Posted on 11/14/2021 9:12:09 PM PST by nickcarraway
With the start of firearm deer season beginning Monday, the DNR is asking hunters and drivers to be safe this season.
Firearm deer hunting season begins Monday, and as thousands finalize their preparations, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is reminding everyone to be safe.
They say nearly half a million hunters are expected to take part. So far, hunting license sales are down about 5%, although the night before the season opens is the largest purchase date of the year, according to the DNR.
With the start of the season comes a reminder to be aware on the roads.
“So deer are really moving and that's why we're seeing an increase of deer-vehicle collisions,” said DNR wildlife outreach coordinator Rachel Leightner. “Deer will likely be moving around more so if you're not a hunter, if you're just driving to and from work or even to the grocery store in the middle of the day, we do ask that you be really cautious while you're on the roadways because we do anticipate deer to continue to move.”
The DNR is also encouraging hunters to review firearm safety before heading out, including treating every firearm as if it's loaded, not using the scope as binoculars and properly storing it during transport. Hunters are also reminded to be aware of their surroundings and not drink alcohol while hunting.
In addition, the DNR is interested in testing for chronic wasting disease (CWD), which affects deer, elk and moose. It causes abnormal behavior, emaciation, loss of bodily functions and death. CWD does not have a cure, and is always fatal.
“If you harvest a deer this upcoming week, or anytime throughout the rest of the season, we are interested in testing your deer for disease, basically, just to know if it's popped up in any other counties, and it'll just help us to understand the disease overall,” Leightner said.
To find out more about testing for CWD, click here. For hunting safety tips, click here.
Don’t take Alec Baldwin with you.
I’d be happy to take any SJW with me. I’ll give him a ten second head start.
I like to supply my liberal friends with high-visibility hunting hats for safety’s sake this time of year. You know, the ones with antlers on them?
Call sign “Dead Meat”. 😜
I just knew I’d be too late!
GMTA
“… Donald Rogerson, a hunter well known in Bangor sporting circles, raised the barrel of his 30.06, a very high-powered deer rifle with a four-power sight, took aim, and fired.”
Stay inside your house and wear neon orange.
He’s got a crazy look in his eyes, don’t he?
Ammo (still short and expensive)
I reload. And components are very difficult to get. Especially primers. About a month ago was the first time I have been able to buy a few primers in a year and a half. It was limited at 400 primers (ctn is 1,000). But I did get enough small pistol primers to hold me for a while.
Almost everything I shoot requires large rifle primers. I’m OK for now with that.
With some effort I have enough powder.
Accurate reloading is a time consuming project. But it has a payoff.
Yesterday was a bad day for deer on Interstate 85. On my trip from North Carolina to Florida I counted 64 dead deer on the side of the road. A lot of them were nice large racked bucks. I know this is off topic but just wanted to state what I saw.
If we take a deer this season it will be the buck that keeps showing up at 4:00 AM trying to fight the fence around our deck. 😄
Almost ran over one today not long before noon, thing ran across the road in front of me.
Fortunately I had some warning, saw it on the shoulder and already had my foot on the brake slowing down, when it ran across in front of me. Doe or young buck with short or nub antlers, but looked full grown and panicky, like it had just seen someone or got shot at.
Plenty boneheads around here who can’t bag one with one shot...That’s why they made .22 illegal for deer, too many people leaving them wounded in the woods, didn’t know where to hit one for a kill shot with a .22. My grandfather did it for many years before it was made illegal, base of the ear, drop a deer in its tracks.
Not the first one either, one ran around on the shoulder a few days ago, friday I think, around 1pm, but didn’t cross, gone when I went back to try and get his picture, that one was a buck, 3 or 4 point. That one ran back and forth on the shoulder, also panicky, I thought it was going to cross and slowed down, but it stayed on the left shoulder. I flashed my lights at the guy coming the other way, no idea if he saw it or not.
I haven’t counted, but at least 4 or 5 dead on the roadsides in my area of east Texas. Not to mention the skunk a few days ago...yukk...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.