# CWD found in two free-ranging deer from Macon County Missouri



## Pinefarm

MDNR turkey hunting rules...

General Spring Turkey Hunting Rules 

Hunting Hours
It is unlawful to take or attempt to take a turkey except from one-half hour before local sunrise to one-half hour before local sunset. See Spring Turkey Hunting Hours in this digest. 

Bag Limit
One bearded turkey per licensed hunter. See diagram below for beard location. It is unlawful to take or possess a turkey that does not have a beard, or tag a bird you did not kill. Turkeys may not be taken while they are in a tree.



Hunting Methods
Hunters may use a bow and arrow, a crossbow, a firearm that fires a fixed shotgun shell or a muzzleloading shotgun for turkey hunting. The use of a crossbow requires the hunter to acquire a free crossbow stamp from any license agent or online at www.michigan.gov/huntdrawings. It is illegal to use or carry afield any other firearm. The prohibition on carrying any other type of firearm does not apply to pistols carried under authority of a concealed pistol license or properly carried under authority of a specific exception from the requirement of a concealed pistol license. It is unlawful to use or carry any ammunition except shotgun shells loaded with No. 4 or smaller shot, or to use or carry loose shot larger than No. 4 for muzzleloading hunting. You may hunt turkeys from an elevated stand or tree using only a crossbow or a bow and arrow. The use of dogs or the use or possession of electronic devices that imitate wild turkey calls is illegal. 

Authority to Hunt
A person shall not hunt wild turkeys in any area or during any hunt period other than the area and hunt period designated on his or her license.

Validating Kills
Immediately upon killing a turkey, a person shall validate his or her license by notching out the appropriate information as instructed on the license and securely attaching the license around a leg of the bird. A person shall not have in his or her possession, or transport, a turkey unless the validated license is attached to a leg of the bird. Although not required, hunters are encouraged to report their harvest online.

*Baiting Prohibited
It is unlawful to make use of bait to aid in the taking of a wild turkey. For the purpose of this regulation, "bait" means a substance composed of grain, fruit, vegetables or other food placed to lure or entice wild turkeys. This does not apply to standing farm crops (normal agricultural practices) or other naturally growing grains, fruits or vegetables.*

License
The license is not valid unless signed by the licensee. Licenses cannot be altered or transferred. It is unlawful to obtain or purchase more than one spring turkey hunting license. When hunting, you must carry your license and the identification used to purchase that license and exhibit both upon demand of a Michigan conservation officer, a tribal conservation officer or any law enforcement officer.

Decoys
Mechanical, electronic or live decoys are prohibited. Mechanical decoy means any device that by design or construction uses motion as a visual stimulus to attract a wild turkey, except a wind sock or similar decoy body anchored at a fixed point into the ground and whose only motion is derived exclusively by power of the natural wind.

Recreational Trespass 

This law requires permission from the landowner or leaseholder before you may enter any farmlands or connected woodlots or any fenced or posted private lands and prohibits discharge of a firearm within the right-of-way of public roads adjacent to these lands without permission of the landowner.


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## buktruk

I just got a lease in Macon county for next fall. Hopefully they can get this under control before it ends up devastating the entire areas deer population. If time and time again this type of stuff is traced back to deer farms and leaks out into free ranging animals why are there still deer farms? Oh yeah money the only thing that matters in this world.

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## bk87

I live down in Kirksville, MO now (about 30 min north of Macon, MO and about 40 min from heartland). I know a few people that live within a couple miles of heartland and they have several hundred acres in their family. The DNR requested about 2 months ago that they harvest a minimum of 40 deer from their property. They are supposed to shoot the deer, field dress them and then call the conservation department. Then they come out and take the deer to have them tested for CWD and if they test neg. they will process the deer and bag it in 1 lbs packages and return it to the owner free of charge. From what i know this is taking place in a 5 mile radius around heartland. As of about a week ago the conservation department was still hoping to receive over 400 more deer for testing from the area. It really isn't talked about much from what i can tell in Kirksville but it isn't like I get to talk to a ton of hunters about it since I am in med school right now. As far as the baiting is concerned, the rules state that you can bait up to 10 days before the season starts, after that only minerals can be used (no food products at all including food products in any mineral products). If caught using bait during hunting season, I believe that area is off limits to hunting for the next 6 months but not sure on the consequences to the hunter. I'm hoping it doesn't spread, I cant wait to hunt next year. The size of bucks down here is crazy.


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