Michigan deer bust

[HUNTER2]

Deer bust on St. Martin Island
By Paul A. Smith of the Journal Sentinel
Dec. 16, 2009 


The game pole hangs heavy with large-antlered bucks, evoking images of a large, highly successful deer camp of old.

Except that the photo was taken this fall. And the success is allegedly tainted with violations.

That's the story emerging from St. Martin Island, a 1,250-acre spot of land just 6 miles from Rock Island off Door County.

Michigan conservation wardens were on a routine boat patrol Nov. 19 when they encountered a deer camp on St. Martin, just north of the Wisconsin state line.

The photo below shows what they found, including over 30 bucks and about 10 antlerless deer. The problem is at least 11 deer were untagged, according to Debbie Munson Badini, public information officer with the Michigan DNR.

St. Martin is mostly private, but has about 50 public acres including a lighthouse. The Michigan gun deer season ran Nov. 15 to 30.

The St. Martin investigation is ongoing; 11 tickets have been issued for improper tagging. Other tickets may be forthcoming, said Munson Badini.

Every deer season produces a wide range of stories, some uplifting, some unsavory. Since this story is right next door and because the contributed photo below is so compelling, we thought we'd share it.

[22lex]

I saw this passed along as an e-mail a little while back. I thought it was a little fishy, so I did some digging on a Michigan site.

http://bloodbro.com/messageboard/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=8640

Here's what I came up with. Sounds like they had all the correct tags, just not on the deer. The hunters were advised to shoot as many "lesser" horned deer, instead of just a few 150"ers every year to cut down on the numbers of small bucks.



By Bill Parker
Michigan Outdoor News Editor
Published:
Friday, December 11, 2009 9:38 AM CST
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.”

I think the only thing they were ticketed for was the laziness of not attaching the tag to the deer.

[sjohnnie26]

Lex that's correct....I read the same article in "Outdoor News" this week.

[HUNTER2]

There must not be a buck left on the island.

[TNT]

yea this story gets better with every post i see, and it has been on numerous sites in the last month, and most reported gross infractions by the island hunters. 
#1, it wasn't a bust or poaching ring as has been told.
#2, the CO's that came to the island knew some of the hunters, and check the island every year.
#3, this is just a sample of what can happen when proper deer management takes place.
#4, there are lots of animals left for next year.
#5, this is how tall tales can get going when fear mongers and jealous hunters roll, and pass on e-mails.

[Moving2thecountry]

That is a great photo.  Too bad people are making stuff up about it.