Chairman Charters called the Committee of the Whole meeting of the NRC to order at 3:06 p.m. The Committee of the Whole is a working session of the NRC.
Feral Swine Update
Alan Marble, Chief, Law Enforcement Division, distributed a November 8 press release jointly issued by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA), map showing the presence of feral swine around the state, and a fact sheet explaining how the DNR and MDA are addressing the issue. In states where feral swine have become established, they have caused crop damage, pose a serious threat to the health and welfare of the domestic swine, endanger humans, impact wildlife populations, and impact the environment by disrupting the ecosystem. Though swine are protected by the law, local prosecutors in 23 counties (Arenac, Bay, Baraga, Clinton, Cheboygan, Gladwin, Gratiot, Hillsdale, Isabella, Jackson, Lapeer, Lenawee, Marquette, Mason, Mecosta, Midland, Montcalm, Montmorency, Newaygo, Oceana, Ogemaw, Roscommon, and Saginaw) are allowing hunters to take these animals.
Guidelines require that hunters in one of the 23 counties, with any valid hunting license may take a wild pig should the opportunity arise. The DNR recommends that only hunters using single projectiles (slugs or bullets) harvest these animals. All normal firearm and hunting regluations apply: including hunting hours, hunter orange requirement, and restrictions of firearms by season and location within the state. Hunters are also asked to take the heads of these animials into DNR deer check stations to be tested for various kinds of disease.
