Several locations in Delta and Menominee counties will soon be a bit fruitier. Over 4,000 fruit-bearing trees were planted, providing a great food source for deer. A variety of trees were planted, including black cherry, elderberry, high bush cranberry and serviceberry, to name a few. The trees were planted along the edges of maintained openings, and along hunter walking trails where adequate food was lacking for wildlife. Many of the trees were sheltered to provide protection from deer browse, and they will be a great benefit to deer for years to come.
Northern Lower Peninsula – Lake County
Approximately half of Lake County (around 200,000 acres) is public land open to hunting, and about a 1/3 of the land is state-managed, with the remaining public land being federally managed. With good access off major highways, it can be a great destination for hunters. Over 300 acres of alfalfa and rye were maintained this year, giving hunters locations to focus their hunting adventures. The state land is primarily forested and managed through timber sale activity to provide even more valuable food sources for deer – oak and aspen stands. Use Mi-HUNT to search for a great place to start a new late-season tradition.
Southwest Lower Peninsula – Allegan County
The Fennville Farm Unit, located within the Allegan State Game Area, is 4,100 acres of wildlife habitat that provides opportunities for archery deer hunters. In part, this is because there is no firearm deer hunting allowed on the unit during the Managed Goose Hunt (Nov. 1, 2014 – Jan. 31, 2015). The numerous corn, rye, sorghum and hay food plots, coupled with the woodlots and wetlands, result in this being a quality archery hunting area with higher deer densities than surrounding forest land. Zones 1, 9 and 10 are open to archery hunting every day except Dec. 27, 2014 (Youth Waterfowl Hunting Day). Zones 2-8 are open to bow hunting Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday after 3 p.m. “The Farm has experienced lower pressure from archery deer hunters this year,” said DNR wildlife biologist Mark Mills. “The Farm Unit is primarily managed for waterfowl and pheasant (grassland) habitats, which suit the deer as well.” Check out the Fennville Farm Unit for your next archery hunting excursion!
Southeast Lower Peninsula – Monroe County
Petersburg State Game Area, just southeast of Petersburg in Monroe County, is 469 acres of prairie grass, oak openings and woodlots. The area is heavily managed as an oak savanna (a globally rare ecosystem type) for species such as Karner blue butterflies, grasshopper sparrows and white-tailed deer. The ecosystem is a natural home for deer, and the acorns from the oak trees provide an important food source, while the prairie grasses provide excellent bedding locations. This year, dozens of acres of food plots were planted with sunflowers, soybeans and buckwheat as food sources for deer. The Nature Conservancy Lakeplain Prairies Office partners with the Michigan DNR to help remove invasive species and complete habitat projects on the game area. This extensive management creates excellent opportunities for deer hunting.
Several locations in Delta and Menominee counties will soon be a bit fruitier. Over 4,000 fruit-bearing trees were planted, providing a great food source for deer. A variety of trees were planted, including black cherry, elderberry, high bush cranberry and serviceberry, to name a few. The trees were planted along the edges of maintained openings, and along hunter walking trails where adequate food was lacking for wildlife. Many of the trees were sheltered to provide protection from deer browse, and they will be a great benefit to deer for years to come.
Petersburg State Game Area, just southeast of Petersburg in Monroe County, is 469 acres of prairie grass, oak openings and woodlots. The area is heavily managed as an oak savanna (a globally rare ecosystem type) for species such as Karner blue butterflies, grasshopper sparrows and white-tailed deer. The ecosystem is a natural home for deer, and the acorns from the oak trees provide an important food source, while the prairie grasses provide excellent bedding locations. This year, dozens of acres of food plots were planted with sunflowers, soybeans and buckwheat as food sources for deer. The Nature Conservancy Lakeplain Prairies Office partners with the Michigan DNR to help remove invasive species and complete habitat projects on the game area. This extensive management creates excellent opportunities for deer hunting.
