I guess some of my(and many other landowners) comments have finally received some attention with MDC. New regs for 2023 will allow landowners (with minimum acre requirements) to have input on quality and/or population control by utilizing the so called "Deer Management Assistance Program". A new feature of the program is allowing multiple landowners to cooperate in order to meet the 500 acre minimum. I'm about two football fields short of this minimum on my home place but with this cooperative agreement clause, myself AND 5 other neighboring properties of 20-350 acres can now join the program.
Individual landowners can choose how their and is managed. Myself and the next larger farm are looking for population control (to reduce crop damage)by way of increased antlerless tags. The smaller acreage owners are mostly looking at some sort of antler quality improvement and reducing the pressure on their food plots.
I got motivated and within 24 hours have at least initial cooperation from 4 of the 5 possible participants whose land contributes most to our immediate area over population. I'm waiting on a phone number for #5.
There's always some sticky details but I'm hoping this works out. Best I could determine from the press release, the additional tags are 'assignable' so in theory (and with some consideration) the non-resident, buck hunters can assign their antlerless tags and even more venison goes to 'share the harvest program'.
I'm going to start making the MDC contacts as soon as I get time. There may be some lag due to limited time for either a biologist or bunny cop to look at the land. I hope they show up some evening when there's 30-40 deer munching on the rye cover crop here.
Individual landowners can choose how their and is managed. Myself and the next larger farm are looking for population control (to reduce crop damage)by way of increased antlerless tags. The smaller acreage owners are mostly looking at some sort of antler quality improvement and reducing the pressure on their food plots.
I got motivated and within 24 hours have at least initial cooperation from 4 of the 5 possible participants whose land contributes most to our immediate area over population. I'm waiting on a phone number for #5.
There's always some sticky details but I'm hoping this works out. Best I could determine from the press release, the additional tags are 'assignable' so in theory (and with some consideration) the non-resident, buck hunters can assign their antlerless tags and even more venison goes to 'share the harvest program'.
I'm going to start making the MDC contacts as soon as I get time. There may be some lag due to limited time for either a biologist or bunny cop to look at the land. I hope they show up some evening when there's 30-40 deer munching on the rye cover crop here.