DNR busy with deer in Alpena; elsewhere slow
Steve SchulwitzAs Michigan's whitetail deer rifle season enters its second week, Department of Natural Resources experts said they are checking a lot of deer in Alpena, but have been getting reports of a slower hunt thus far throughout the rest of the state.
"We have just been swamped here in Alpena. It is slower today but, but overall we have been busy." DNR biologist Jennifer Kleitch said. "I would hesitate to say that hunting in Alpena is on par with previous years. It is hard to say for sure though because the deer we check don't represent the entire hunt."
Outside of Alpena County it seems like hunters are struggling to see deer, let alone shoot them, Kleitch said. There are several key factors that could be contributing to the slow hunt.
"The weather is playing a huge role," Kleitch said. " The deer aren't moving during the day. The warm weather really affects the deer. Also a lot of the fields still have corn on them and the deer are going into them. At this time last year we had a lot of snow and cold temperatures, this year is the exact opposite. It will be interesting to see how this weekend goes because the forecast is for weather that is the about the same as we have had this past week."
Kleitch said the deer she has inspected have been healthy, but there were some tell-tale signs that maybe last year's winter did more damage to the herd than previously thought.
"The amount of body fat on the does has been pretty average, but some have been a little low. The deer from the farmland areas have more fat because of how easy it is to feed. Maybe the harsh winter last year had more of an impact than what I first anticipated."
The biologist said she has seen an 11-point buck come through and several 10-pointers, but overall she said the antlers are somewhat smaller than in years past.
"We have had some real hogs in here, but it seems to me the racks are more narrow and have points broken off," Kleitch said. "It tells me the deer are stressed."
There have been two suspected cases of bovine tuberculosis at the Alpena check station. The samples have been sent for further tests.
"They are only suspected cases as of now," Kleitch said. "But they had enlarged lymph nodes in the neck and the characteristics were consistent with TB. We are about where we figured we would be as far as the disease goes. We figure about 2 percent of the population has contracted it. There has also been several suspect cases from Mio as well."
The DNR reminds people that baiting deer in Michigan is against the law and cooperation is helpful in stopping the spread of the disease. Hunters are asked to bring their kill to their nearest check station to have it examined.
Steve Schulwitz can be reached via e-mail at sschulwitz@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 358-5689.
