Pure Michigan Hunt winners - from McBain, Kawkawlin and Westland - take home their prizes

The three Michigan hunters randomly chosen as the 2013 Pure Michigan Hunt winners - Jim Bosscher of McBain, Dave Gittins of Kawkawlin and Jason Webb of Westland - received their prizes at last Feb. 7's Natural Resources Commission meeting in Lansing.

Each winner gets a license to hunt in every limited-access hunt available in 2013. This includes elk, bear, antlerless deer, and spring and fall turkey, as well as first choice at a managed waterfowl area during any open hunting season in the state.

"My friends didn't believe me until they saw my name in the paper a few weeks ago," said Gittins, who owns a roofing business in Kawkawlin. "I still can't believe it!"

Bosscher, the sherriff of Missaukee County, also needed some convincing that he had won. "I thought someone was playing a joke on me, so I had to call around to make sure this was real," he explained.

In addition to the hunting licenses, the Pure Michigan Hunt winners also received the ultimate hunting prize package.

"I can't wait to get home and go through everything again," said Marine Corps veteran Jason Webb.

Winners received the following prizes donated by Michigan companies and organizations:

• 2012 Darton Crossbow package
• 30.06 Ruger Model 77 rifle from Michigan Gun Owners
• 12 GA shotgun from the Lake Effect Chapter of the Michigan Duck Hunters Association
• Camouflage ground blind from Ameristep
• Two-day/two-night guided spring turkey hunt from East Lake Outfitters
• Custom rear-window graphic from Steel Skinz Graphics
• Gas cards and magazine subscriptions from Michigan United Conservation Clubs
• Sitka camouflage clothing package from Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
• Camouflage vest, custom box call and patch from the National Wild Turkey Federation
• Rapid River knife, duck decoy and membership from Ducks Unlimited
• Herd monitoring kit and membership from Quality Deer Management Association
• National and local memberships from Safari Club International
• Sweatshirt and hat from South West Lake Erie Chapter of Waterfowl USA

The 2013 lottery drew a total of 29,295 applications. Dollars generated from this opportunity fund wildlife habitat restoration and improvements in Michigan.

Applications for the 2014 Pure Michigan Hunt go on sale online at all retail license agents and online starting March 1. Hunters may purchase as many Pure Michigan Hunt applications as they like for $4 apiece. Visitwww.michigan.gov/puremichiganhunt for more information.

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Local organization in Michigan will host meeting on proposed deer antler point restrictions in Petoskey July 28

The Northwest Michigan chapter of the Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA), in partnership with Leelanau Whitetails, has proposed new antler point restrictions (APR) for the following 12 counties: Antrim, Benzie, Charlevoix, Emmet, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Lake, Manistee, Mason, Missaukee, Osceola and Wexford.
This proposal seeks to require that all antlered deer harvested in the area have at least three antler points on one side. The statewide requirement that hunters taking two bucks must ensure at least one of those bucks has four or more antler points on one side would remain in place. The proposed regulations would be consistent with the current restriction in Deer Management Unit (DMU) 045, which is Leelanau County. The restriction will be considered for implementation starting with the 2013 deer season. Antlerless deer regulations within the proposed area would continue to be determined by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
The DNR supports the voluntary implementation of APR on private land. Under guidelines adopted by the Natural Resources Commission (NRC), mandatory regulations proposed by sponsoring organizations will be implemented only where a clear majority of 66 percent support among hunters in the proposed area is documented. Support will be determined by a DNR survey mailed to a sample of hunters who indicated on the 2011 DNR deer harvest survey that they hunted deer in one of the 12 counties. Surveys will be mailed starting in August.
“The Northwest Michigan chapter of the QDMA proposal is our first since the moratorium has been lifted,” said DNR deer biologist Ashley Hippler. “We are looking forward to seeing how the majority of northwestern Michigan deer hunters feel about antler point restrictions.”
The Northwest Michigan chapter of the QDMA is hosting local meetings to answer questions and provide explanation. The next meeting is scheduled for July 28 at 4 p.m. in the Petoskey High School Auditorium in Petoskey. Meetings have already been held in Benzie, Kalkaska, Manistee, Mason and Wexford counties. Landowners in any of the 12 proposed counties who would like to offer input on the proposal may email comments to DNR-wildlife@michigan.gov.
This is the last scheduled meeting the Northwest Michigan chapter of the QDMA will be hosting.
Payment by the Northwest Michigan chapter of the QDMA will offset survey costs incurred by this proposal.
The NRC had placed a moratorium on accepting APR proposals in 2006, to allow the DNR to assess experiences with initial guidelines which were implemented in 1999. The NRC assembled a stakeholder workgroup late in 2010 to provide recommendations regarding revisions to the process. The DNR is now evaluating proposals based on recommendations from this workgroup and other modifications to increase efficiency and cost-effectiveness. The NRC retains full authority over decisions to implement APR and other harvest regulations, but the proposal review process provides valuable information to inform those decisions.

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