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Hunting Access Program Seeks Northern L.P. Landowners
Michigan Ag Connection - 07/28/2016

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources encourages landowners interested in making the most of their property and supporting local hunting traditions to consider enrolling their lands in the DNR's Hunting Access Program, which provides private-land hunting opportunities for hunters in southern Michigan, parts of the northern Lower Peninsula and the eastern Upper Peninsula.

The DNR is looking to expand hunting opportunities on private lands in the northern Lower Peninsula in the following counties: Alcona, Alpena, Antrim, Arenac, Benzie, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Emmet, Grand Traverse, Iosco, Leelanau, Manistee, Mason, Montmorency, Ogemaw, Oscoda, Otsego, Presque Isle and Wexford.

"You can help promote wildlife population management, support the local economy, reduce wildlife conflicts, improve your land, and get paid to do it," said DNR Hunting Access Program coordinator Monique Ferris. Landowners with at least 40 acres are eligible to enroll.

"Providing access to hunting lands that are close to home is critical for supporting Michigan's strong hunting heritage," said Ferris. "Our commitment to providing access has more than tripled the number of farms enrolled in HAP the past three years. We now have over 170 farms and nearly 20,000 acres available for public hunting."

In the northeastern Lower Peninsula, Ferris said the DNR is hoping for increased Hunting Access Program property enrollments as landowners see the benefit HAP provides, particularly in areas where deer population management is needed, such as those areas affected by bovine tuberculosis.

The DNR received a $951,400 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program last year to expand HAP into the northern Lower Peninsula to increase private-land hunting opportunities.

The Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program encourages property owners to voluntarily allow outdoor enthusiasts greater access to their privately owned land for hunting. According to a 2013 study by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, outdoor recreation supports 6.1 million direct jobs across the country and $646 billion in spending each year. "The Hunting Access Program is good for the economy," said Ferris. "Hunters taking trips to HAP lands contribute $1.7 million annually to Michigan's economy. The majority of the HAP hunter trips are within 25 miles of the hunter's home, making HAP lands extremely accessible."


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