Feeding deer is the subject of lots of debate in Lansing this week. The state is getting ready to decide in June whether to lift the ban on baiting deer in the Lower Peninsula.
Setting out a pile of food or a salt lick causes deer to congregate in ways they usually wouldn't and that can spread disease. That's why, when chronic wasting disease was discovered in a deer in Kent County in 2008, the state banned deer baiting in the Lower Peninsula.
No more deer have tested positive for the disease since then, so state wildlife officials are considering lifting the ban.
Many hunters bait deer to improve their success in the fall. Other hunters ridicule the practice and think it's unethical.
The Natural Resources Commission holds a discussion at its monthly meeting tomorrow.
The state's largest hunting group, Michigan United Conservation Clubs, is hosting a panel discussion on the issue Saturday. For now MUCC opposes lifting the ban.
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Live Streaming of NRC Baiting Discussion
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