Mr. John Neiwoonder
South Central Management Unit
Wildlife Habitat Biologist
Flat River State Game Area
RT 2 6640 Long Lake Road
Belding, MI 48809

Dear John:

In best interest to sound deer management and herd improvement, the Montcalm Branch of the Quality Deer Management Association is pleased to provide you with this proposal for a Quality Deer Management (QDM) Demonstration Area beginning with the 2003 Fall hunting season. The mission of the Montcalm Branch is to assist the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) in managing the white-tailed deer herd in the Montcalm County to (1) improve the adult buck-to-doe ratio to approximately 1:2 or lower, (2) create an older buck age structure (protecting more than half of the yearling bucks), and (3) achieve adequate (but not excessive) antlerless deer harvests so that the total deer population going into the winter is under the carrying capacity of the land in the area.

DMU #059 - Proposed regulation will be in effect for a five-year demonstration period. A four-point-on-one-side minimum (all points must be one inch in length) would be implemented for both the first and second buck. The area defined includes the boundaries of all properties of Montcalm Counties, otherwise known as DMU 059.

The Montcalm Branch believes this proposed regulation is a reasonable regulation because the regulation protects approximately 70% of the yearling bucks (based on the "Eco-Regions Antler Point Restrictions to Achieve Quality Deer Management" this will be easily enforced by law enforcement officers, relative to more complex and precise harvest restriction alternatives. This proposal meets the requirements in the QDM Procedure that the proposed regulation must protect at least 50% of the yearling bucks.

An adequate harvest of antlerless deer (especially adult does) is often the most important component of a successful QDM program. We make the following proposal:

• that a buck-to-doe harvest ratio of 1:1 be maintained until a desired post-hunting season buck-to-doe ratio of 1:2 or lower is achieved. Experience from other QDM areas/states shows that the harvest of antlerless deer typically increases following the introduction of more restrictive buck harvest guidelines.
• that liberalized antlerless harvest opportunities be considered for areas with densely populated deer herds. This would reduce the negative impacts associated with overpopulated herds and encourage broader participation and support by the hunting and non-hunting public.

During the 2002 hunting season (one year prior to implementation) and each year during the five-year demonstration period, the Montcalm Branch will assist the MDNR in collecting data from at least 100 bucks and 200 antlerless deer to establish base data and annual data for evaluating the proposal's effectiveness. Details of this process will be worked out cooperatively by the Montcalm Branch and the MDNR.

Incorporate a QDM course during this five-year demonstration that is sponsored and supported by the Department of Natural Resources on a quarterly basis. This educational proposal attaches directly to sound leadership, anchoring future management guidelines and regulation changes in which department personnel, sportsman, and landowners can begin to understand the philosophy of maintaining a Michigan deer herd that exhibits a natural deer density, sex ratio, and social balance. Proposed educational requirements should consist and focus on the following areas:

• Population Dynamics
• Habitat Management
• Deer Behavior
• Nutritional Requirements
• Food Plot Vegetation
• Harvest Strategies
• Youth Education and Hunter Safety
• Data Collection

Based on past introductions of similar guidelines in other states (e.g. Mississippi, Arkansas, Georgia, etc.), the following benefits could be expected with the implementation of this proposal:

• an improved adult sex ratio and buck age structure.
• an increase in the number of quality, mature bucks available for breeding and harvest.
• an increase in the antlerless harvest, due to shifting pressure from protected bucks to antlerless deer.
• an increase in hunter knowledge, interest, involvement in management, and satisfaction.
• a protection of ~ 70% of yearling bucks.
• an overall deer density below the winter carrying capacity of the land.
• increased Hunter's Safety.
• decrease negative impacts associated with overpopulated deer herds.

The Montcalm Branch believes that this proposal is both scientifically and socially valid, and would result in improved management and stewardship of the white-tailed deer resource in Michigan.

Cc:

John Urbain, Big Game Specialist
Wildlife Division
Dave Dominic, Wildlife Management Unit Supervisor
Wildlife Division