By Glen Wunderlich

Charter Member Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA)

Now that deer Chad Stewart of Michigan’s DNR has implored hunters to take more antlerless deer in the Southern Lower Peninsula, it’s imperative to identify the most suitable animals in the herd to maximize results.  Although taking fawns is typically not on the agenda, some hunters make the mistake of thinking they are larger than they actually are and sheepishly wish they’d have held off.  Fortunately, the National Deer Association (NDA) has compiled an educational video to help identify specific traits of does afield so that ethical hunters can get the best bang for their buck.

Although the NDA states there’s nothing wrong with taking a fawn, I disagree – especially, if it’s a buck fawn.  If one’s goal is to reduce the herd or to balance the ratio of bucks to does, taking a buck, whether immature or a whopping 10-pointer, it amounts to one animal from the herd.

On the other hand, by taking a doe, it has a compound effect on the population over the lifetime of a female breeder.  Obviously, even removing a doe fawn from the herd fits the bill, but there’s not a heck of a lot of meat as reward for the effort.  When one considers the cost of the tag plus processing, the cost per pound of venison is remarkably higher; there is no discount for tiny deer!

Before getting into specifics, a good binocular is highly recommended to define subtle differences; it’s far better and safer than relying on one’s scope.  Make sure to add a good binocular harness that’ll keep the glass clean, dry, and ready.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, what would be the value of an instructional video?  To find out, the NDA in conjunction with Chief Conservation Officer and wildlife biologist Kip Adams and The Bearded Buck (an Outdoor Entertainment Company), has produced a video to teach viewers how to separate adult does from younger does and doe fawns from buck fawns.  To view the new video, visit NDA’s YouTube channel here where you can also find the 2022 video on Aging Live Bucks in the Field.

The 18-deer quiz at the clip’s conclusion allows viewers to practice what they’ve learned throughout the video. Here, viewers are provided a few seconds to identify wild deer afield.

“The ability to separate antlerless deer into two general age groups – fawns and adults – is obtainable for all hunters with a little knowledge and some practice,” said Adams. “The three key characteristics are body size and shape, head size and shape and animal behavior. This is especially pertinent when you have a group of deer in front of you during hunting season. Estimating the sex and age of live antlerless deer is a great skill for hunters.”

Having two or more deer together can help to distinguish size, because hunters are able to compare them, while the difference is more noticeable in early season.  I can tell you that I’ve made the mistake of thinking a lone button buck was a good doe and I never want to make that mistake again.

Already, I’ve begun to use my newfound education to size up any and all deer I’ve been observing and it’s been an exciting change in viewing. We owe it to the betterment of the herd, and ourselves to put this valuable wisdom to work in our repertoire of hunting tactics.

Is the traditional role of state fish and wildlife agencies coming to an end? That is increasingly the question as some of the nation’s most important–and often controversial—issues are no longer being decided by wildlife professionals whose charter it is to manage natural resources for the greater good. Instead, animal welfare groups and others have staked a clear strategy to circumvent state agencies through the referendum process. That is, if you want to ban mountain lion hunting or introduce wolves to a state, you have only to collect signatures from a population generally easy to sway with emotional media campaigns and overwhelm your opponents on election day– poor outcomes for people and wildlife be damned.

Some 26 states across the country allow citizens to propose legislation through the referendum process, part of the signature reforms of the Progressive Era—a form of so-called direct democracy where the people, not special interests, are supposed to make governing decisions. Instead, referendums have become rife with special interest influence. The referendum process has been especially embraced in the West where some of the country’s most challenging wildlife issues reside—including battles over what to do about burgeoning mountain lion, grizzly, and wolf populations. Read more

Whether you want to learn about waterfowl hunting opportunities, enjoy excellent wildlife viewing or hear about the benefits of healthy wetlands, October is the perfect time to discover Michigan’s Wetland Wonders.

These are the premier managed waterfowl hunt areas in the state, created for exceptional waterfowl hunting opportunities and managed to provide waterfowl habitat for nesting and migration and for the benefit of other wetland wildlife. Since the start, the areas have been funded by hunting license fees and area use fees, but they are open for anyone to visit and enjoy most of the year.

Several of the Wetland Wonders will host open houses next month, giving visitors the chance to talk with local staff, tour the areas and see what each one offers for the upcoming waterfowl season. All open houses begin at 6 p.m. at the area’s headquarters:

• Oct. 3: Nayanquing Point (Bay County).
• Oct. 4: Fish Point (Tuscola County).
• Oct. 10: Shiawassee River (Saginaw County).
• Oct. 11: Harsens Island (St. Clair County).
• Oct. 12: Pointe Mouillee (Monroe and Wayne counties).

Open house information also is listed on the special events tab of each location’s webpage.

By Glen Wunderlich

Charter Member Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA)

A few days ago came an email from Chad Stewart, deer, elk and moose management specialist of Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources.  In the ominous preface to a detailed analysis of the over-population of the state’s deer herd, he arrives at a conclusion that might not sit well with some hunters:  More antlerless deer must be taken for the betterment of our deer herd.

If this bit of information comes at a surprise, you haven’t been paying attention.

After a bit of research into my personal archives, the DNR had strongly encouraged hunters to kill more antlerless deer with this language 14 years ago:  High numbers of antlerless permits are available again this year…  Hunters are encouraged to harvest antlerless deer, especially on private land in the Southern Lower Peninsula to bring populations closer to goals and to help address concerns of excessive crop damage and deer-vehicle collisions.

I wrote in 2009:  “What’s so funny about the statement is that hunters are encouraged to harvest antlerless deer after the fee to do so has been increased by 50 percent.  …it’s not likely that any noteworthy reduction in the problematic herd will be achieved through its counter-productive revenue enhancement strategy.”

Nonetheless, Mr. Stewart lays out his case with statistics that paint a bleak picture, if hunters don’t change their strategy.  He states that the typical Michigan hunting philosophy to date is to hold off on taking antlerless deer until later in the season.  Heck, that’s sure been my thinking.

Every other year since 2009, we’ve taken more antlered deer than antlerless deer.  A comparison with the states around us, such as Illinois, Ohio, Indiana and Wisconsin, they all typically harvest between 8 percent to 25 percent more antlerless deer than they do antlered deer in a given year.  Although Mr. Stewart does not connect today’s over-population to the 2009 cost-doubling of antlerless tags, I believe it was another straw on the camel’s back.

Because of our lower hunter numbers and our continued unwillingness to shoot antlerless deer, we are shooting far fewer antlerless deer than we have historically.  This past year was probably a record year in terms of the number of damage complaints our department received from farmers, and associated crop damage.  The [the DNR] mitigates this damage by providing out-of-season permits so those landowners experiencing damage can help protect their crops and livelihood. Since very few hunters like the idea of deer being shot out of season, we hunters need to do better at controlling deer numbers in the hunting seasons.

In 2022 there were nearly 59,000 reported deer-vehicle collisions, the highest number since 2009. Nearly 20 percent of the recorded collisions in Michigan involved white-tailed deer.  So again, there’s the reference to the year 2009 when the cost to help our own cause doubled.

For decades, Michigan intentionally grew its deer herd and bragged that herd would grow to one million deer!  They were so excited back then as the freight train gained momentum.  The old-timers wouldn’t shoot a doe no matter what, and although the philosophy has changed somewhat today, that train is still destined to run off the tracks.

In summary, we have the supply but not the demand and no amount of pleading has helped.

My solution now, as it was back then, is to drastically lower the cost of antlerless permits to increase sales.  Increased volume could put us on a path to better herd management, and it wouldn’t take long to discover the truth now that hunters are required by law to submit kill data.  For cost-reduction to be enough is anyone’s guess, but one thing is certain:  What we are doing – and, have been doing – doesn’t work.