The Facebook event “Fillin up the Chip” had 3,391 people signed up to go tubing, but the event’s creator, a Central Michigan University student who goes by “Ruffio CrabTree” and declined to allow the use of his real name in print, said only about 100 people showed up.

“Not enough people came out,” CrabTree said. “(There was) way too much hype for not enough people.”

CrabTree said an officer with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources followed tubers to the river.

“We prepared for the worst, but, due to the rain or the media surrounding the event, the worst didn’t happen, and we’re thankful for that,” said graduate student Ashley Lewandowski, who works at the front gate of Meridian Park.

Lewandowski said extra staff and sheriffs were prepared to provide assistance but were not needed.

CrabTree said the group was not out to do damage to the river.

“After all the negative attention we got from The Morning Sun, our goal was to prove them wrong,” CrabTree said. “We brought bags for everyone, and we picked up every beer can we saw.”

CrabTree said to his knowledge, the DNR did not issue a single ticket to anyone in his group.

“My family were farmers,” he said. “We lived off the environment, and it was a personal blow when I got all the negative press.”

CrabTree said he and his group got out of the river as soon as thunder started.

CMU Police provides on-campus students with a safe option for weapon storage.

“For any students that reside on campus, we have a service that allows weapons for hunting or target shooting to be brought directly here and stored here in our secure blocker,” said Capt. Fred Harris.

Harris said not many students use the service — CMU Police had two or three last year.

“They just have to fill out some paperwork and then we attach a card to the weapons,” he said. “When we release them, students just have to leave campus. They can’t take them back to their residential housing units.”

Harris said the weapon storage keeps everyone safe.

“We provide this service to allow students to keep their weapons in a place that is secure rather than keep them in their trunks or housing units,” Harris said. “This can make sure that they won’t be violating university policy.”

Harris said weapons are not allowed in the residence halls.

Hunting land

Students seeking to hunt deer on public land when firearm season opens Sunday will have to travel to the edge of Isabella County and beyond.

According to the Department of Natural Resources, the closest public hunting land is the Edmore State Game Area bordering Isabella and Montcalm counties. After that, hunters will have to travel out of county to find public hunting land.

While State Game and State Forest land is sparse in the area, hunting on private land may give hunters better results.

Isabella County Undersheriff Laude Hartrum said people hunting on private land need to make sure to follow the proper procedures.

“When people go out to hunt on private land, they need to have a note from the property owner that states that they have permission to hunt on that property,” Hartrum said. “They have to carry that note with them the whole time when they’re hunting.”

Michigan Department of Natural Resources spokeswoman Mary Dettloff said firearm season is from Sunday to Nov. 30. December is late archery season and muzzle-loading season.

Isabella County Sheriff Leo Mioduszewski said there are several ways hunters can keep safe throughout both seasons.

He advised hunters to always keep the safety on their loaded weapons and carry emergency supplies, such as a compass, flashlight and matches or lighter.

Mioduszewski and Dettloff agreed on the importance of firearm safety.

“Before you shoot your gun, know what your target is,” Dettloff said. “Make sure there’s nothing beyond it you’re going to hit. Never point your gun at anyone — you should carry it pointed down.”

Hunters should wear blaze orange to make sure they are highly visible to fellow hunters in heavily wooded areas.

“Don’t shoot at anything you’re not sure of,” Mioduszewski said.

Having a partner is another good way of increasing safety. Hunters who go alone should let someone else know where they will be and how long they plan to be gone.

One way to stay safe with or without a fellow hunter is to carry some form of mobile communication. Put it on vibrate or silent, Dettloff said, but keep it on.

Hunting laws

In addition to remaining safe, hunters should make sure they are hunting in the correct public areas.

Mioduszewski said there is only a small area of public hunting property in Isabella County. It lies north of Base Line Road.

“It gets pretty populated,” he said. “Usually, there’s a lot of hunters out there.”

While there have been no major changes to hunting regulations, hunters should always be aware of new laws.

“There’s a million types of rules and regulations for different types of hunting seasons,” Mioduszewski said.

For a complete list of hunting regulations in the state of Michigan, visit michigan.gov/dnr.

Last week, the Wixom junior was involved in her first car-deer accident.

“We were in the right lane, driving home,” she said. “We were on the highway going 70 miles per hour, and a momma deer jumped out in front of us and we just hit it.”
Isabella County drivers reported 1,114 cars accidents involving deer in 2008, and similar figures are expected in 2009.

Guiliani said she immediately pulled over to the side of the road to make a series of phone calls, including her parents, 9-1-1, the police and a tow truck.

Brent Rudolph, deer research specialist for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, said there are a lot of factors contributing to the number of local car-deer collisions, including deer numbers, the number of registered vehicles and the number of miles those vehicles are on the road.

“We have lots of deer, lots of roads and lots of drivers,” he said. “If you have lots of cars, and lots of deer — then you’re going to have them coming together.”

What to do

Rudolph said Guiliani did the right thing after the accident.

He said after a driver hits a deer, the driver should pull over to the side of the road, turn on their vehicle’s hazard lights and call 9-1-1 to get an emergency response and provide information for the accident report.

Though following the right steps after an accident occurs is important, Rudolph said the best decision is accident prevention.

“Collisions can happen any time,” he said. “Late October and early November are the times when deer are most active. Drivers need to be more aware — watch the road, watch the edges of the roadway. If you see (a deer) standing still, that might mean that there might be another one running behind it. It can be pretty unpredictable.”

Rudolph said drivers should drive a little slower and remember to avoid a lot of distractive behaviors, such as texting, while behind the wheel.

Isabella County Sheriff Leo Mioduszewski said driving with more light is better when it’s possible.

“One of the first things (drivers) could do is, whenever possible, make sure you have your bright lights on if they don’t interfere with oncoming traffic,” he said.

Mioduszewski said by keeping their vehicle’s bright lights on, the driver would have a better chance of noticing moving deer by their reflective eyes.

“Use your peripheral vision to check ditches and look for deer eyes,” he advised.

Mioduszewski said from now until the snow flies, drivers are going to see a lot more deer near the roads than in the summer.

“The best avoidance is an alert and aware driver,” Rudolph said.