|
September 10th marked the opening of the 2007 bear hunting season in the Upper Peninsula, which includes Drummond Island. Lower Peninsula season will begin Sept. 21.
"This year, hunters may expect another good to excellent bear season," said David Bostick, DNR bear specialist. "Dry conditions in some portions of the state have resulted in below average natural food availability. In the past, these conditions have resulted in better than average hunting and bear harvest rates."
The season dates for the Lower Peninsula is Sept. 21-27. An archery-only season for the Red Oak BMU opens Oct. 5, and closes Oct. 11.
To be eligible to receive a bear license, interested individuals must apply between April 15 and May 15 each year. In 2007, 54,560 individuals applied for a bear license. Of those individuals, 11,905 licenses are now available to successful applicants.
Hunters are required to register their bear at a registration station with 72 hour of harvesting the animal. The DNR will extract a canine tooth when the bear is sealed and registered. Bear population estimates depend on tooth extraction.
Bear registration stations are listed in the 2007 Bear Hunting Guide, and also found on the DNR Web site at www.michigan.gov/dnr.
For many years, the DNR has offered successful bear hunting patches to hunters who register their bear. Due to budget restrictions, bear patches will not be available this year.
|
