Rock n' Roll legend and Michigan hunting advocate Ted Nugent delivered a personal message to Gov. Rick Snyder on Thursday regarding the state's current hunting laws. The thesis to his message: Ditch state regulations that (1) prompt hunters to other states and (2) cost Michigan millions of dollars in business.
Nugent cites a examples like the ban on using bait for hunting deer in the Lower Peninsula, and the requirement of obtaining a license to shoot wild turkeys, which Ted said "are as prolific as mosquitoes."
"Michigan has so many opportunities that are not being utilized because of so many silly, illogical, antiscience regulations that represent a blockade to sportsmen," Nugent claimed to reporters before meeting the governor.
He argued that the state of Michigan should permit more bear-hunting licenses and should also stop trying to ban private preserves - such as the one he owns in Jackson County - that allows wild boar hunts.
"I hunt with hundreds of hunters every year and share intimate campfires where they open up and express stuff," Nugent said. "And it's embarrassing. They laugh at Michigan."
One government official, Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville, agrees with Nugent.
"Cabela's down in Monroe, No. 1 tourist attraction in Michigan, over a million people a year," said Richardville, referring to the outdoor retailer. "They come here, they buy their hunting and fishing equipment and go hunting in Indiana and Illinois."
The governor's spokeswoman Sara Wurfel said on behalf Snyder that he is "always happy to talk with people who are passionate about Michigan."
Nugent is not the only one voicing an opinion over some of the state's hunting rules. One of the top attorneys in Michigan (who prefers to remain anonymous) has sent letters to the state's government regarding licensing restrictions.
Challenging Nugent's statements is the spokeswoman for the state Department of Natural Resources Mary Dettloff. She said the 2008 deer-baiting ban in the Lower Peninsula prevents the spread of chronic wasting disease among white-tail deer, and bovine tuberculosis in northeast lower Michigan. Dettloff said the Natural Resources Commission may lift the broad-based baiting ban.
She also said license fees for turkey hunting pay for wildlife management that maintains healthy wild turkey populations.
Many Michigan law firms with practices in environmental law and gaming law are taking an interest in the rocker's views.
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