There have been a lot of newsworthy happenings in Michigan lately, and I figured that doing a post to cover a few of the hot issues would be a good idea. I think that covering these posts will make people that live in Michigan more aware of these particular events, and also will let those people, who are from other states, to be aware of the things that Michigan has happening.

The first thing is a new partnership that has been formed in our state. The MUCC will be joining with NASCAR’s Racing for Wildlife to establish what will be known as the Outdoor Education Initiative. Racing for Wildlife is a partnership between the Ryan Newman Foundation and The Conservation Fund. The partnership will also include MUCC, Michigan Internation Speedway, Racing for Wildlife, and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

The main goal of the Outdoor Education Initiative is to restore the Mill Lake Youth Camp which is in close proximity to Camp for Kids. Camp for Kids is also run by the MUCC as well.

I think this is honestly the best news that has hit our state in quite some time. I think it is great that this partnership has come to be a reality, and that their main goal is to get a camp restored that will allow for kids to actively participate in the outdoors. All of thee above listed organizations definitely got this one right. I was also glad to see the Michigan International Speedway jump on board as well. To see these organizations give back to our home state is great. That it directly benefits Michigan’s youth is even better.

The next thing that has been in the news is a very controversial topic in the state. I wrote about this particular topic already, so I won’t go into my views on the subject again, but I will tell you that House Bill 5741 passed the house which will allow for anyone to use a crossbow during the archery season. This bill originally started to ease restrictions on handicapped individuals who wanted to use a crossbow, but once it went through the House Committee on Tourism, Outdoor Recreation and Natural Resources, the bill changed to include crossbow use for anyone in any general license season.

This bill has not passed the Senate yet, but from everything I’m hearing, it is going to pass there as well. So, regardless of what side of the issue you are on, you better be getting ready to share the woods with crossbow hunters next year.

The last news item I wanted to cover involves only the U.P., but I can see this particular item trickling down into the Lower Peninsula over time. At its June meeting the Natural Resources Commission adopted a hunting license regulation that will allow for what is called Hunter’s Choice.

The choices are as follows:

• One unrestricted buck tag good for any buck with at least one 3-inch antler
• Two restricted buck tags, one good for a buck with at least three antler points on one side and one good for a buck with at least four antler points on one side

I think this last topic is a good one, and one that I wouldn’t mind seeing become law in the Lower Peninsula. I definitely think that something has to be done in order to help our buck quality, as well as our buck-to-doe ratios. I think that this particular license change is a good step in the right direction for the state, and will hopefully allow those persons who hunt in the U.P. to have a better chance at seeing a few more quality bucks.

There is a lot happening in the Michigan outdoors lately, and hopefully my post helped everyone to stay informed.

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