Natural resources: hunting; deer baiting license; provide for. Amends secs. 40102 & 40111a of 1994 PA 451 (MCL 324.40102 & 324.40111a).
Summary
Senate Bill 65 would amend Michigan’s Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act to create a deer baiting license and adjust related definitions governing deer and elk feeding and baiting. Under the bill, if the Natural Resources Commission issues an order banning or restricting deer or elk baiting, a person could still bait deer on private property during deer season by purchasing a deer baiting license and holding a valid deer license. The bill sets the license fee at $15 for residents and $30 for nonresidents.
The bill also revises statutory definitions in section 40102 and section 40111a to clarify what counts as deer or elk baiting, deer or elk feeding, feed, and related exceptions for agricultural practices, livestock, wildlife feeding, and storage of feed. It preserves the commission’s authority to regulate baiting and feeding and allows the commission to ban deer or elk baiting in a deer management unit when chronic wasting disease or another wildlife disease affecting deer or elk has been found, if at least two cases occur in that unit within a one-year period. The section creating the license framework would be repealed on January 1, 2029.
Impact
The bill would amend Michigan Compiled Laws sections 324.40102 and 324.40111a, changing how deer baiting and deer/elk feeding are defined and regulated under state wildlife law. It would add a new licensing mechanism for deer baiting on private property during open season when baiting is otherwise restricted, while also preserving disease-based baiting bans and existing exceptions for agricultural and wildlife-related feed use. The bill affects hunters, landowners, and the Department of Natural Resources/Natural Resources Commission, and it creates a temporary statutory framework scheduled to expire in 2029.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and available context, the measure appears to be framed as a regulated compromise rather than a broad prohibition or expansion of baiting. The bill’s structure suggests support for allowing deer baiting under controlled conditions while giving wildlife officials authority to restrict it in disease-affected areas. No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no documented public debate or formal vote sentiment in the available materials.
Contention
The main policy tension is between hunters and landowners who may want to continue deer baiting for harvest or recreational purposes, and wildlife managers concerned about disease transmission, especially chronic wasting disease. Another point of potential contention is the new license fee, which could be viewed as a reasonable regulatory cost by supporters or as an added burden by opponents. The commission’s authority to ban baiting in units with two or more disease cases in a year is likely the most significant restriction and the clearest point of disagreement.