BANGOR, Mich — Many in West Michigan feel November 15th should be a state holiday— because it certainly is a festive day inside Blinkers Diner in Bangor.
This was the home base for Van Buren County hunters hoping to have some luck on the opening day of firearm season for whitetail deer.
Gathering to celebrate tradition and start the day off with a good hot meal before heading out into the chilly fields and forests, the place was packed with hunters in the early morning hours.
It clears out around 5:30 a.m. as hunters hit their blinds, hopeful to return with a prize worthy of the famous Blinker's Buck Pole— or at least with a story worthy of sharing around another hot meal.
There are a few things hunters need to remember this season:
IMPORTANT DATES
· Firearm season runs Friday, November 15 until November 30th, then Late Season Archer opens up statewide, December 1 until January 1.
· Muzzle-loader season is December 6-15, which (new this year) allows hunters in Zones 2 and 3 to use any legal firearm
· Late Season Antlerless Firearm is from December 16 to January 1, but is extended to the 12th in a handful of counties across the state - Including Ionia, Kent, Mecosta, Montcalm, Muskegon, Ottawa and Muskegon among others.
The start of firearm season means all hunters need to start wearing hunter orange on their outer-most layer— and it must be visible from all sides— to prevent unfortunate accidents.
Hunters are also required to report any harvest within 72 hours of the kill— or before your take your deer to the processor. You can use the DNR app to report or do it online.
Due to Chronic Wasting Disease, there are transportation restrictions for harvests taken in Montcalm County, North Plains Township in Ionia County, and Nelson, Spencer, Courtland, Oakfield, Grattan Or Cannon Townships in Kent County.
Deer taken in those areas cannot be transported out of the area unless the meat is de-boned and the spinal column or head is left behind and antlers attached to the head or as a skull cap must be free of all brain and muscle tissue. You can alos take them directly to a registered processor.
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