Hey guys,

Im heading up to the UP next month for a fishing trip and part of the trip will be going through Seney Wildlife refuge. I plan on concealed carrying the entire trip. The only info I can find regarding CC in the refuge is this, which from what I understand, is that I can't even have a firearm in there. Am I reading this correctly? I emailed the DNR about it last week and haven't heard back so I thought I would ask my buddies here.

317.204 Wild life sanctuaries; unlawful acts; predatory animals, birds; experiments.
Sec. 4. When lands have been so dedicated and posted as a state wild life sanctuary, the possession or carrying of firearms
thereon, hunting or trapping thereon, or the killing or molestation of wild life on such lands by any person or by the owners
or lessees thereof, or their agents, shall be unlawful during the period of such dedication: Provided, That the director of
conservation may issue permits for the taking on any dedicated lands of predatory animals and birds and such other birds and
animals as may require control or as may be appropriate in connection with experiments in wild life management or for other
purposes not inconsistent with the original intent of the dedication.

Seney "NATIONAL" Wildlife Refuge

Seney rules and regs

contact numbers

Open Carry on Fed refuge

Credit Card Act

sec 512 protecting Citizens from violent crime, pages 32 & 33123 STAT. 1765
PUBLIC LAW 111–24—MAY 22, 2009
(3)  Section  27.42  of  title  50,  Code  of  Federal  Regulations,  
provides  that,  except  in  special  circumstances,  citizens  of  the  
United  States  may  not  ‘‘possess,  use,  or  transport  firearms  
on  national  wildlife  refuges’’  of  the  United  States  Fish  and  
Wildlife Service.
(4)  The  regulations  described  in  paragraphs  (2)  and  (3)  
prevent  individuals  complying  with  Federal  and  State  laws  
from exercising the second amendment rights of the individuals
while at units of—
(A) the National Park System; and
(B) the National Wildlife Refuge System.
(5) The existence of different laws relating to the transpor-
tation  and  possession  of  firearms  at  different  units  of  the  
National Park System and the National Wildlife Refuge System
entrapped   law-abiding   gun   owners   while   at   units   of   the  
National Park System and the National Wildlife Refuge System.
(6)  Although  the  Bush  administration  issued  new  regula-
tions  relating  to  the  Second  Amendment  rights  of  law-abiding  
citizens  in  units  of  the  National  Park  System  and  National  
Wildlife  Refuge  System  that  went  into  effect  on  January  9,  
2009—
(A)  on  March  19,  2009,  the  United  States  District  
Court  for  the  District  of  Columbia  granted  a  preliminary  
injunction  with  respect  to  the  implementation  and  enforce-
ment of the new regulations; and
(B) the new regulations—
(i)  are  under  review  by  the  administration;  and  
(ii) may be altered.
(7)  Congress  needs  to  weigh  in  on  the  new  regulations  
to  ensure  that  unelected  bureaucrats  and  judges  cannot  again  
override  the  Second  Amendment  rights  of  law-abiding  citizens  
on   83,600,000   acres   of   National   Park   System   land   and  
90,790,000  acres  of  land  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  United  
States Fish and Wildlife Service.
(8)  The  Federal  laws  should  make  it  clear  that  the  second  
amendment  rights  of  an  individual  at  a  unit  of  the  National  
Park  System  or  the  National  Wildlife  Refuge  System  should  
not be infringed.
(b)  P
ROTECTING   THE
R
IGHT   OF
I
NDIVIDUALS
T
O
B
EAR   ARMS
IN
U
NITS  OF  THE
N
ATIONAL
P
ARK
S
YSTEM  AND  THE
N
ATIONAL
W
ILD
-
LIFE
R
EFUGE
S
YSTEM
.—The  Secretary  of  the  Interior  shall  not  
promulgate  or  enforce  any  regulation  that  prohibits  an  individual  
from  possessing  a  firearm  including  an  assembled  or  functional  
firearm  in  any  unit  of  the  National  Park  System  or  the  National  
Wildlife Refuge System if—
(1)  the  individual  is  not  otherwise  prohibited  by  law  from  
possessing the firearm; and
(2)  the  possession  of  the  firearm  is  in  compliance  with  
the  law  of  the  State  in  which  the  unit  of  the  National  Park  
System or the National Wildlife Refuge System is located

We already know the MDNR cannot make up a law which infringes on our 2 A rights per MI constitution

Article II sec 5

Every Person has a right to bears arms for self defense of himself and the state

Thanks guys. My search foo is really most horrible.

Wife and I were up that way last month, The refuge is a cool place.

Using a spinner bait we caught smaller pike like you would catch bluegills in a farm pond. Spoke to some locals who said to catch bigger ones the best "lure" was simply floating a big worm on a bobber...

No boats are allowed in the fishing area so its all casting from shore. Take some good bug repellent and some rubber knee boots or hip waders (you cant wade but I found myself standing in ankle deep water on a couple occasions to be able to cast around the cattails and such growing on the shore).

O' and even if its pouring rain the pike don't care, it was a crappy day so we decided to drive around seney instead of taking our kayaks out on another lake, we caught more pike that day than in any of the other lakes we visited.  I guess the area isn't fished that heavily because many people are afraid of all the regulations. Grab a map from the ranger station to make sure your not fishing in a closed area and make the effort to walk to some of the less accessible areas and you will be rewarded.

Thats the plan. I love catching pike  Might make a day trip out to dutch fred lake. I went there one time a long time ago when I was younger. Half the fun was just two tracking it there looking at the wilderness.

One other thing, I know open carry is legal here and I want to take my suppressed 300BO sbr with me for bears and the like. But should I purchase a small game license or anything like that to take it just to limit the chance of heckling by a dnr officer? Every DNR officer I've dealt with has been cool and laid back, but that is at the dunes not out in bigfoot territory.

The closest I've ever come to seeing "the law" up there is driving past a highway patrolman on m77 lol.

I usually conceal carry and have had a cased rifle in the back of the side by side when were trail riding, but I've never been approached by anyone for a license check.

I'll take that back, we did chat with a MDNR guy at the boat ramp to Kingston lake, he didn't ask for our licenses, he just wanted to chat about the fishing. He explained that they are very thinly staffed and the majority of his time was spent keeping an eye on campgrounds.

One thing you might be carefully about is your ammo, I know lead sinkers are a no no in the refuge because of the swans. You might get in more trouble for having lead projectiles than its worth. Its probably nothing to worry about but a shotgun with tungsten buck shot or a copper solid sabot slug could save you a headache, especially if you plan on spending any time in the designated fishing areas of the federal refuge.