With debates still raging from if it should be a misdemeanor, a civil infraction or none of the state’s business if hunters do not report their kills to Michigan DNR, the agency’s new policy has proven controversial.
Still, the policy should be kept in mind as firearm season starts on Tuesday, November 15. The policy, which already exists in similar forms in other states, helps the department of natural resources with keeping an eye on possible diseases or possible infection locations within the state’s greater herd, as well as keeping track of their habitat.
While the policy has only started this year to gain more data than the past mailed surveys did, already more than 85,000 hunting harvests have been reported from across the state, with the five thumb counties combined providing around 10% of those reports as of press time.
Those numbers will grow by leaps and bounds with opening day next week, but despite the new online reporting system and policy, DNR-issued paper tags still need to be attached to the harvest. During this first year, the state will be focusing more on informing and educating on the policy than enforcing it, as failure to report a hunting harvest is a 90-day misdemeanor, with possible costs and fines ranging from $50-$500.
In addition, the post-season deer harvest paper survey will still be mailed out for a several more years, both while the state transitions to the new system, and so that the state can compare the data from the two sources.
There are several ways you can report your kill– through your eLicense, where you visit the DNR website and enter your tag license number and birth date (or your driver’s license and birthday, should you not have a tag or hunting license) before following the Harvest Report tab and its prompts.
You could also use the department’s new app, available both for Apple and Android devices, called the Hunt Fish App, to create an account and submit the report that way. In either case, after successfully submitting a report, you will receive a confirmation number and the option to send a copy to yourself via email. In either method, the report needs to happen within 72 hours of the harvest and before any meat processing happens, even if you are processing your harvest yourself.
A friend or family member can assist with the report if someone is personally unable, with St. Clair, Tuscola and Lapeer counties having DNR offices one can visit or call to report the harvest directly.
Speaking of hunting policies, two that are not state-wide exist within St. Clair County. Hunting is prohibited in a section of Port Huron Township between Lapeer and Beach Roads’ intersection and the Black River that houses several churches, the Port Huron Elks Golf Club and at least one school. Meanwhile, discharging a firearm or bow and arrow, even in pursuit of an animal, is prohibited in the east part of East China Township, though target shooting is allowed at ranges in the area.
