Charter Member Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA)
Management of Michigan’s deer herd will require changes, if ever we are to achieve a workable balance between the animals we cherish and our populace. Whether a hunter or non-hunter, our livelihoods will be affected by managerial decisions aimed at solving the issue of over-population in the southern portion of the state and a lack of deer in the far north regions.
The good news is that our DNR is seeking input from anyone interested in submitting thoughts on topics for consideration for the new Deer Management Initiative groups charged with improvement by simply emailing DNR-Wildlife@Michigan.gov, including the term “DMI” in the subject line.
Everyone is affected when vehicles meet deer. State Farm Insurance indicates the average cost per deer collision has grown over $5,000 nationally. Our vehicle insurance costs rank at or near the top of the country narrowly behind only Louisiana and New York. Michigan is second nationally in terms of highest claims counts with 133,636 from July 2022 to June 2023.
One of the contributing factors is our penchant to hunt for any legal buck. For years Michigan hunters certainly do take a lot of bucks, as evidenced by its standing behind only Texas in sheer numbers. At the same time, however, we take so many yearling bucks – those 1.5 years of age – they are not allowed to grow up.
When we compare the Boone & Crockett’s top states for totals of record typical and non-typical bucks produced, the figures demonstrate our weakness. Of the top 12 states for whitetail submissions, Michigan is dead last and woefully so. Wisconsin tops the list at 1770 followed by Illinois (1405), Iowa (1,291), Minnesota (1,168), Kentucky (1,009), Ohio (977), Missouri (851), Kansas (828), Indiana (739), Texas (731), Nebraska (349), Michigan (296).
Whitetails need three things to achieve record status: age, nutrition and genetics (in that order) and we miss the mark based on age. So, instead of killing adolescent bucks, why not take does instead?
Our hunting population continues its downward spiral of approximately 2 percent per year, with no signs of improvement. The older generation is aging out, while younger hunters are not coming forward. We’ve made it easier to get youths involved in hunting over the years but the efforts haven’t resulted in enough of an impact.
In the state of Michigan, hunters born on or after January 1, 1960, are required to successfully complete an approved hunter education course.
Anyone ages 10 and older can be a part of the hunting experience by purchasing a base apprentice (APC) license. The base apprentice license, which can be purchased for two license years before needing to complete a hunter safety course, allows anyone to hunt small game and purchase licenses to hunt other species like deer and turkey.
With that said, I’ll be sending in another idea to the DNR to help with youth recruitment. I’d like to see the Field Day requirement to gain a certificate to be administered by a licensed adult, as an option to attending the current formal Field-Day session. The same class could be conducted on one’s private land instead, but only after an individual has passed the classroom course – either online or in person.
This suggestion, along with myriad others to be submitted, is meant to begin a conversation and that’s the intent of the DNR’s invitation to participate in the hunting model of the future. There is no silver bullet, but with input from concerned citizens, we can all have a voice at the table.
