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House committee hears bill to legalize deer baiting as lawmakers, scientist debate public-safety and crop impacts
Summary
The House Committee on Natural Resource and Tourism heard testimony on House Bill 4445, which would legalize deer baiting during deer season; sponsor Representative Wirtz cited local overpopulation, crop damage and vehicle collisions, while a Michigan State University scientist warned of data gaps and described how bait concentration can increase disease transmission risk.
Representative Wirtz presented House Bill 4445 to the House Committee on Natural Resource and Tourism on Dec. 10, saying the bill would legalize deer baiting during deer season and help address what he described as a deer overpopulation problem and growing crop damage in parts of southern Michigan. "Michigan has the second highest deer population of any state in the country, only behind Texas," Wirtz said, and he described local scenes of large herds and repeated vehicle collisions.
Wirtz told the panel he had discussed the measure with Department of Natural Resources staff but said he was surprised the DNR did not appear in person; the agency submitted written testimony opposing the bill on the grounds it could undermine the Natural Resources Commission's authority to regulate baiting. "This is not true," Wirtz said of the DNR's…
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