Michigan lawmakers hear complaints of DNR 'overreach' from pig ranchers and hunters

Members of Michigan House committees held an oversight-style hearing that drew testimony from hunters, livestock owners and residents who say the Michigan Department of Natural Resources has overreached its authority in enforcement of game and trespass laws.

The hearing included testimony from musician and longtime hunter Ted Nugent and several Upper Peninsula farm operators who described multi-year court fights with the DNR over classification of hogs, undercover DNR operations to document alleged illegal hunts, and disputes over when officers may enter private property. Witnesses asked legislators to clarify state rules on baiting, chronic wasting disease guidance and the DNR’s use of undercover operations.

Lawmakers said the hearing’s purpose was to examine DNR accountability and to gather examples of what members called burdensome or inconsistent enforcement. Representative Ken Barton introduced the panel, saying resident complaints about perceived DNR overreach are frequent and that the committee sought specific examples to guide policy changes.

Testimony and key claims

Joseph O’Leary, prosecutor for Baraga County, described an outbreak of escaped pigs introduced by a hunting facility in 2002 and his office’s difficulties getting state agencies to help control the animals. O’Leary said the DNR and the Department of Agriculture shifted responsibility between them, prompting local appeals to the governor and media to spur action.

Roger Ternan and Greg Johnson (owner of Bear Mountain Lodge) described long-running litigation with the DNR about whether pigs at their operations were "feral/wild" or domestic livestock. Johnson said his litigation has lasted more than a decade and that courts have sometimes struck down DNR regulations as beyond the agency’s authority. He described DNR orders and declaratory rulings that, in his view, used imprecise characteristics (ear shape, tail type) to declare animals illegal.

Cody, identified as representing Superior Wildlife Adventures, described an undercover DNR hunt at his facility in 2021 in which officers used false names, paid by money order and signed liability waivers under assumed names before shooting a pig. Cody said DNA tests were taken and stored but that he learned about the tests only years later when litigation began.

Ted Nugent, introduced as an avid Michigan outdoorsman, provided extended testimony criticizing the DNR and the Natural Resources Commission (NRC). He called some DNR rules "insane," said officers had issued tickets for minor matters such as salt blocks, and urged lawmakers to restore what he called "science-based" hunting rules and to expand hunting opportunities to reduce deer overpopulation.

Property and trespass concerns

Representative Mueller recounted a personal encounter in which a conservation officer was on his farm and he asked the officer to leave, arguing for property-rights protections and for greater officer discretion before entering gated private property. Multiple speakers asked legislators to clarify how the open-fields doctrine and trespass rules apply to conservation officers, and several witnesses described fear of reprisal that they said had discouraged other residents from testifying.

What witnesses want

Speakers asked legislators to: - Clarify when conservation officers may enter private land and whether court judgments barring officer entry are being respected; - Investigate the DNR’s use of undercover operations and whether officers used false names and falsified documents to book hunts; - Review DNR declaratory rulings and invasive-species guidance that govern classification of swine; - Reexamine enforcement priorities (baiting, salt blocks, chronic wasting disease restrictions) and the training officers receive on discretion and property rights.

Committee next steps and context

Committee members said they had sent document requests to the DNR, including requests for the authorization and funding behind undercover operations, and that they planned follow-up oversight work. Several lawmakers framed the hearing as part of broader scrutiny of executive-branch agencies.

Ending

Speakers on both sides said they wanted clearer rules. Several witnesses urged lawmakers to produce statutory or rule changes that would remove ambiguous or allegedly inconsistent DNR authority and restore predictability for hunters, ranchers and landowners.