GAYLORD, Mich. — More than a half-million hunters took part in Michigan’s white-tailed deer seasons last year, and although the interest and participation in archery continue to grow, the firearm portion of the season remains the one with the highest concentration of hunters in the woods and fields and the season that draws the most interest.
The regular firearm season opens on Sunday and runs through Nov. 30. With a wild deer herd estimated at around 1.7 million animals, Michigan’s white-tailed deer experts are optimistic that a productive two weeks of firearm hunting should be experienced.
“In general, what we are hearing from our field staff is that it seems like it is shaping up to be a potentially good deer season,” said Ashley Autenrieth, deer program biologist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources in its field office located here. “We’ve had really good numbers reported, a good fawn crop, really good reports of good body condition in the deer herd, with good antler development and lots of sightings this year. It is shaping up to be pretty good.”
She pointed to several factors that have led to strong numbers of deer throughout most of the state.
“We had relatively mild winter conditions in the Lower Peninsula, and in some areas of the Upper Peninsula it was a mild to normal winter. Plus, we had a mild spring which can be a really big difference in terms of fawn survival, and most of our field staff reported a good summer in terms of growing conditions, and we didn’t have any major droughts like we’ve had the last few years.”
Autenrieth added that food resources across much of the landscape appear to be consistently strong. “And that shows in our deer herd,” she said.
Although hunter numbers have been on a steady decline in the state and across the country, this deer season will be different, much like most of 2020 has been. Chad Stewart, the deer and elk program leader for the MDNR, said hunting and fishing license sales have both spiked, likely due to the pandemic.
“This year might be somewhat of an anomaly,” he said. “With the year that everybody is having, I think people are finding solace in getting outdoors.”
Deer hunting license sales in Michigan are expected to surge past 800,000 by the time the firearm season opener arrives, a big jump from last year’s 584,802 licenses that were issued. More hunters are also purchasing licenses for multiple portions of the overall deer season, the MDNR reports.
Stewart said that with many new hunters expected to take part in the firearm season, he is urging hunters to spread out across the state’s more than four million acres of public land.
“Hopefully those increased hunter numbers don’t translate into overcrowding on public lands,” Stewart said.
With significantly more hunters expected to be in the forests, swamps, and fields across the state, safe hunting practices are also being emphasized.
“You’re not successful unless you’re safe,” said Lt. Tom Wanless who leads the MDNR’s recreational safety programs. “We want everyone to return home to their families and friends. While many safety recommendations may seem obvious, hunters shouldn’t take them for granted.”
He recommends that all hunters review the basic safety protocols before Sunday’s firearm season opener: treat every firearm as if it is loaded; be constantly aware of the surroundings and know the target and what is beyond it; unload firearms when crossing obstacles and/or getting in or out of a tree stand; and wear as much hunter orange as possible to increase your visibility to other hunters who might be in the area.
For more on hunter safety during Michigan’s firearm deer season visit the michigan.gov/HuntingSafety website. To locate public land available for hunting visit the www.mcgi.state.mi.us/mi-hunt/ website to find the Mi-HUNT mapping application. For information on Michigan’s hunting rules, regulations, bag limits, antler point restrictions, purchasing licenses, check stations, and deer disease surveillance programs, visit the michigan.gov/dnr website and click on the hunting tab.
Autenrieth said if the hunters planning on taking part in the Michigan firearm season have practiced working on their shooting accuracy and spent time scouting for active deer trails and locations with oaks and wild apple trees that provide a food source, their chances for success should improve.
“Weather will be a big determination, but if things hold the way they have been and we have good weather going into our opener, it would certainly indicate that we are looking at a successful season for a lot of hunters,” she said.
First Published November 10, 2020, 3:54 p.m.
