Are the NW-12 County MARs a Success?
May 5, 2017 23:09:52 GMT -5
hartman756 and daappleknocker like this
Post by ridge on May 5, 2017 23:09:52 GMT -5
Are the NW-12 County MAR’s a Success?
The truth benders are trying to convince us that MAR’s in the NW-12 County area are a smashing success. Quote, “The overall buck harvest success rate has increased each year under APR’s.” Is this true? Let’s take a look. (Data from Annual Deer Harvest Survey Reports)
Hunters All Seasons, five-year avg. 2008-2012 110,295
Hunters All Seasons 2013 110,812
Hunters All Seasons 2014 104,863
Hunters All Seasons 2015 104,674
Antlered Bucks Harvested, five yr. avg. 2008-2012 25,758
Antlered Bucks Harvested 2013 20,815
Antlered Bucks Harvested 2014 20,798
Antlered Bucks Harvested 2015 22,544
Antlerless Harvest Five Yr. Avg. 2008-2012 18,105
Antlerless Harvest 2013 24,389
Antlerless Harvest 2014 20,690
Antlerless Harvest 2015 19,186
Hunter Success Rate, five-yr. avg. 2008-2012 23.5%
Hunter Success Rate 2013 19%
Hunter Success Rate 2014 20%
Hunter Success Rate 2015 21%
MAR’s in the NW-12 County area has been a complete disaster. Do not believe the hyperbole! The antlered harvest, the success rates and hunter participation are STILL well below the pre-MAR’s levels. Yes, yearling harvest has gone down but the numbers show that antlered buck harvest of 2 ½ and older, have NOT made up the difference. Hunter participation has dropped as well as success rates.
By using percentage of harvest instead of real unbiased numbers from the ADHSR’s, as well as manipulating check station data by supplementing it with other collection sites favoring big bucks, the pro-MAR’s supporters have tried to show that the harvest of big bucks have exploded. This is not the case, in fact, it is just the opposite. Has the percentage of 2 ½ year old and older bucks, compared to yearling bucks gone up? Absolutely, but only because the harvest of yearling bucks has been drastically reduced by these unpopular MAR’s regulations. Overall buck harvest has been lower than the pre-MAR’s five-year average, all three years and I will venture a guess that they will again be lower than the five -year, pre-MAR's average in 2016. (This data will come out in June or July this year)
This data is for the NW-12 county DMU. It follows closely the Leelanau, 045 DMU results, showing that in all reality, MAR’s do NOT work for ALL hunters. I believe that if the re-survey of the NW-12 DMU is conducted in an unbiased process, it will fail. And when it does, let that be the end of MAR’s in Michigan forever.
If hunters want to practice antler point restrictions, let them do it on a voluntary basis. With 87% of deer harvested on private property, this should not be a problem. Your land your rules, my land my rules. That has been the accepted practice for eternity. Why do you need to tell other landowners what they can do on their property? I support organizing co-ops of like-minded hunters to accomplish harvest goals. I think Michigan’s co-op coordinator is doing a wonderful job and I support her wholeheartedly. Where you lose my support, is when you start agendas that suppress the hunting practices of other hunters to enhance your own.
A concerned wildlife resource advocate,
Curtis Stone
Michigan S.M.A.R.T. Hunters
3-2-17
The truth benders are trying to convince us that MAR’s in the NW-12 County area are a smashing success. Quote, “The overall buck harvest success rate has increased each year under APR’s.” Is this true? Let’s take a look. (Data from Annual Deer Harvest Survey Reports)
Hunters All Seasons, five-year avg. 2008-2012 110,295
Hunters All Seasons 2013 110,812
Hunters All Seasons 2014 104,863
Hunters All Seasons 2015 104,674
Antlered Bucks Harvested, five yr. avg. 2008-2012 25,758
Antlered Bucks Harvested 2013 20,815
Antlered Bucks Harvested 2014 20,798
Antlered Bucks Harvested 2015 22,544
Antlerless Harvest Five Yr. Avg. 2008-2012 18,105
Antlerless Harvest 2013 24,389
Antlerless Harvest 2014 20,690
Antlerless Harvest 2015 19,186
Hunter Success Rate, five-yr. avg. 2008-2012 23.5%
Hunter Success Rate 2013 19%
Hunter Success Rate 2014 20%
Hunter Success Rate 2015 21%
MAR’s in the NW-12 County area has been a complete disaster. Do not believe the hyperbole! The antlered harvest, the success rates and hunter participation are STILL well below the pre-MAR’s levels. Yes, yearling harvest has gone down but the numbers show that antlered buck harvest of 2 ½ and older, have NOT made up the difference. Hunter participation has dropped as well as success rates.
By using percentage of harvest instead of real unbiased numbers from the ADHSR’s, as well as manipulating check station data by supplementing it with other collection sites favoring big bucks, the pro-MAR’s supporters have tried to show that the harvest of big bucks have exploded. This is not the case, in fact, it is just the opposite. Has the percentage of 2 ½ year old and older bucks, compared to yearling bucks gone up? Absolutely, but only because the harvest of yearling bucks has been drastically reduced by these unpopular MAR’s regulations. Overall buck harvest has been lower than the pre-MAR’s five-year average, all three years and I will venture a guess that they will again be lower than the five -year, pre-MAR's average in 2016. (This data will come out in June or July this year)
This data is for the NW-12 county DMU. It follows closely the Leelanau, 045 DMU results, showing that in all reality, MAR’s do NOT work for ALL hunters. I believe that if the re-survey of the NW-12 DMU is conducted in an unbiased process, it will fail. And when it does, let that be the end of MAR’s in Michigan forever.
If hunters want to practice antler point restrictions, let them do it on a voluntary basis. With 87% of deer harvested on private property, this should not be a problem. Your land your rules, my land my rules. That has been the accepted practice for eternity. Why do you need to tell other landowners what they can do on their property? I support organizing co-ops of like-minded hunters to accomplish harvest goals. I think Michigan’s co-op coordinator is doing a wonderful job and I support her wholeheartedly. Where you lose my support, is when you start agendas that suppress the hunting practices of other hunters to enhance your own.
A concerned wildlife resource advocate,
Curtis Stone
Michigan S.M.A.R.T. Hunters
3-2-17