U.P. St. Martins Island deer harvest pic (was poaching raid)

[picksbigwagon]

it varies by state Brule, that might be true in MN, but I am not sure what the rules state in Michigan. In Iowa last weekend, it stated on the license that we had to tag it within 15 minutes of finding the dead deer,

[BRULEDRIFTER]

Ah, good point. I was referring to MN, though, because that's where Vister hunts.

[eyeguy 54]

If you are not tagging your deer in the field at the kill site in MN you might want to read the regulations. Here's the info on how to do it.

Your Deer License and Site Tag

comes as a 2-part form. The

upper half is the Site Tag for

tagging the deer in the field. The

lower half is the Deer License

and Registration Slip. The Slip

will be cut off and turned in to

a registration station

when you

register your deer (see page 73).

1. At the kill site you must:

a. Detach the Site Tag from

the Deer License/Registration

Slip.

b. Before moving the

deer, validate the tag by

using a knife or similar sharp

object to cut out the appropriate

notches indicating:

• Month the deer was

killed,

• Date it was killed, and

• Time of day it was killed

(a.m. or p.m.). Mark

carefully—if more than

one month, date, or time

is cut out or marked, the tag becomes invalid.

2. A person may move a lawfully taken deer from the site of the kill without

attaching the validated tag to the animal only while in the act of manually

or mechanically dragging, carrying, or carting the animal across the ground

and while possessing the validated tag on their person.

3. The validated tag must be attached to the deer when the deer is

placed on a motor vehicle or an ATV, a vehicle or a trailer being towed

by an ATV or brought into a camp, yard or other place of habitation.

4. T o apply the tag to the deer:

• Tie or attach a 10- to 12-inch twine or wire securely to the deer

around the base of an antler, through a slit cut in either ear, or between

the tendon and bone of a hind leg, leaving the two long ends of the

string or wire free. Note that this will require you to bring a cable tie,

piece of wire or string into the field with you.

• Pull one end of the twine or wire through one of the pre-cut holes on

the Site Tag and tie it together. Note that tags no longer fold and are

not adhesive.

• The tag must remain attached to the deer until processed for storage.

Part 1:

Site Tag

Notch time,

date, and

month here

Part 2:

License

Always retain.

Part 3:

Registration

Slip

You exchange

this at the

registration

station for a

Possession Tag.

Detach here

RF-09-A

RF-09-A

RF-09-A

2009 Minnesota Hunting Regulations

66

[fr0sty]

From page 66 of dnr reg book.

2. A person may move a lawfully taken deer from the site of the kill without attaching the validated tag to the animal only while in the act of manually or mechanically dragging, carrying, or carting the animal across the ground and while possessing the validated tag on their person.

[Bear55]

I carry zip ties for attaching tags!

Same here, they work great for just about anything.

[Rick]

I just received this e-mail so am posting it even though it may be a repeat.

Fellow hunters,

I saw the St. Martin’s deer camp pictures on your website, so I’m sending this to you to clarify some misconceptions …

I just got off the phone where I spoke directly with Debbie Munson Badini of the Michigan DNR’s Marquette office. She is VERY familiar with this story.

First off, the pictures are legitimate, and were from a deer camp on St. Martin’s Island in the U.P. However, the implications of the original e-mail are incorrect.

Debbie informed me that there was no poaching or other large-scale illegal hunting going on. She did say there were some tickets issued for some incorrectly tagged deer, and wardens are investigating a few other possible violations, but that, again, this was NOT some sort of “poachers camp” [my quotes on that phrase].

She said that Michigan DNR has not publicized this as yet since they are waiting until their officers wrap-up and tie off some of the outstanding issues.

[mrklean]

we can always thank the internet for blowing a story up

[StMartin]

Lake Orion, Mich. - A series of pictures circulating on the Internet of a buck pole on St. Martin Island in Lake Michigan is creating a buzz among the hunting fraternity.

The tiny island is located off Wisconsin’s Door County Pennisula, in Michigan’s Delta County, just inside the Michigan/Wisconsin boundary.

Despite reports of a poaching ring, which are circulating with some of the pictures, detective Lt. Wade Hamilton of the DNR Law Enforcement Division’s Special Investigations Unit says the photos are bigger than the story.

Michigan COs visited the privately-owned 2 1⁄4-mile by 1 1⁄4-mile island on a routine patrol on Nov. 19, he said.

“We made contact with 20 to 30 hunters out there in numerous deer camps,” Hamilton said. “We issued 11 tickets for tagging violations and cited them into court in Delta County.”

Hamilton said all hunters appeared to have permission to be on the island and that there were no trespass issues or other game law violations.

“The pictures are accurate,” he said. “They had quite a buck pole.”

The trip to the island was not precipitated by a complaint, but was part of a routine patrol.

“Officers have always worked patrols on various islands when time permits,” he said. “We weren’t there on opening day, but we made it out there by the 19th. There’s an old adage that you never know when a CO will show up, and we like to keep it like that.”

From the horse's mouth Rich

[rcatcherman]

What a difference it was once you read the post from beginning to end. It is what alot of people do not do often. The are quick to judge before the true facts are brought out. I'm sure glad this had a good ending after all.

[vitalshot5]

So what your telling me is that my wife/girlfriend who is not hunting, and is sitting on a couch watching tv 200 miles away, but somehow just tagged an 8 pointer up on the island is just mistagging the deer, get real...that deer is considered poached. I'd like to see where in the Michigan regulations say it's not.

[winniewalleye777]

Where does it say that the wife/girlfriends were not hunting or even along with?

[96trigger]

I believe it pretty much says that the wife and girlfriends were there. They brought them along.

[LightningBG]

I think the decision to cull the buck populations is to grow bigger bucks. I have hunted on a nearby island and there is a severe lack of nutrition available. The forests are suffering and none of the deer get big. Winter loss is a problem as a lot of them starve. There are no natural predators to keep the population in check. So if they want to selectively take smaller bucks to improve conditions for future years, I'm all for that. Of course they should be properly tagged.

[eyeguy 54]

So what your telling me is that my wife/girlfriend who is not hunting, and is sitting on a couch watching tv 200 miles away, but somehow just tagged an 8 pointer up on the island is just mistagging the deer, get real...that deer is considered poached. I'd like to see where in the Michigan regulations say it's not.

You must be reading a different article.

[castmaster]

If you are not tagging your deer in the field at the kill site in MN you might want to read the regulations. Here's the info on how to do it.

Your Deer License and Site Tag

comes as a 2-part form. The

upper half is the Site Tag for

tagging the deer in the field. The

lower half is the Deer License

and Registration Slip. The Slip

will be cut off and turned in to

a registration station

when you

register your deer (see page 73).

1. At the kill site you must:

a. Detach the Site Tag from

the Deer License/Registration

Slip.

b. Before moving the

deer, validate the tag by

using a knife or similar sharp

object to cut out the appropriate

notches indicating:

• Month the deer was

killed,

• Date it was killed, and

• Time of day it was killed

(a.m. or p.m.). Mark

carefully—if more than

one month, date, or time

is cut out or marked, the tag becomes invalid.

2. A person may move a lawfully taken deer from the site of the kill without

attaching the validated tag to the animal only while in the act of manually

or mechanically dragging, carrying, or carting the animal across the ground

and while possessing the validated tag on their person.

3. The validated tag must be attached to the deer when the deer is

placed on a motor vehicle or an ATV, a vehicle or a trailer being towed

by an ATV or brought into a camp, yard or other place of habitation.

4. T o apply the tag to the deer:

• Tie or attach a 10- to 12-inch twine or wire securely to the deer

around the base of an antler, through a slit cut in either ear, or between

the tendon and bone of a hind leg, leaving the two long ends of the

string or wire free. Note that this will require you to bring a cable tie,

piece of wire or string into the field with you.

• Pull one end of the twine or wire through one of the pre-cut holes on

the Site Tag and tie it together. Note that tags no longer fold and are

not adhesive.

• The tag must remain attached to the deer until processed for storage.

Part 1:

Site Tag

Notch time,

date, and

month here

Part 2:

License

Always retain.

Part 3:

Registration

Slip

You exchange

this at the

registration

station for a

Possession Tag.

Detach here

RF-09-A

RF-09-A

RF-09-A

2009 Minnesota Hunting Regulations

66

It often helps to read things first, as what you copied and posted states pretty clearly that one doesnt have to attach the tag at the kill site, but rather after dragging the deer from the woods.

[fsh4trout]

I think the decision to cull the buck populations is to grow bigger bucks

How do you know if your taking a future booner? If I wanted to decrease the size of a herd I would shoot more does not bucks. I do not think you can grow bigger bucks by killing smaller bucks. Maybe years down the road deer have more food. I also wonder about carrying capacity, shouldn't these islands have a natural number of deer that they can support. Weather and lack of food should make up for the lack of predators. Deer numbers may go up or down from the average, but it stays around an optimal level. What is causing an overpopulation in the first place? I would think deer numbers would be low on an isolated island where winterkill is a factor.