for not meeting the 72-hour requirement.
"It’s not under the DNR’s control. The penalty is coded in statute and needs a legislative change," Stewart said. "Since the rule was first developed, we have been supportive of reducing the penalty to a civil infraction.
"Last year, we supported HB6354 as it was originally introduced to reduce the penalty for failing to report a harvest. However, this bill was substituted ... and the original intent was changed. We are hopeful that a similarly written bill can pass this year prior to our deer season beginning."
There's also been criticism that hunters with limited technical knowledge face an extra challenge reporting online.
"We allow other hunters, family members, and even DNR staff to assist with reporting the harvest from a hunter who has limited access to the internet. We also have a phone-call option that is available to these hunters," Stewart said.
Friske said the remote nature of many deer camps contributes to the internet access issue.
"In terms of internet usage, the main problem we’re facing isn’t that hunters are unfamiliar with using the internet, rather that many hunters go out to remote areas for the tradition of deer camp," Friske said.
"The current DNR order mandates that a pin must be dropped within 72 hours. If a hunter is at deer camp for seven days with his or her friends and family, with no cell service or internet access due to the remoteness of the area, what are they supposed to do now? ... It’s impractical. Obviously the size of the deer population across the state is important and of public interest, but this order is excessive."
Stewart said 208,408 individual hunters reported 303,087 deer through the online harvest reporting program last year.
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"We have been very pleased with the performance of the system and the data coming out of the online reporting program, which has allowed us faster access to the data and given us the opportunity to create analyses we haven’t been able to do before," he said.
— Contact Paul Welitzkin at pwelitzkin@gaylordheraldtimes.com.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Michigan lawmaker hopes to repeal order requiring e-reports for deer hunters
