Wildlife Commissioner admonishes Ted Nugent over DNR comments

(FOX 2) - A wildlife commissioner said Thursday he was "insulted" by testimony that musician and Michigan-native Ted Nugent made during a committee meeting at the state legislature weeks ago.

Nugent called conservation officers with the DNR "jack-booted thugs" during a tirade against the department for its enforcement of state laws concerning hunting and game management.

Big picture view:

Weeks after Nugent accused wildlife regulators of being "enemies of conservation" while giving a list of grievances against rules on baiting animals, protecting certain species, and the DNR's own conservation officers, NRC Commissioner John Walters rebuked the musician on Thursday.

Speaking during the Natural Resource Commission's Thursday meeting, Walters said Nugent chose to grandstand before the legislature instead of approaching the commission to "effectuate change."

"In my opinion, he was insulting not only to the commission but also to the department, and I find that to be appalling," he said during the commission's monthly meeting.

Walters said Nugent was "uneducated" on the subjects he discussed, including the ban on baiting deer in the state, being unable to hunt sandhill cranes, mourning doves, or wolves.

Nugent reserved much of his ire toward the DNR's conservation officers, claiming they abuse their power.

"They're not going out willy nilly trying to cause problems," Walters said. "I have met many, many conservation officers over my career, and I have not found one that is disrespectful and misguided and overreaching in their ability to serve our state of Michigan."

The backstory:

Nugent spoke alongside several other individuals on June 25 before a state House "Weaponization of State Government" subcommittee meeting.

He testified about run-ins with DNR conservation officers who were enforcing "anti-conservation" policies, he said.

Dig deeper:

Nugent's appearance made waves both for what he said and what he was carrying. Nugent was carrying a firearm while speaking to lawmakers, which is illegal in the Michigan Capitol building.

He said sandhill cranes are being underutilized as a game species, and criticized the state's ban on laying bait as a means to attract deer, as well as laws that prevent hunters from shooting deer or mourning doves.

Walters addressed each of the issues during his Thursday comments:

Deer baiting is shown to increase the transfer of diseases like chronic wasting disease and tuberculosis, two illnesses that wildlife managers have struggled to contain within the populations in Michigan. Walters said he voted for the ban after the DNR spoke about it years ago.
Sandhill cranes are not a game species in Michigan and therefore fall under the protection of the federal government. The wildlife committee will review the policy in the future.
Wolves are protected by the federal government under the Endangered Species Act. They are frequently cited as a nuisance by homeowners - especially in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
A referendum to hunt mourning doves went before voters in 2006, but failed.