Outlook is good for this year’s firearm deer hunt

REGION – Since the first regulated deer hunt was implemented in 1859, Michigan has been a leader in deer hunting across the nation, and consistently ranks as one of the top five states in the nation for number of deer hunters and overall deer harvest.

Despite lengthy seasons that begin in September and continue until January – with the two-week firearms deer hunt in mid-November seeing the highest number of participants – Michigan's Department of Natural Resources is anticipating that it will be a successful year for many hunters with indicators showing an increase in deer numbers.

"Biologists are anticipating the harvest to increase slightly from last year which was up over 10 percent across the state," said DNR Northern Region Deer Biologist Ashley Autenrieth. "Here in the north, I think we'll see a 10 percent to 20 percent increase in the numbers of deer taken."

Overall hunting success increased across most of the state in 2017 with nearly 50 percent of hunters harvesting a deer, the biologist noted.

In most of northern Michigan, a milder than normal winter last year allowed for high deer survival, in spite of the cold and wintry weather that persisted throughout much of the spring, Autenrieth said.

"Despite the April snowfall and cold temperatures, it appears that deer in this area came through the winter in good to excellent condition," she stated. 

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