doe permit law steps back to medieval feudalism!

[willysjeep134]

I live in a deer management unit in the UP with many private land owner doe permits available every year. My rural property is 31.9 acres, because my uncle owns a trailer lot in the center of the old family 40. In order to legally purchase land owner doe permits I need 40 acres, or the permission of somebody who owns 40 acres in that unit. I can not legally use public land doe permits on my private land, and I can not legally purchase my own private permits without the permission of a "bigger" land owner, and I can't pool land with my uncle to make a full 40. This seems like medieval feudalism to me! I, the poor peasant with only 31.9 acres, need the royal permission of a landowner with a full forty in order to get doe licenses that are legal on my own land! Have the big hunting clubs swayed the DNR to cut opportunities for smaller land owners? Is there some reason any private land owner shouldn't be allowed to get a doe permit if they are available? Does anybody else have this problem?

[Thebear_78]

Unless it has very recently changed you can use a public or general antlerless permit is good for ANY area in that unit, if general permits are available then you can definately use them.   The 40 acre rule was set up mainly for agricultural land use, farmers were allowed extra doe permits to help keep the crop damage down on thier land and 40 acres really isn't that big a piece of dirt when your talking about agricultural land use.   I think your kind of jumping the gun a bit.  I strongly doubt that hunt clubs hold much if any sway on the MDNR.

[gooser]

all right, I,m in saginaw county,I buy over the counter doe permits for my area because my hunting buddy owns a lot of land around here.you just tell them,(the sales agent) you want a doe permit for area so and so,give them a phone number...and you get one.
 The state just wants the money. It's been that way for years.

[bearman49709]

Thebear, that law changed about 3 years ago. Now you need a private permit for private land, not good for public land, or public permit not good for private land.

[Gurn]

Mr Jeep
I agree that is not right!! That's crazy that with 30 acres the state won't let you buy a doe permit for your own land!!!! 

[willysjeep134]

I take issue with the principles behind the rule more so than whether or not I can actually get a doe permit. I heard back from the DNR and this is what they told me. The 40 acre rule was part of the original set of doe permit rules back in the 70's. When deer densities jumped in the late 80's they lowered it to 5 acres, then to any private land. They went back to the 40 acre rule, they say, because deer densities are back down, and they want to restrict the harvest.

My issues with this:

1) I can still get permits by jumping through the appropriate hoops, so they really aren't restricting what I harvest.
2) They are basically giving me a harder time in hopes that I won't be as likely to go through the trouble.
3) If their mentality is correct and less small holders get permits, they're unfairly targeting us to keep the big holders and public hunters happy.


The fair way to accomplish their goal would be to just lower the number of permits available, instead of lowering the number of people willing to buy permits! They must figure it is more important to keep the public land hunters and big property holders happy, and just work over the little guys who are too insignificant to put up a fight.

It would be nice if there were a little more honesty and integrity in the DNR. I make it a point to follow the rules, but when the rules are unjust I feel cheated by the system. Maybe things will be better next year.

[Northern-Lights]

.....It would be nice if there were a little more honesty and integrity in the DNR.  Maybe things will be better next year.

Snicker, snicker.....snicker......  That's a good one!!

[Lloyd Smale]

i agree. we do own 40 acers and i still think its bs. Seems like the dnr put no thought at all into doe permits. I think what they actually do is look at there budget and see how much money they need. last year i could have had unlimited doe permits if i wanted them. You could buy one a day. the most does i saw in my blind at one time was 3!!! This year there are very few deer. zNow the dnr puts in the quality deer laws. It is about impossible to even shoot a deer up here anymore and i know of many people who just didnt buy a licience this year because of it. Now you can bet that no matter that our deer heard is down the dnr is going to sell a bunch of doe permits next year to meet there budget!!!!

[warrior1]

lloyd, why do i get a feeling there are quite a few folks with the same thoughts about our dnr.

[Lloyd Smale]

just angers a guy that states like penysivainia, whyoming, montana and a few others have dnr depts that actually work and ours has there head up there ass so far that theres no chance of seeing daylight for years! Ill give you an example. my dad comes to camp with a combo tag that is good for on 3 point or better and one 4 point or better. That is suppose to be all the tags a guy can get this year. No doe tags. Well he didnt understand the law and went to the local sports shop when he found out he could shoot a doe and bought a bow tag which he was not elligable for. The computer spit one out as fast as snot when he payed his money. IF the dnr cared about anything but how much money there getting dont you think they wouldnt have put a program into the computer that would red flag guys buying extra liciences. My brother in law did something simular the year before. He was applying for doe permits on line and applyed and got 4 of them in the same day. I told him that it said right on the sight that you could only get one a day. He didnt see it and the dnr didnt give a rats ass as long as they got his credit card info. Just wait till next year. The dnr no doubt took a serioius hit in licience revinew this year. Lots of up hunters didnt buy tags because they didnt like the quality dear management laws and alot of the down state hunters didnt because of the baiting ban. Plus no doe tags up here. The martini lunches are going to be few and far between this year. Id bet that that is what is going to prevent the dnr from passing a baiting ban in the up next year. There are no farm fields to hunt up here. We need baiting. If everyone in our hunting area walked around we would have to do it in gangs!! I wouldnt want my young child walking around with a loaded gun with trigger happy hunters walking the woods in numbers. theres going to defineately be som shootings up here if it passes and theres defineately going to be alot of hunters that just quit hunting. Ive had 5 back operations in the last 2 years and am on ss disability. Theres no way i could walk and hunt anymore so my hunting would be about finishied.

[ihookem]

Just buy a 40! 

[Lloyd Smale]

most people dont have 40 grand in there pocket. Lucky these days to have 40 dollars extra in the budget of most familys. quote author=ihookem link=topic=130776.msg1098700562#msg1098700562 date=1229220675]
Just buy a 40! 
[/quote]

[hillbill]

here in MO your deer permits were free if you owned 5 acres or more. they are now thinking of going to the 40 acre thing here also from what ive heard.ive only got 38 acres. oh well. i usually buy a regular deer permit or two to kind of help out the conservation dept but they kinda pissin me off if they go to this 40 acre thing.