Michigan Department of Natural Resources wildlife biologists said preliminary check station data shows mixed results for the firearm deer hunting season in the Upper Peninsula.

So far, indications are there was a drop in the overall harvest. However, with hunters across the region registering a higher proportion of mature bucks, many of those deer were beautiful bucks.

After three consecutive severe winters in the region, DNR biologists predicted hunters this firearm deer season would likely see fewer deer in the U.P., especially in the 1 ½- and 2 ½-year-old age classes.

“It was a challenging firearm deer hunting season, as anticipated,” said David Jentoft, a DNR wildlife biologist at the Sault Ste. Marie Field Office. “The number of bucks being checked is generally down, but check stations have seen a higher proportion of mature bucks coming in, particularly 3 ½- and 4 ½-year-olds.”

DNR biologists expected more mature bucks in the harvest, with the effects of the previous year’s harsh winter weather limiting the number of yearling bucks available in the U.P. deer population this year.

Early Statistics

Preliminary estimates indicate deer check stations in the U.P. registered deer totals down about 13.5 percent through the firearm deer hunting season, compared to last year.

Check station results are only one indicator the DNR uses to evaluate the deer season and not all of that data has been compiled yet. A clearer picture of the season is expected to emerge once camp and hunter surveys are returned in the weeks ahead.

The DNR check station at Escanaba was the busiest in the U.P., followed by Marquette. Escanaba staff checked a total of 321 deer and there were 165 deer checked at Marquette.

The percentage of bucks checked at those two stations varied widely, demonstrating the limitation of projecting general results across the region from individual stations. The Escanaba station was down about 25 percent from last year, while Marquette had an increase of 20 percent.

A similar situation occurred at the Mackinac Bridge.

DNR wildlife division staff checked a total of 37 deer over the two days the check station at Bridge View Park in St. Ignace was open, compared to 51 there last year. That marks a dip of 27 percent.

However, a short distance away, Mackinac Bridge Authority toll booth workers informally counted a total of 1,481 deer on southbound vehicles over the firearm deer hunting season. That total represents a 5-percent decline from the 1,563 deer tallied last year.

Deer Health Improvement

Antler beam measurements, which generally indicate a buck’s overall fitness level, were greatly improved in the U.P. from the past two seasons. Read more

By Glen Wunderlich

Unseasonably warm weather for much of Michigan’s regular firearms deer season has prompted hunters to spend more time afield. While it is too early to know how this season stacks up to those in the past, the DNR seems pleased with hunters’ cooperation in the effort to determine the extent of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) discovered earlier this year. Having taken two deer to the Rose Lake check station, I have been impressed with the eagerness of staff members to share information, as well as their preparedness for the arduous task of collecting data.

Glen’s Thanksgiving Day Buck

The health of our herd is vital and we, as stewards of our wildlife resources, should do what we can to facilitate the vast undertaking of controlling the dreaded disease – even if it means we are inconvenienced somewhat by the process. Now that the rush of opening day is behind us, it’s even easier to help with the study.

One of the services I find particularly helpful is deer aging. As a subscriber to Quality Deer Management principles, I am among those who want bucks grow to maturity. Unless a person has been properly trained, judging age can be somewhat tricky; an inspection of a deer’s teeth tells the story.

At the Rose Lake check station, are numerous samples of lower jaw bones displayed on boards providing comparisons between the ages. There still exists some room for opinion on the age of older deer, but part of the CWD testing includes a more accurate measurement of age by a laboratory.

The staff also checks antler development by measuring the diameter of antler main beams, as a means to compare relative deer health. Workers will also pinpoint where the deer was taken to help gather facts.

Although a deer had been suspected of contracting CWD in an area north of Lansing – well out of the core area where the disease was found initially – it has not been reported as having tested positive, as of this writing.

The most recent statistics reveal that 1,963 deer have been tested in the core area with the number of positive cases of CWD remaining at 3. For all other areas of the state, another 2,000 deer have been tested with 823 of them from the larger CWD management zone.

Muzzleloading season runs this coming Friday, December 4-13 in Zones 1 and 2 (Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula) and from December 4-20 in Zone 3 (southern Lower Peninsula).

It’s a great time to be in the woods, as the deer return to more natural, predictable movement patterns without so much hunting pressure. It’s also our final opportunity this hunting season to provide necessary documentation to our wildlife biologists in their quest to stop the spread of CWD.

Let’s keep up the good work.

Michigan Department of Natural Resources conservation officers in southwest Michigan recently conducted enforcement operations targeting illegal importation of harvested deer into Michigan from states with chronic wasting disease (CWD) in their free-ranging deer herds.

Conservation officers conducted operations near the I-94 corridor of the Michigan/Indiana border, resulting in the seizure of six harvested deer. Five deer were transported into Michigan from Illinois, and one was transported from Wisconsin. Michigan law prohibits importing deer from CWD-positive states and provinces.

Five Michigan residents have been charged with the illegal transportation of deer into the state. They will be arraigned in the 5th District Court in Berrien County. Violation of Michigan’s wildlife importation laws may result in fines of up to $500 and up to 90 days in jail. Read more

Late Sunday night, a Michigan Department of Natural Resources conservation officer located a missing hunter who had become lost after leaving his hunting blind to track a wounded deer in Mackinac County.

The 67-year-old man from Sault Ste. Marie, whose name was not released, had been hunting in Clark Township Sunday afternoon, a few miles northeast of Cedarville.

The hunter wounded a deer sometime Sunday afternoon. In searching for the animal, the man became disoriented as daylight began to diminish. At about 4:50 p.m. he called 911 from his cellphone, reporting he was lost.

Cellphone service in the area is spotty, and the man considered himself fortunate to have had a signal to get a call out.

Deputies from the Mackinac County Sheriff’s Office and Clark Township Fire Department personnel responded to the scene and began searching.

DNR conservation officer Jon Busken heard radio traffic about the search effort and soon arrived to help.

Busken and a sheriff’s deputy sounded their sirens from separate locations to try to signal the lost hunter. Deputies were able to contact the man on his cellphone. He said he could hear Busken’s patrol vehicle siren loudest of the two sirens, as they were turned on and off.

Busken and a member of the lost man’s hunting party were able to position themselves so they could shout to the hunter. He began walking out of the woods toward Busken, but he became disoriented in the swamp. He soon began walking farther away from the conservation officer.

“Cell phone contact with the lost hunter was very poor,” Busken said. “At this point, we decided we needed to go to him before he became more disoriented and moved farther into the very dense and wet swamp.”

Busken and the man’s friend went in on foot and located the lost hunter at around 10:30 p.m.

“His shoes and pants were soaked from walking through the cedar swamp,” Busken said. “He seemed somewhat disoriented, but was very happy to see us.”

It took the men nearly two hours to walk back to Busken’s patrol truck.

“His condition and the swampy terrain we encountered required us to walk out very slowly,” Busken said. “It was close to 1 a.m. Monday before we had him safely back at his camp.”

Lt. Eugene “Skip” Hagy, who is Busken’s supervisor, said the search produced a happy ending in a situation that could have turned out much worse, with temperatures in the teens during the night and the hunter soaking wet.

“Conservation officers often assist with locating individuals who become lost in remote areas,” Hagy said. “These areas are their backyards. It’s where they work every day.”

DNR Law Enforcement Division Chief Gary Hagler agreed.

“This is another example of the important role Michigan conservation officers play in search and rescue operations throughout the state,” Hagler said. “Conservation officers are well-trained and routinely respond to a wide range of situations where people find themselves in need of assistance.

“This was just one of many successful recoveries by DNR conservation officers over the firearm deer hunting season and we’re glad the outcome turned out as it did.”

Hagy said the incident provides a good reminder to be prepared when heading into the woods.

He suggested the following tips:

• Let someone know where you will be and when you expect to return.
• Have some basic survival tools, including a compass, with you. Take a compass reading before you go into the woods so you know which direction you’re heading. If you become disoriented, you’ll know which direction to travel to get back out.
• Take some waterproof matches and a flashlight with extra batteries.

“These are just a few basic things everyone should have with them,” Hagy said.

The wounded deer was not recovered.