House approves deer baiting measure

Deer and elk hunters would be allowed to use bait under a bill that has cleared the Michigan House. But Gov. Gretchen Whitmer vetoed similar legislation offered six years ago.

House Bill 4445, sponsored by Rep. Jennifer Wortz, R-Quincy, would amend the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act of 1994. “An individual may engage in deer baiting in this state during the open seasons for deer,” it declares.

The Michigan House passed this legislation by a bipartisan vote of 66-38 on Feb. 4.

Deer overpopulation contributes to road accidents and crop damage, Wortz told Michigan Capitol Confidential in an email. “We need every tool in the toolbox to be able to have better success in the hunting,” said.

Michigan motorists reported more than 58,000 deer-vehicle crashes in 2024, according to the state, which estimated a deer population of about 2 million.

Baiting increases the number of hunters and makes it more likely they will have a successful hunt, Wortz added.

Wortz said that baiting boosts hunter participation and retention and improves harvest success.

The bill now sits in the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Agriculture, which had no meeting scheduled as of publication time and more than three dozen pieces of legislation awaiting it.

“With the bipartisan passage of my bill, I am hopeful that we can get a hearing in the Senate,” Wortz told CapCon.

If the bill were to pass the Senate, it would still need Whitmer’s approval. She vetoed similar legislation, House Bill 4687, in December 2019.

“The DNR opposes this legislation,” Ed Golder, public information officer at the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, wrote in an email to CapCon.

The bill would remove the Natural Resource Commission’s authority to manage baiting, where it rightly belongs, Golder said.

Wortz told CapCon that she does not understand Whitmer’s objections. The bill still allows for the Natural Resources Commission and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to administer baiting bans in areas when needed, she said.

“Baiting could increase more hunters, which the department and the governor should support because more hunters means more licensing sales,” said Wortz.

Increasing the number of hunters from out-of-state also generates more tourism revenue, Wortz wrote, adding that it would be a great way to grow Michigan’s economy and reengage young men.

Whitmer did not respond to a request for comment.