House Considering Special Hunting Season For Seniors

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deer-safe-8

The Michigan House Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Committee heard testimony about a special hunting season for senior citizens. State Representative Gary Eisen talked to Michigan News Network about his bill to create a seven-day hunting license for senior citizens on private land. He said older hunters should have the opportunity to hunt when the weather is warmer.

“If you’re not a senior citizens, you shouldn’t even testify on being a senior citizen because you don’t know what it’s like,” Eisen said. “You wake up with pains and don’t even know why you have a pain this day. As you get older, things affect you. I can’t be out in the cold like I used to be in my 20s and 30s. My shoulder hurts, I’ve got arthritis in my hands.”

Eisen says that Michigan’s growing deer population is causing an increasing number of car collisions with the animals, and said the two options for regulating the herd is either with hunting or “Buicks and Fords.” Eisen pointed out that when a vehicle strikes a deer in Michigan, the average cost to repair the damage is $4,000.