Michigan Votes Forum

So I am to believe that those of you that are so opposed to changing opening day because you like opening day to be during the work-week are dumb enough to believe that the 15th never falls on a Saturday or Sunday? Changing O.D. to the 2nd Sat of the month would just mean some years it would be as early as Nov. 8th, some years no later than the 14th. If you really were concerned about the health of the herd you might be more concerned with the amount of out-of-state trash we take in not just from Canada, but from states as far away as NJ just because we happen to charge less than other states and that makes it economical for them. That trash encroaches the natural habitat of our wildlife and forces deer (along with all other animals) to seek new places to find food and shelter. That's where your love of lower taxes has gotten us- the dumping ground for North America's garbage.

i am 42 years old and have never missed an opening day. believe me, no one loves november 15 any more than i do, but whatever day season opened would be the best day of the year! i can't understand why tradition would have anything to do with this decision. the health of the deer herd is the only thing hunters should be worried about.

DONT WORRY IT GOT SHOT DOWN THE RIGHT AWAY. I THINK EVEN THE IDIOTS WE HAVE IN LANSING REALIZED THAT SCHAFFER NEEDS TO KEEP HIS NOSE OUT OF HUNTING AND HELP GRANHOLM MAKE SOME OTHER RETARDED LEGISLATION. ANYONE WHO KNOWS ANYTHING ABOUT DEER AND DEER HUNTING REALIZES THAT AN EARLIER OPENER IS A BAD IDEA(ALREADY TOO EARLY) THEIR IS NO GOOD REASON TOO CHANGE IT EXCEPT IF IT WAS TO GO LATER. AND TO THE CRY BABIES THAT SAY THEY CANT GET A DAY OFF OF WORK DURING THE WEEK LOOK AT A 2008 CALENDER AND QUIT YOUR BITCHING. I KNOW YOU GUYS TOOK VACATION TO DO THINGS LIKE GO TO VEGAS AND STUFF. IF YOU DONT PRIORITIZE DEER HUNTING LIKE YOU SHOULD WE AVID HUNTERS DONT WANT TO HEAR IT.

DONT WORRY IT GOT SHOT DOWN THE RIGHT AWAY. I THINK EVEN THE IDIOTS WE HAVE IN LANSING REALIZED THAT SCHAFFER NEEDS TO KEEP HIS NOSE OUT OF HUNTING AND HELP GRANHOLM MAKE SOME OTHER RETARDED LEGISLATION. ANYONE WHO KNOWS ANYTHING ABOUT DEER AND DEER HUNTING REALIZES THAT AN EARLIER OPENER IS A BAD IDEA(ALREADY TOO EARLY) THEIR IS NO GOOD REASON TOO CHANGE IT EXCEPT IF IT WAS TO GO LATER. AND TO THE CRY BABIES THAT SAY THEY CANT GET A DAY OFF OF WORK DURING THE WEEK LOOK AT A 2008 CALENDER AND QUIT YOUR BITCHING. I KNOW YOU GUYS TOOK VACATION TO DO THINGS LIKE GO TO VEGAS AND STUFF. IF YOU DONT PRIORITIZE DEER HUNTING LIKE YOU SHOULD WE AVID HUNTERS DONT WANT TO HEAR IT.

YOU DON'T MOVE OPENING DAY TO AN EARLIER TIME RETARDS WHO DON'T DEER HUNT ONLY WOULD DO SUCH A THING I THINK ITS TIME FOR YOU ALL TOO START LOOKING UP ON DEER HUNTERS MORE BECAUSE YOU OBVIOUSLY DON'T KNOW WHATS GOING ON....HAVE A NICE DAY

talk about? Deer hunting? Who cares? I'm surprised no right to lifers have complained about killing a living breathing creature such as a deer. Hilarious

Can't we think of anything, oh, I don't know, more important to waste our time on?

If it's not broke don't fix-it, hunting seasons is a great money maker for michigan, why mess with it or is it time to add more messes to michigan? If you make opening day rifle sooner then the 15th you will be cutting in to the best bowhunting time for trophy bucks (beginning of the rut) us bow hunters already have may yahoo rifle hunters that can't use a gun range prior to opening day so they head in to the woods 3 days before the 15th when bowhunters are in are stands hunting and site there rifles and stink up the woods.If michigan wants to make opening day rifle the 3rd saturday of November us bowhunters are in!

YOU BOWHUNTERS HAVE ALREADY GOT IT MADE. AND BY THE WAY WHO'S STINKIN' UP THE WOODS FOR WHO? YOU PEOPLE HAVE SIX WEEKS AT LEAST TO STINK EVERYTHING UP FOR THE REST OF US. AS FOR THE PROPOSED CHANGE, I'M AGAINST IT. AT MY LEAST MY STINKY SELF AND WHOEVER THE HELL YOU ARE AGREE ON SOMETHING.

Nov. 15, always has been, always should be, OPENING DAY. If you can't plan ahead for it, START NOW! If for any reason you believe, whether you're a diehard bow or diehard gun hunter, that there is no sacramental belief or history or brotherhood or common bond in planning for OPENING DAY and being there for OPENING DAY, go out and rent or buy Escanaba in Da Moonlight, grab a cold one and sit down with your grandpa, dad, brother, son or best buddy and watch the movie. It says it all. If you face scheduling conflicts for Nov. 15, PLAN AHEAD. If you would rather wait until the 3rd Saturday in November to hunt, it's the 17th this year...put in for the time off now! As for the rest of us, aside from all the biological related arguments and "whether or not the legislation will pass...", we know what OPENING DAY means, to plan A YEAR IN ADVANCE, to call the men together, pack the equipment, make the drive, clear the site, set up camp, roll out the sleeping bag, hang the buck pole, start that first fire and crack open a cold one! But that's not all.....to sit there as the sun's cresting the horizon on that cold November morning, it's OPENING DAY....listen to the birds come alive, switch on the sneak mode and spot the big one sneaking through the brush, hoping you get a shot between the next two trees...and then to have that buck make the ultimate sacrifice. That is what OPENING DAY is all about. So no more whining about when it is, right now it's Nov. 15. There isn't much we can do about "whether the legislation will pass or not". If you want to hunt opening day on a Saturday, I checked the calendar for you, Nov. 15, 2008 is a Saturday - I'll see ya there!

I am a mom who also believes in our 2nd Amendment rights. I believe law-abiding citizens should be allowed to carry to deter gun-toting (who are going to have them no matter how many laws are against guns) criminals who think they are going to be shooting fish in a barrel -if all the good people have no guns. And I have heard lots of stories about the liberal loonies who would put our freedoms at risk by taking away the citizens rights to bear arms, but I did not hear the New York City story of the police getting shot as a result of not having guns because of Mayor Bloomberg. Can this really be a true story? Because it sounds unbelievable and absolutely insane, why not just give the crooks the keys to the city?

that are trying to BAN ALL HANDGUNS. they are all being brought to the supreme court. let's see how that works out.

67 Republicans voted NO 6 Republicans voted YES 69 Democrats voted YES 6 Democrats voted NO TOLD YOU SO.... RECALL ANYONE?????

RECALL GRANHOLM !

It's apparent that those commenting having investigated this legislation at all and also don't know that it came from a constituent originally. Also it's not the first time that hunters have tried to make this change. If people would spend more time actually trying to understand the legislative process and the difficulties of trying to please all of the people all of the time, then they might have a better government!

The opening days that fall on Saturday usually involve an excess of un-safe hunters. A hunter placed every 500 yards on Saturday compared to a hunter every 2-5 miles on Wednesday (Higgins Lake area). In 2003, the last Saturday opening, I watched some 18 year old kid shoot a buck about 8 times. When I went to investigate the deer was still alive and the kid forgot his knife. I loaned him my knife and he dam near cut its head off. This is the type of hunter that scares the crap out of me. Running around the wood with a rifle like it is some toy. A Wednesday hunter is committed to being a good hunter: courteous of other hunters, know where other hunters are positioned, safe and prepared. Blowing out of work on Friday night and getting out in the woods without knowing what's surrounding you is dangerous. If the politicians want to change the Nov 15 date, then change it to the second Wednesday in November - it would be much safer and much more enjoyable for the real hunters.

Man what a bunch of retards. It would be tragic to gun hunt during the peak of the rut. It would be unthinkable to promote increased participation in hunting by making it more accessible. Christ you self centered greedy morons would have to share a little of your resource with others. I have lived and/or hunted in 9 different states from New England to the Deep South but Michigan holds the greediest group to ever mistakenly call themselves "sportsman" that I personally have observed. I pay taxes in this god forsaken socialist hole so I take the liberty of drilling a couple of your deer every year but believe me when I’m ready to hunt each fall I go outside Michigan where I can hunt with sportsman who have IQ’s above 59.

Are u out of your mind this is all u can come up with u people mess every thing up everything u touch kids hunt in sept we hunt on nov 15th thats it man thing need to stay the same if you cant get out of school or off work u need to try harder make plans we need bigger bucks in mi this is not the way to get them i say dont let any one in any season shoot anything smaller than a five point who wants a spike u people look ---holes driving home with a spike hanging out of your truck cover them up on your way home keep opening day on the 15th thank u

Why would anyone want the date one the beginning of rutting season. There may be people that want it changed but there's a lot of people that don't want it changed.

Times change people! We are all busting out a#*es working harder and harder, and taking PRECIOUS TIME off is financially tough for ALOT of people nowdays. Plus businesses are not as forgiving for people to take time off, schools do not close for opening day like they used to, etc, etc. I can take the time off...but there is alot of people here at work who could not get the time off from work. It's not fair to them. People have little precious time to spare away from work and their families with today's new (but not better) economy. Let's TRY a Saturday opener....maybe this will bring people in the woods... Maybe this will get the youth involved again... I HARDLY saw anyone hunting in Mason county, especially the 15th, 16th, and 17th, when I came out of the woods to run errands...typically, I would see cars everywhere and orange in the fields. And when I drove back to Grand Rapids Saturday afternoon, I saw ONE hunter at 4:00pm in the fields\woods...90 miles of driving and ONE person hunting at prime time...what is that all about??? Hunting is declining folks!!! Also...the LACK OF SHOTS. I herd 5 different hunters shoot opening morning in a 4 hour period, 7 hunters shoot opening evening in a 3 hour period, and about that same number average the 16th and 17th... This tells me less people are hunting. I used to hear...seriously...20-30 shots from different hunters per morning and evening session up to 4-5 years ago. Lack of hunters means lack of revenue to the DNR...lack of revenue to the DNR means cuts and license fees raising, which means even more hunters will say screw it, not hunting this year due to the fees and not seeing deer anyway, which means even more lack of revenue, and the vicious cycle will continue. Let's try something different...WE HAVE TO...the see if we can get hunters, especially youth in the woods... LET's HAVE OPENING DAY ON THE SATURDAY...why not? To not even objectively or logically look at this possibility means short-sightliness. Or to just think that "too bad if people cannot take the 15th off...that's their problem...they have to manage their vacation time better..." is also short-sighted and SELFISH...these people may have circumstances at home that prevent them from burning a weekday to hunt. I am guessing the people on this board that think "too bad if they cannot take time off...that their problem..." have different job\financial circumstances, than someone who is in need of supporting their family and cannot afford a week day off....but is a passionate hunter and would like to be in the woods for the opener. ALL hunters that want to be in the woods SHOULD have an equal chance to carry on Michigan's deer hunting tradition...and having a Saturday opener GREATLY INCREASES the odds of people getting that chance....unless they work for a service industry such as a gas station and have weekend hours...but I would assume that would be the minority. Before deer hunting is extinguished from lack of interest by the majority...just look at licenses sales...they have been declining steadily...logic dictates other options need to be tried to bring up sales... ....LIKE A SATURDAY OPENER....WHAT CAN IT HURT??????? Back to top View user's profile Report Abuse

lower the fee for licenses? or reduce the D.N.R.'s responsibility to checking to see if licenses are present and current, and helping people manage plots of land so wildlife will thrive. no, D.N.R. should not be running around with D.E.A. and federal agents, looking for drugs in people's houses. no, D.N.R. should not be assisting animal control officers with dog problems in flint. no, D.N.R. should not be doing anything except what they are supposed to be doing. maybe if they were, hunters wouldn't get treated the way they do, and land owners would welcome them year round.

They tried a Sat opener in the early 60's - people didn't like it...

Legalize the use of crossbows.

Is the increasing numbers of deer in the last several years, as the increasing amount of roadkill can attest. I think the deer population is exploding, and having a longer season may be an answer until the population is sufficiently under control - can sustain a decent hunt with quality deer without making them too scarce. I see lots of deer in Mid-Michigan and Southeastern lower Michigan than before. So, there are plenty of deer to be had around my area.

gun hunting is a joke take all the gun hunters out of the woods give every real man a bow and we will see what state has the biggest bucks!

Look at Wisconsin...they have a 9 day season running the week of Thanksgiving and that's it. We have a 2 week season that coincides with the rut to an extent. We'd save a lot of immature animals if we moved it ahead. On top of that, let's get an 8 Point rule, a one buck rule, and many other things so we can compete with neighboring States for good hunting. Maybe that way, I'd continue to buy a MI license instead of traveling out of State for all my deer hunting. I won't drop a dime in MI to hunt all of these immature bucks here, but I sure as heck will pay upwards of $800 a trip to hunt elsewhere. Come on, I'd be more than willing to drop that money here if Gary Alt would just come in and turn things around for us!!! Think about it...Michigan is losing deer hunters. I bet you any money one reason is because people gave up and hunt out of State now. Actually, I know it's a fact...I have at least 10 friends or aquaintences that haven't bought a MI deer license in a few years because they travel out of State for their hunting now. This herd needs to be managed properly and then an increase in hunter numbers will come with it...with that, license sales will increase...with that, revenue will increase. And here we are arguing if we need to move the firearms opener ahead....FINE...move it ahead...move it to the last Saturday in November or even the first Saturday in December and run it for a week or even a few seperate weekends...heck IA does it! What's that tell you? Other Midwestern States do it too!

me that you, as a michigan hunter, are incapable of self regulation? you must follow the 'IF IT'S BROWN, IT'S DOWN' rule. aren't hunters in this state disciplined enough to PASS on immature bucks? aren't hunters in this state smart enough to take an extra doe or two to improve their herd? aren't hunters in this state responsible enough to practice good management practices without the D.N.R. breathing down their necks? obviously not. giving legislators THOSE kinds of choices gives them the opportunity to eliminate hunting altogether. michigan eliminating hunting altogether will cause other states to do it as well. michigan has a very large deer herd, as opposed to other states. we need the hunters to more actively control those numbers if we are to see an improvement in that herd.

ain't broke, don't fix it. Leave it as it is.

I'll be out of town Saturday, November 8, 2008. All of my family obligations & events have been scheduled around the 15th forever. A little consistancy in an ever-changing world is a good thing.

when i was stationed in virgina, we were able to hunt deer for almost two months non stop ... Beat that Michigan

Leave the date the same but only shoot does for the first week, then buck season starts on nov. 23 thru end of month

Shooting does only the first week would destroy the Michigan Deer Hunting seaso. A really bad idea!It would make much more sense to shoot does in the latter part of the season.

Many areas in Michigan that use to have great numbers of whitetail deer have very little to no deer action now. The unlimeted shooting of our whitetail does has really hurt the deer numbers. I agree some areas have too many deer. Let's regulate the number of does in those area's only. By going to a mandatory 4 point minimum on one side would change everyones hunting for the better within 4 years. If you feel you have to have a doe season, then have rule like the following: In order to be allowed the previlage to shoot one of Michigan's Buck's you must first shoot a Doe and bring it to one of the DNR's Check station's to receive your Buck Tag. Let's not destroy our deer herd any further. It is time we took a stand for our rights. The days of hunting out of necessity are over for almost all of us. There must be more hunters out there who feel the same as me. Don't let the meat hunting kill doe fanaticts destroy our deer herds any further. I personally will note vote for anyone who would propose non-stop killing of does in Michigan. Sign, Concerned Hunter

the buck to doe ratio in michigan is not even close to what it should be. the opener on the 11/15 is fine and it runs for as long as it needs to . what michigan needs to do like North Dakota is open the bow season on the 31st on August. even though its hot and the deer are bedding. a truly good hunter will be able to take one anytime. by extending the time it will give more opportunity to take more.. then just limit the amount of buck tags given during the season and emphasise the doe tags. i also agree that if we all just went 2 years of shooting nothing but 6 points and up you would start to see a dramatic change in population and size.

why would you want to shoot deer to begin with? There is no reason to shoot deer for meat. We have an ample supply of cruely raised and slaughtered meats in your local supermarket.

Because it's illegal to shoot tree hugging, birkenstock wearing, kubaya singing, anti capitalist, America hating liberals.

Don't see what the problem is? If its brown it goes down! end of story

Michigans deer herd is doing fine, I know gas prices are out of control, but take a drive down most any hiway or secondary road for that matter. Not only will you see lots of road killed deer but if you look out in the fields at dusk you will see large herds of deer in many of them. The problem in Michigan isn't the season dates, it's urban sprawl. There is no where near the amount of empty land there used to be. The deer migrate or move onto private land, and the immature deer stay back on public lands, until they wise up from there first season [ if they survive it ]. Unfortunately most hunters in this state have to use state lands if they want to hunt, where there's to much pressure inthe first place, and if they're fortunate enough to see a deer they're going to take it if it's a legal one.

what r u talking about???

deer hunting is one of the last industries in michigan that hasn't dissolved!