Michigan passes new deer hunting regulations to combat overpopulation – EUP News

The Michigan Natural Resources Commission on Thursday approved new deer hunting regulations to address deer overpopulation, but the Department of Natural Resources and some hunters believe the state can go further.

While the commission adopted some of the proposals from the state’s deer management initiative, such as extending the bowhunting season to antlerless deer, it did not approve some of the most anticipated changes, including limiting antler tips in the Lower Peninsula, limiting one buck in the LP and lifting the baiting ban in some areas of the state.

The DNR launched the Deer Management Initiative earlier this year. It consists of two focus groups – one on each peninsula – made up of hunters, farmers and conservationists.

Michigan’s deer population is estimated at 2 million. Its growth has been largely due to the decline in hunters. The population increase has been more pronounced in the southern Lower Peninsula.

The excessive number of deer is having a negative impact on farmers and their crops—deer can eat up to 8 pounds of vegetation a day. Drivers are also affected. In 2022, there were over 58,000 deer-related car accidents in Michigan, according to the state’s latest data.

Newly adopted regulations in the Lower Peninsula include limiting liberty and independence hunts, which are reserved for persons under 16 or hunters with disabilities, to antlerless deer starting in 2025. Previously, a deer hunting license or combination license was allowed for hunting antlered or antlerless deer.

“The problem is that the doe population in southern Michigan … is out of control. We’re shooting too many bucks and not enough does,” said Chad Timmer, owner of The Outdoorsmen Pro Shop in Jenison, south of Grand Rapids.

“We have a deer population problem and we need to address it. If we could achieve a one-buck state in just a few years, we would revolutionize the quality of deer herds in Michigan,” Timmer said.

In Michigan, hunters with one combination license and ten universal licenses are allowed to harvest up to twelve deer. Theoretically, a hunter could harvest two bucks and ten hinds. Many hunters forego harvesting hinds, preferring larger and meatier bucks. However, Timmer believes that hunters should be limited to one buck as a compromise: hunters can enjoy a “trophy hunt” while still leaving enough bucks to reproduce.

The commission also approved an extension of the bowhunting season for antlerless deer through Jan. 31 in Huron, Kent, Lapeer, Sanilac, Tuscola and St. Clair counties – excluding the islands in the St. Clair Flats – and Washtenaw County. Previously, the bowhunting season in the Lower Peninsula ran from Oct. 1 to Nov. 14 and Dec. 1 to Jan. 1.

Additionally, a new antlerless deer hunting season has been approved in several Michigan counties, running from January 2 through the second Sunday of the month. The new rule applies to Bay, Midland, Newaygo, Macomb, Oakland, Livingston, Calhoun and Monroe counties, as well as several others.

Not far enough?

While some in the hunting community believe that targeting deer can help adjust the population, Chad Stewart, a deer management specialist with the DNR, said simply expanding hunting opportunities will not necessarily result in significant changes.

“There are two schools of thought: One is to protect every deer because they’re the ones that are having fawns and giving birth,” Stewart said. “The other group says … you can support as many deer as you can, but there are already these very skewed and unbalanced sex ratios, and that’s contributing to the problem. So we actually need to try to rebalance things,” he added.

The Commission has adopted one of the recommendations of the Deer Management Initiative to extend the early and late firearm hunting seasons for horned deer to public and private lands as well as private lands.

“If you keep adding to something that’s already pretty saturated, you’re usually going to get less and less yield,” Stewart said. “They (hunters) already have 90 days, and sometimes more, to go out and hunt.”

Controlling the Upper Peninsula’s deer population presents a different challenge. The combination of the diverse predator population, including bears, wolves and coyotes, and changing climate conditions has resulted in fewer deer overall in the region, Stewart said.

“Our obligation as natural resources commissioners is simple: We must work toward and strive for a healthy herd, no matter what species it is,” said Commissioner John W. Walters. “And currently, the white-tailed deer population in the state of Michigan is not healthy because the deer population is out of balance, particularly in the Lower Peninsula, and there is a shortage of deer in the Upper Peninsula.”

The Commission tightened restrictions in the Upper Peninsula, reducing the number of antlerless hunting licenses issued from 1,000 to 0 in Deer Management Unit 351 in parts of eastern UP and from 1,000 to 500 in DMU 352, which includes parts of western UP, to protect the doe population and allow male deer to mate.

Population challenge

The DNR’s efforts to relax deer hunting regulations have had little impact on the number of deer killed each year, which has declined over the past decade.

In 2023, 274,299 deer were harvested in Michigan, compared to 303,055 in 2022, according to the DNR’s hunting report.

The changes proposed by the ministry’s commission come at a time when the state is looking for new ways to get more residents involved in the sport, as the number of hunters in the state has declined significantly in recent years.

The DNR estimates that 527,000 deer hunters will hunt in 2023 and 516,000 in 2022. About a decade ago, in 2013, there were 662,000 deer hunters, and in 2003, it is estimated that there were 743,000 deer hunters that season.

In Michigan, hunters are no longer fit for the sport due to their age, but are not replaced by new hunters. This is the main cause of the excessive deer population in this state, which can be a nuisance to local residents.

“I hunt out of state and spend tens of thousands of dollars doing it, and I’d like to spend that money in Michigan,” said Timmer, a Michigan business owner. “We have a different culture here than they do, we approach hunting differently in Michigan than in other states.”