# Late Season Split



## Boyd (Aug 19, 2006)

I posted this before but figured I would repost in hopes that more people will email the CWAC reps so that the split can go back to the way it was. In the very least let them know what your thoughts are.

http://michigan.gov/documents/dnr/CWAC_Committee_List_July_2011_359105_7.pdf


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## waterfowlhunter83 (Aug 10, 2005)

Not everyone hates the way the season dates were set.


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## Mike L (Sep 8, 2003)

waterfowlhunter83 said:


> Not everyone hates the way the season dates were set.


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## Duckdropper (Sep 3, 2008)

waterfowlhunter83 said:


> Not everyone hates the way the season dates were set.


I would bet majority of south zone 3 hunters do!


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## hoody25 (Jun 9, 2007)

Duckdropper said:


> I would bet majority of south zone 3 hunters do!


I agree with that about the zone 3 hunters I know I'm not happy with it and will be letting them know about it
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## hankrt (Nov 7, 2007)

I'm in zone 3 and like the decision, an additional week of split would have been nice, but I'm Ok with the way it is.


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## Mudfoot (Nov 28, 2006)

Same. Zone 3 hunter and I think it is great! Never did like the weekend in January after nearly a month off.


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## Boyd (Aug 19, 2006)

That's why I said in the post to just let them know how you feel. I know not EVERYONE is going to like it but if the majority doesn't and let's their thoughts be heard then maybe they will change it. If not, it is what it is. I just liked the late season and have always done kind of good. Fun to have something to look forward to and there are usually lots of birds around that haven't been shot at for months.


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## Shiawassee_Kid (Nov 28, 2000)

Duckdropper said:


> I would bet majority of south zone 3 hunters do!


willing to put money on it?

its a fact that more hunters populate saginaw bay and surrounding areas than any other part of the state.

how many of those sag bay hunters hunted that late january split. some...but majority had to travel 2hrs to hunt it.

we havent even tried this new split and people are bitching and moaning about it. it might suck, it might be average and it might be great. til it happens we do NOT know. Its obvious the DNR is trying some different things. there is nothing saying we can't go back to a january split, but for god sakes bitching about it before it even happens is kinda ******. fear change moar.


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## KLR (Sep 2, 2006)

Exactly.


Get out and hunt it before you waste anymore tissues.


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## Wingmaster22 (Oct 29, 2003)

Duckdropper said:


> I would bet majority of south zone 3 hunters do!


well here's one that don't. i like it just the way it is.......


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## omni22 (Feb 3, 2010)

Bays usually froze by than anyways so don't see why ya would like if do much. Although even with ice it was do warm last year there was water and ducks everywhere. 


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## fsamie1 (Mar 8, 2008)

It is just couple of days and usually first day is good if we get some weather and second not as good. I hope we get some freezing and that is going to make a big difference. This is the first time I remember that we didnot have ice. Must be global warming.:lol::lol:They should make it a week or two and cut down the dog days of October.


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## Duckdropper (Sep 3, 2008)

Shiawassee_Kid said:


> willing to put money on it?
> 
> its a fact that more hunters populate saginaw bay and surrounding areas than any other part of the state.
> 
> ...




It's a fact that I said "south of south zone", which I would "bet" that doesn't include the bay area. If you travel 2 hrs to hunt a spot, I would venture to "bet" its probably worth your drive. I am not "moaning", just expressing my opinion. It has been the absolute best hunting I have ever done since I started duck hunting. It is "obvious" that everyone doesn't agree with what the DNR has decided. But for God sakes please don't listen to the bitching of some of the "northern south zone" bingo hunters!


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## omni22 (Feb 3, 2010)

The bay is in the south zone. 


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## Luckystrike (Nov 28, 2004)

I'm with Duckdropper on this one. Late season in January is by far my favorite hunt of the year. Conditions are tough, birds are fresh and after a month of being cooped up I'm ready to get after them. Instead we get a late season hunt that isn't really much different than what we're experiencing right now. Nothing special about the weather, birds have been getting hammered for 2 months...pretty much the same as any other weekend so far. The other thing I really appreciated about the January late season was that it weeded out the guys who are half a**ed hunters, normal folks don't want to chase birds when it's snowing and blowing or the morning after New Years and I enjoy being one of the ones that isn't quite right.


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## floyd (Oct 19, 2009)

Most folks in zone 3 not hunting the bay area got shafted, and everyone knows it. The question hanging out there isn't whether it might turn out to be an awesome split after all - we all know it's gonna suck. It's really about whether throwing the rest of zone three under the bus turns out to be the politically expedient thing to do for bay fowlers. Or considered another way: how loud are the non-bay-hunters are going to squawk?

I'm all for squawking early and loud: THIS SUCKS! And anyone who says it's wrong to complain about getting the shaft while others benefit is trying to put a gag on the democratic process.

Thank you for the email addresses of the committee. I will let them know that the new split sucks now and it will suck when it actually arrives.


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## Luckystrike (Nov 28, 2004)

Shiawassee_Kid said:


> willing to put money on it?
> 
> its a fact that more hunters populate saginaw bay and surrounding areas than any other part of the state.
> 
> ...


Dude, maybe I'm missing out on some vault of well known information but I have a hard time believing that there are more hunters populating the Bay than any other part of the state. I believe that a higher percentage of residents hunt around the Bay but the sheer mass of population around the Detroit Metro area would lead me to have a hard time believing that there are more hunters in any other portion of the state. I'd even go out on a limb and say that a high percentage of the hunters that you see every weekend on the Bay or at your Bingo are not from the immediate area.


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## ScavengerMan (Sep 6, 2006)

I think the change is GREAT finding the mostly froze out two day January split pretty useless compared to additional hunting in December where you can count on plenty of birds and usually aren't locked out. But, I do understand the SE guys. Perhaps it's time for a zone 4 if it can be worked out with the Feds.



.


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## Bellyup (Nov 13, 2007)

I guess since someone asked I can speak. Is that Okay Kid ? 

I personally don't think the split is utilized wisely, or in the best interest of the resource, or the hunter. 

Birds need a rest, and 5 days isn't going to do it. I think the hunting will be okay, as long as some fresh birds move in. Pretty stale right now in my area. Didn't get the big push like normal, with this weather pattern. They seem to trickled through and did not stick around. 

I would really prefer to lose a lot of days in Oct and hunt much longet into December. Start it in September for the early season folks for a couple weeks, then reopen and run into mid to late Dec. Just my opinion, and I know it is a small voice compared to the club.


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## lang49 (Aug 1, 2005)

Bellyup said:


> I personally don't think the split is utilized wisely, or in the best interest of the resource, or the hunter.
> 
> Birds need a rest, and 5 days isn't going to do it.


I'm hunt mostly in Zone 2 and I feel the same way regarding Zone 2. 

CWAC is broken. The bulk of the reps live and hunt in Southern Michigan and some how they feel they know more about the migration in Zone 2 than those of us who live, scout, and actually hunt in zone 2.


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## Duckman Racing (Oct 11, 2004)

Shiawassee_Kid said:


> we havent even tried this new split and people are bitching and moaning about it. it might suck, it might be average and it might be great. til it happens we do NOT know. Its obvious the DNR is trying some different things. there is nothing saying we can't go back to a january split, but for god sakes bitching about it before it even happens is kinda ******.


Couldn't agree more with this point. 

Personally, I am actually looking forward to trying out the December hunt. I hunt mostly in Northern Zone 3, and the January season has only been good for me about 3 times in the past 8 years, and all my spots have been frozen out completely for 3 of the last 4 years. I consistantly see good numbers of birds in mid-December, but generally by January they are inaccessible due to freeze-up.


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## BangBangBang (Mar 30, 2011)

so we are identifying a need for a zone 4 right


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## LoBrass (Oct 16, 2007)

BangBangBang said:


> so we are identifying a need for a zone 4 right


Anything regarding Zone configuration should be discussed at the grass roots level now so you have good information to give to CWAC, MDNR or NRC reps ASAP. And ANY input (please be civil and direct) will be appreciated.

As far as CWAC being "broken", I don't believe so-at all. Having a voice in the interest of waterfowlers that work directly with the MDNR Waterfowl Workgroup is as great a situation as anyone could ask for. The only foreseable alternative is NO representation. I, for one, would not want that as an option.

BTW, I've answered EVERY SINGLE e-mail I have recieved regarding anything CWAC. If e-mails don't work, give me a call. I do try to follow all these threads.

John Huffman


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## Shupac (Apr 17, 2005)

I'm in southern zone 3, won't miss the january hunt a bit. If you hunt fields or big water it's probably great. If you don't, your options are pretty limited and generally well known to other hunters.

I expect a lot of places will be frozen on the 10th and 11th (I wouldn't be surprised if we had 1/4" ice this weekend). But not as many, and not as frozen. 

Now a split before the main part of the season would rock.


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## CougarHunter (Oct 2, 2008)

I've only been at this duck hunting thing for a couple of years now, but I was a little upset to see the 2 day Jan hunt gone. I hunt a different area that gets little pressure in the late season and we've always done well with ducks. Now before I bash the new split, I'll give it a go and see how I do. This wave a of cold, wet weather we are looking at may help out a lot and I might get into a decent number of birds the next 2 weekends.


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## waterfowlhunter83 (Aug 10, 2005)

Bellyup said:


> ...or in the best interest of the resource...


Please explain this one, would love to hear your rationale on this...how is a split where birds are concentrated and have limited areas to rest in the best interest of the resource?


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## lang49 (Aug 1, 2005)

BangBangBang said:


> so we are identifying a need for a zone 4 right


 
Having a zone 4 doesn't mean you're going to get season dates that actually mirror when the birds are here.


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## spartansfan (Nov 8, 2011)

being from about as far southeast michigan as you can get. i will not miss the january season one bit.


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## Shiawassee_Kid (Nov 28, 2000)

right now...if we don't freeze up in the next week....2 weeks later into december wouldn't have helped SW this year.  they might as well open z4 on december 1st.


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## tyler2009 (Oct 23, 2008)

lang49 said:


> Having a zone 4 doesn't mean you're going to get season dates that actually mirror when the birds are here.


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## Coldwater Charters (Sep 17, 2000)

Well the weather Gods are putting together a deep freeze coming in a couple days and if you're not hunting moving water or big water your duck hunts will be cut a little short. Normal weather patterns would have marshes and sloughs froze up between the 10 and 20th of Nov. This has been an extremly mild fall with lots of rain in our area. The 10th and 11th if this weather pattern holds up will give those that didn't have any options in January the same thing on those dates this year, no options. A total cluster flop of a split and it virtually ruined what has become a huge tradition in the southern part of the state. I guess the squeeky wheel gets the grease. And 5 days of hunting off isn't a split. Most places on private land get that every week while people work.

I will complain about this as long as they take those 2 days in January away. We need to add another zone obviously. I am going to become the squeeky wheel for next season dates you can bet on that.


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## Shiawassee_Kid (Nov 28, 2000)

Coldwater Charters said:


> Well the weather Gods are putting together a deep freeze coming in a couple days and if you're not hunting moving water or big water your duck hunts will be cut a little short. Normal weather patterns would have marshes and sloughs froze up between the 10 and 20th of Nov. This has been an extremly mild fall with lots of rain in our area. The 10th and 11th if this weather pattern holds up will give those that didn't have any options in January the same thing on those dates this year, no options. A total cluster flop of a split and it virtually ruined what has become a huge tradition in the southern part of the state. I guess the squeeky wheel gets the grease. And 5 days of hunting off isn't a split. Most places on private land get that every week while people work.
> 
> I will complain about this as long as they take those 2 days in January away. We need to add another zone obviously. I am going to become the squeeky wheel for next season dates you can bet on that.


i'm hoping you guys get a 4th zone. will solve a lot of these issues.


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## just ducky (Aug 23, 2002)

Shiawassee_Kid said:


> i'm hoping you guys get a 4th zone. will solve a lot of these issues.


You mean *COULD* solve a lot of these issues. Still gotta have the right weather, no matter when the dates and where the lines are drawn.


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## Shupac (Apr 17, 2005)

Coldwater Charters said:


> Normal weather patterns would have marshes and sloughs froze up between the 10 and 20th of Nov.


This doesn't square with my observations living in various corners of so. michigan for 40 odd years. I expect this weekend will be about the same as the early december close last year. Thin ice in most places, open water or thinner ice in the places that freeze slowly. Based on the range of weather patterns I've seen over the years, the 10th and 11th might have more ice or less. 

If, God forbid, we go back to a January split, I'll still be hunting it. It's an excuse to get out.


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## someone11 (Mar 15, 2009)




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## anon2192012 (Jul 27, 2008)

Shiawassee_Kid said:


> right now...if we don't freeze up in the next week....2 weeks later into december wouldn't have helped SW this year.  they might as well open z4 on december 1st.


I'll disagree with you on this one Dan. 2 more weeks this year could, and I'm guessing, would have made a BIG difference.

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## anon2192012 (Jul 27, 2008)

Shiawassee_Kid said:


> i'm hoping you guys get a 4th zone. will solve a lot of these issues.


I'm guessing we'll get a 4th zone soon, but it will probably be a new zone in the UP.....;-) 

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## anon2192012 (Jul 27, 2008)

I know I'm really going off here, but I got to thinking today about "perfect" season dates for my style of hunting and the issue of duck hunting not having set dates for openers.

In a perfect world I would love to see the sw area/zone open the middle of Oct and run for roughly 28 days. Close down and then reopen on thanksgiving and run out the remaining days. This year that would have been.

Oct 15-Nov 11
Nov 24-Dec 25 

I think somehow utilizing thanksgiving as the reopener after a split would be a great tradition to start.

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## Coldwater Charters (Sep 17, 2000)

just ducky said:


> You mean *COULD* solve a lot of these issues. Still gotta have the right weather, no matter when the dates and where the lines are drawn.


If you start the proposed zone 4 season one week later then this year and one week later stopping it, all will be fine in the waterfowl world again. The weather will come somewhere in that time frame 99% of the time.


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## SBE II (Jan 13, 2009)

Shiawassee_Kid said:


> i'm hoping you guys get a 4th zone. will solve a lot of these issues.


I think we should have another zone, the south near indiana does not freeze until early-mid december we dont even see migrating mallards until the season is out and the freeze is on...Hunting ducks in lower MI is hit or miss...I really believe October is a waste....The geese I usually see push the week of Thanksgiving so I was glad to have that back but would really like more days in december to hunt ducks and geese....NY does a late duck for a week beginning the 2nd week of January and I go there and slam em... Just think we should hold out on zone 3 until late october and possibly open a teal/wood duck like most states do..


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## Coldwater Charters (Sep 17, 2000)

Shupac said:


> This doesn't square with my observations living in various corners of so. michigan for 40 odd years. I expect this weekend will be about the same as the early december close last year. Thin ice in most places, open water or thinner ice in the places that freeze slowly. Based on the range of weather patterns I've seen over the years, the 10th and 11th might have more ice or less.
> 
> If, God forbid, we go back to a January split, I'll still be hunting it. It's an excuse to get out.


I don't know what part of Michigan you live in, but we hunt the extreme southern boarder and I can garantee that anything with a 3 feet of less of water in it by most deer seasons is normally froze within 10 days of opening of gun deer if it isn't a flowing river. So by the 25th on most years the marshes and potholes are froze. This year is the exception. actually this is the 1st year that I can remember not having frozen ground walking back to deer hunt in the mornings. Everyone knows me and where I live and hunt. It would hold more weight if I was reading someone named Pete Reynolds then Shupac if you get my drift.


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## Shiawassee_Kid (Nov 28, 2000)

we are usually battling ice on thanksgiving. not the case this year. looks like we will finish out our season without breaking ice for the 1st time in 4+ years.


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## Mason87 (Oct 29, 2011)

In a perfect world I would love to see the sw area/zone open the middle of Oct and run for roughly 28 days. Close down and then reopen on thanksgiving and run out the remaining days. This year that would have been.

Oct 15-Nov 11
Nov 24-Dec 25 

I think somehow utilizing thanksgiving as the reopener after a split would be a great tradition to start.

Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine[/QUOTE]

Bingo! We have a winner. When the lakes start freezing up then I move to the river. I have had great hunts in the late Jan season only to go ice fishing in the afternoon.


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## Chez29 (May 11, 2008)

Huntermax-4 said:


> I'm guessing we'll get a 4th zone soon, but it will probably be a new zone in the UP.....;-)
> 
> Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine


 
Sounds good to me


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## Chez29 (May 11, 2008)

Not having hunted it nor am I likely ever to drive 8 hours to do it here is my 2 cents. Lets see how this season works first. Just my view but I dont think the state will go back to a Jan 1 split anytime soon. 

Instead of just saying this split stinks explain why. Is the problem the length of time of the split, or the date of the reopening. Would it be better if it ended on the 2nd and reopened on the 17th for 4 days. Lets see some ideas to improve the split because I would lay money the state says no to the Jan split regardless if there is a 4th zone in the southern part of the state or not. 

On the positive side the forecast looks like it will get cold next week and the Wisconsin sites have mentioned that there has been large numbers of mallards moving thru and in fields around the Beaver Dam area.


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## field-n-feathers (Oct 20, 2008)

Chez29 said:


> Sounds good to me


I don't see any reason why that shouldn't be an option either. Going 4 zones should have a benefit to more than just one part of the state. There has been quite a few posts lately from Zone 2 guys stating they would have liked a bit longer season. 

Maybe an option would be to split the UP in half. Call that Zone 1 and Zone 2. Then move the current Zone 2-3 line a bit south to include the Bay and Shia., and call that Zone 3. That would give them the season that they currently have. Zone 4 would be points south of that. Just throwing that out there. I'm sure there will be tons of discussion on this topic over the next few months.


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## field-n-feathers (Oct 20, 2008)

Chez29 said:


> .....Would it be better if it ended on the 2nd and reopened on the 17th for 4 days.


I think many people that enjoyed the January 2 day would have liked that option much better than what we currently have.


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## BangBangBang (Mar 30, 2011)

just ducky said:


> You mean *COULD* solve a lot of these issues. Still gotta have the right weather, no matter when the dates and where the lines are drawn.


right weather, sure, but having a zone 4 with generally later seasons will increase the likelihood that we get that weather.


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## Chez29 (May 11, 2008)

field-n-feathers said:


> I don't see any reason why that shouldn't be an option either. Going 4 zones should have a benefit to more than just one part of the state. There has been quite a few posts lately from Zone 2 guys stating they would have liked a bit longer season.
> 
> Maybe an option would be to split the UP in half. Call that Zone 1 and Zone 2. Then move the current Zone 2-3 line a bit south to include the Bay and Shia., and call that Zone 3. That would give them the season that they currently have. Zone 4 would be points south of that. Just throwing that out there. I'm sure there will be tons of discussion on this topic over the next few months.


Guess it time to dust off my proposal from last year.


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## herblorentz78 (Jan 21, 2009)

We are never going to agree completely as a hunting community. I do agree that the Jan. Split was biased towards us more adventurous hunters. Saginaw bay in Jan is a cold miserable place. But it would have been nice to see at least 2 weeks off. 17 18 would have been better than this, but not as good as Jan in my opinion. But I think 2 weeks off would have appeased more of the masses. Bingo guys might still have water, big water guys would have cold miserable crap we love. As many have argued, 5 days off is nothing at all. Most of the big open water gets that every week. A mid season 2 or 3 week split would be phenomenal. Let the birds that get pounded day in and day out let their guard down a bit. Starting earlier and splitting mid season would give more wood duck and fair weather bird opportunity where as stretching it out later gives more opportunity for late season birds and some cold weather pushes. I'm not saying anyone is wrong, we all just have such drastically different ways of hunting the same little birdies. Just my .02


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## Shupac (Apr 17, 2005)

Coldwater Charters said:


> I don't know what part of Michigan you live in, but we hunt the extreme southern boarder and I can garantee that anything with a 3 feet of less of water in it by most deer seasons is normally froze within 10 days of opening of gun deer if it isn't a flowing river. So by the 25th on most years the marshes and potholes are froze. This year is the exception. actually this is the 1st year that I can remember not having frozen ground walking back to deer hunt in the mornings. Everyone knows me and where I live and hunt. It would hold more weight if I was reading someone named Pete Reynolds then Shupac if you get my drift.


I'll take your word for it. It's just not what I usually find. Not saying I never find ice on ponds/marshes during that time, but it's not likely to stay there continuously from mid-November until the end of winter. 

Not trying to start a pissing match. It's just that the odds in any year of finding some open water in the second week of December are better than for finding it in the first week of January. So I like this split better than the last.


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## just ducky (Aug 23, 2002)

Coldwater Charters said:


> If you start the proposed zone 4 season one week later then this year and one week later stopping it, all will be fine in the waterfowl world again. The weather will come somewhere in that time frame 99% of the time.


My point was having four zones, AND having the right dates selected for seasons for those zones is an entirely different matter. Remember everyone, even if the DNR and NRC go along with a four zone concept, you still have to argue out the dates for each zone. And think about this for a second...even if there were four zones, depending on the framework the feds give us, some years two or more zones could have the same dates? Especially if we were given a 30 or 45 day season.

Just talking out loud here.


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## Coldwater Charters (Sep 17, 2000)

As long as the southern zone lasted longer in Dec most here would be fine with that except the fair weathered hunters of couse. The areas I hunt generaly is too iced over to access from a public access in December anyways, you have to improvise. 1" of ice might as well be 6 inches we have in January. The moving water will still be open on most years


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## IN-HEAVY (Feb 10, 2011)

Heck, id like to see zone 2 open the second weekend of OCT to first weekend in Dec then our split be the third week in Dec


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## Kingcrapp (Jan 6, 2009)

Trends over the past 10 years have been warmer for the fall season. 2006 it was 65 degrees before the late season openner in Jan. We had a great hunt! From these posts looks like there are more hunters in SE Mich than the bay. So why didn't SE hunters have the pull? Need a zone 4..All for it to move season back.

If you re going to shot birds in Mich it takes a lot of effort...no matter what zone you are in. Let's leave it there.


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## Duckman Racing (Oct 11, 2004)

Kingcrapp said:


> Trends over the past 10 years have been warmer for the fall season. 2006 it was 65 degrees before the late season openner in Jan. We had a great hunt! From these posts looks like there are more hunters in SE Mich than the bay. So why didn't SE hunters have the pull? Need a zone 4..All for it to move season back.
> 
> If you re going to shot birds in Mich it takes a lot of effort...no matter what zone you are in. Let's leave it there.


2006 was a great year, in fact that January hunt was one of the best hunts I have ever had. However, 65 degrees the last week of December is hardly the norm. Next week's forecast includes several days with high temps in the 20's and lows in the teens. That is more typical December weather, and it wont take long for everything to freeze with those kind of temps.


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## Bellyup (Nov 13, 2007)

The birds need more than a 5 day rest. I think someone called me out on that earlier, re-read my post. I said it wasn't good for the resource. 

The real thing is, there is open water through most of December and part of January in MI. Even in the U.P. Down here is SW MI, it takes more than a week or so of frigid temps to push those new birds out. And I have seen rafts of mallards in January roosting on frozen lakes.... yes, roosting. Where are those birds going ? I can find open water in marshes, rivers, and lakes even when the temps are in the teens. The problem is getting to it. But if we hunt longer into Decemberm, the deer lease guys are done hunting, and it might, and I mean MIGHT be easier to get permission on a field they are using. Hard to say there. Landowners don't always follow that logic. 

I will be hunting this new split, no doubt. But I also know it is not ideal. It is not what we asked for.


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## TSS Caddis (Mar 15, 2002)

IN-HEAVY said:


> Heck, id like to see zone 2 open the second weekend of OCT to first weekend in Dec then our split be the third week in Dec


Make sure to tell your CWAC rep, cuz if I remember correctly the generalization was being made that Zone 2 wanted to open earlier and close earlier.

As I remember them, here is what seemed to be the concensus in the summer as to what the hunters in each zone wanted.

1) Zone 1 want's to open and close earlier.
2) Zone 2 want's to open and close earlier.
3) Zone 3 Sag Bay, want's to open and close earlier.
4) Zone 3 SW Mi, want's to open and close later.
5) Zone 3 SE Mi, heard 2 positions from the same CWAC member, one time they want to open and close earlier and the next post that they wanted to stay open later for open water hunting.

These seemed to be the assumptions they were operating under, so if you feel differently, let your CWAC rep know and try to change what is perceived your zone would like.

As I think we all know, there will be hunters in each zone that want totally different things. That is why I cringe when statements are made like "Zone 3 Sag Bay hunters want XYZ" as if everyone is in total agreement.

So far I've been happy with how the season dates have worked out. The only things I'd have changed is to start Zone 1 a week later and do away with it's split. Also, add zone 4 from Muskegon south so southern Lake Michigan stays open longer. That is just what would benefit me the most, but they need to make decisions to try to appease everyone.


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## Bellyup (Nov 13, 2007)

TSS Caddis said:


> So far I've been happy with how the season dates have worked out. The only things I'd have changed is to start Zone 1 a week later and do away with it's split. Also, add zone 4 from Muskegon south so southern Lake Michigan stays open longer. That is just what would benefit me the most, but they need to make decisions to try to appease everyone.


How far east would your zone 4 go ? If it extends to say Jackson that might work. If only the counties bordering the lake I would not agree as much. At least you agree change might benefit.


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