The Natural Resources Commission will begin holding discussions on potential expansion of crossbow hunting opportunities at its Nov. 6 meeting in Lansing.

The NRC meeting will be held at the Lansing Center, 333 E. Michigan Ave., in Lansing. All meetings are open to the public.

The NRC recently revamped its policy on issuing crossbow permits to hunters with permanent disabilities by streamlining the application process and making it more inclusive. However, Commissioner John Madigan, who chairs the NRC Policy Committee on Wildlife and Fisheries, said he wants to explore other possibilities for crossbow hunting.

Options identified for discussion are allowing the use of crossbows during any season that allows the use of firearms, establishing a minimum age for crossbow use without a permit, and possibly establishing a crossbow deer season. A survey of hunter attitudes about crossbow issues is being conducted on the Department of Natural Resources Web site at http://www.michigan.gov/dnr.

The crossbow discussion will begin at noon in Room 203 of the Lansing Center, located at 333 E. Michigan Ave. in Lansing.

The NRC meeting begins at 10:15 a.m. with a meeting of the NRC Policy Committee on Technology, Information, Marketing and Education that will focus on hunter recruitment and retention. The NRC Policy Committee on Wildlife and Fisheries, which will discuss proposed changes to wildlife rehabilitation and taxidermy rules in response to Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), meets at 1:30 p.m. The committee will also hear an update on CWD activities and discuss proposed fisheries orders.

The Committee of the Whole meets at 3 p.m. to discuss the Director's action items and to receive an update on the Island Lake Shooting Range, inland fisheries grants and an upcoming oil and gas auction.

Public appearances begin at 4:30 p.m. Persons wishing to provide public comment on any DNR issue to the NRC should contact Teresa Gloden at 517-373-2352 or glodent@michigan.gov either prior to the meeting or at the meeting site. At 5 p.m., there will be a special presentation of a DNR Partner in Conservation Award.

Among the action items for the NRC includes consideration of spring turkey hunting units. DNR Director Rebecca Humphries will consider a number of fisheries regulation changes, changes to the user charges for the Ralph A. MacMullan Conference Center and authorization for several land transactions.