Currently the law in regards to the 450 foot safety zone reads....
(6) An individual shall not "hunt" or discharge a firearm within 150 yards of an occupied building, dwelling, house, residence, or cabin,or any barn or other building used in connection with a farm operation, without obtaining the written permission of the owner, renter, or occupant of the property.
Currently, in Part 401, there is no specific definition of "hunt", and to most participants it is somewhat self-explanatory, hunt is hunt and trap is trap.
The current wording in the proposed change in legislation is more restrictive for trappers by definitively including trapping to the safety zone restriction. The proposed change further defines "hunt" as it is used in the licensing section, and will require a trapper to obtain written permission from all property owners with an occupied dwelling within 450 feet from a placed trap.
The proposed change is as follows...
(6) An individual shall not hunt, ("or discharge a firearm"-is removed) as that term is defined in section 435050 (is now added), within 150 yards of an occupied building, dwelling, house, residence, or cabin, or any barn or other building used in connection with a farm operation, without obtaining the written permission of the owner, renter, or occupant of the property.
324.43505 Definitions; H to N.
Sec. 43505. (1) "Hunt" and "hunting" mean to pursue, capture, shoot, kill, chase, follow, harass, harm, rob, or trap a wild animal, or to attempt to engage in such an activity.
Full text for the bill can be located by following the link below.
http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2015-2016/billintroduced/House/pdf/2015-HIB-4154.pdf__________________
In reality, hunting and fishing are activities that due to their relatively secretive nature are, with honesty and integrity, highly self-regulated. Unfortunately, for any number of reasons, there are those in society who will not follow the rules.