MIBowhunter
03-05-2004, 09:24 AM
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div>
Hunters lure deer with crops
March 5, 2004
BY MARTY HAIR
FREE PRESS GARDEN WRITER
With deer baiting restricted or banned in Michigan, more hunters are planting plots of food crops to attract deer in hopes they'll stick around for hunting season.
"Many hunters have been going that route if they own or lease the property," says Rodney Clute, big game specialist for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. The food plots are considered habitat enhancement.
In 2002, the state began restricting deer baiting to 2 gallons and said it could only be used between Oct. 1 and Jan. 1. People who want to feed deer for recreational viewing can use up to 2 gallons of feed any time of the year as long as it is within 100 yards of their house.
The state bans all baiting or feeding of deer in seven northeast Lower Peninsula counties (Alcona, Alpena, Crawford, Montmorency, Oscoda, Otsego and Presque Isle) because of concerns about disease.
Of the roughly 10 soil sample analyses requested through the Macomb County office of the MSU Extension each month, four are coming from people who intend to plant crops on their property to attract deer. Publication W-11, "Improving Your Land for Wildlife," is available through county extension offices.
"We're just amazed at how many people are being drawn in that direction," says horticulturist Sandra Goeddeke-Richards. "They're looking at their land and changing the natural habitat, planting a plot here or there."
She also recently got an inquiry about whether deer manure is a good fertilizer. Her answer: Yes.[/b]
Hunters lure deer with crops
March 5, 2004
BY MARTY HAIR
FREE PRESS GARDEN WRITER
With deer baiting restricted or banned in Michigan, more hunters are planting plots of food crops to attract deer in hopes they'll stick around for hunting season.
"Many hunters have been going that route if they own or lease the property," says Rodney Clute, big game specialist for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. The food plots are considered habitat enhancement.
In 2002, the state began restricting deer baiting to 2 gallons and said it could only be used between Oct. 1 and Jan. 1. People who want to feed deer for recreational viewing can use up to 2 gallons of feed any time of the year as long as it is within 100 yards of their house.
The state bans all baiting or feeding of deer in seven northeast Lower Peninsula counties (Alcona, Alpena, Crawford, Montmorency, Oscoda, Otsego and Presque Isle) because of concerns about disease.
Of the roughly 10 soil sample analyses requested through the Macomb County office of the MSU Extension each month, four are coming from people who intend to plant crops on their property to attract deer. Publication W-11, "Improving Your Land for Wildlife," is available through county extension offices.
"We're just amazed at how many people are being drawn in that direction," says horticulturist Sandra Goeddeke-Richards. "They're looking at their land and changing the natural habitat, planting a plot here or there."
She also recently got an inquiry about whether deer manure is a good fertilizer. Her answer: Yes.[/b]