LANSING, Mich. — Hunters hoping to legally put out bait for deer in the Lower Peninsula this fall are out of luck, and a bill that would have ended the ban appears headed nowhere before the legislative session closes at year end.
House Bill 4445, sponsored by Republican Rep. Jennifer Wortz of Quincy, would let hunters bait deer and elk while the season is open. The House approved it on Feb. 4 by a 66-38 vote with immediate effect, and on Feb. 11 the Senate sent it to its Committee on Natural Resources and Agriculture, where it has not moved since.
Little interest has surfaced in reviving the idea in another form, and the bill is expected to still be in committee when the session ends.
A companion measure, House Bill 4191 from Republican Rep. Timothy Beson of Bay City, would create a $20 license to bait deer or elk with the money going to study, monitor and test for wildlife disease. That bill has not left a House committee since March 11.
Baiting was legal statewide until the Lower Peninsula ban took effect on Jan. 31, 2019, a step officials took to limit chronic wasting disease and bovine tuberculosis when officials were unsure how widespread chronic wasting disease had become below the Mackinac Bridge.
Supporters of repeal argue the ban has not stopped disease and has added to overpopulation, crop damage and road hazards. Michigan has roughly 2 million deer, the second-largest herd in the nation, and state police figures show more than 58,000 deer-related crashes a year since 2022.
Filed under: Lansing MI Hunting News
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