Courtesy photo A trail camera captured a photo of a buck in the northern Lower Peninsula.

It’s that time of year again, and, if you are like we are, the start of the deer hunting season is a welcome break from the turmoil that has defined 2020, and what is hopefully the near end of a difficult year for most of us.

Those that have viewed our 2020 Hunting Digest have noticed there are quite a few regulation changes in place this year. The changes reflect the evolution of deer hunting in Michigan.

The last 20 years have resulted in dramatic and sustained declines in hunter numbers.

When combined with an abundant and resilient deer herd that continues to grow, and the added challenge of managing deer diseases, we felt a change that represented this changing dynamic was necessary. The changes in regulations take into consideration these three factors and should translate to rules that are easier to understand, improve flexibility in how your licenses can be used, and provide more value with your licenses than you have experienced before.

DECLINING HUNTER NUMBERS, HARVEST TRENDS

To understand how we arrived at this point, you should understand where we have come from and the challenges on the horizon for deer management in Michigan and other states.

First and foremost, Michigan is experiencing tremendous declines in hunter numbers. In 1998, Michigan had a record deer harvest, with approximately 598,000 deer taken by hunters. That year, there were approximately 837,000 deer hunters participating in Michigan’s deer seasons.

Just 20 years later, in 2018, 361,000 deer were harvested by approximately 554,000 hunters.

In that 20 years, Michigan lost nearly 300,000 deer hunters. If each deer hunter in 2018 was successful at harvesting one deer, they still would not have come close to matching the record set just 20 years previously.

Additionally, Michigan will lose over 100,000 deer hunters over the next decade as more hunters continue to leave the sport, largely due to the fact that older hunters are aging out and young people are less likely to participate in hunting because of societal changes.

The decline in hunters is not unique to Michigan, as states all over the country are facing the same challenges.

The reasons for hunter decline are likely varied and complex, but there is one certainty — those hunters are not coming back.

When combined with the fact that only about 50% of hunters are successful at taking one deer, 15% take two or more deer, and only 4% take three or more deer, it’s easy to see that overall harvest is likely to decline, and our ability to control the growth of Michigan’s deer population will become a more distant reality.

Here’s the forecast for northern Michigan:

NORTHERN LOWER PENINSULA

Last winter had little to no impact on deer numbers in the northern Lower Peninsula.

Deer numbers appear high across much of the region. Antler development and body size look exceptionally good this year, likely because of mild winter conditions and good natural forage being available during the spring and summer.

Soft mast appears spotty, but the acorn production seems quite good throughout the region in areas with oak trees. Hunters can anticipate an even better hunting season this year than last year, weather permitting.

Hunters should be aware of new regulation changes. All Lower Peninsula deer management units are now open to the early and late antlerless firearm seasons. Additionally, hunters in all deer management units may harvest an antlerless deer with your single deer license or deer combination license during the early and late antlerless seasons as well as the firearm and muzzleloading seasons.

UPPER PENINSULA

Overall, the Upper Peninsula deer herd seemed to fare well during last year’s winter.

That, coupled with a good spring and excellent summer growing season, has most areas reporting more deer sightings than last year. Field staff are anticipating a slightly better hunting season this year than last.

While soft mast (berries, apples, etc.) appears spotty across the region, likely due to late frost conditions this past spring, the hard mast (nuts, acorns, etc.), particularly acorns, appears to be excellent in those areas with oak trees.

Hunters should be on the lookout for oak trees producing acorns and invest time determining if deer have trails near these areas. If you are an archery hunter, please keep in mind that you are now allowed to harvest an antlerless deer with your deer or deer combination license during the bow season except in the following deer management units: 027, 031, 036, 042, 066, 127 and 131.