Hook & Hunting: Michigan Deer Hunting License Sales Up This Year - Northern Michigan's News Leader

The Department of Natural Resources said deer license sales went up this year.

Firearm deer season started Thursday, November 15th and will go until Friday November 30th.

They noticed that sales went up 2% compared to last years sales.

About 640,000 hunters purchased one or more Michigan deer licenses.

The following are the early impressions summarized on a regional basis by the DNR:

Upper Peninsula
In the Upper Peninsula, most hunters have been observing more deer this year. Buck numbers are up, and fawn production appears to have been good this spring and summer. The number of deer checked has been similar to last year in the eastern U.P., while some areas of the central U.P. are seeing their highest numbers of deer checked in several years.

Northern Lower Peninsula
The increase in license sales may be resulting in an increase in hunter numbers in northern regions of the state, particularly on public land in the northern Lower Peninsula. In the eastern and southern portions of this region in particular, hunter numbers appeared higher than they were last year. The number of deer checked compared to last year has varied, though in some cases lower numbers may be due to cool temperatures allowing hunters to hang deer for several days. Hunters have seen a good number of deer, and bucks appear to be in excellent condition.

Southern Lower Peninsula
Deer have often been on the move during the early days of the firearm season in the southern Lower Peninsula, except during warm midday periods. Hunter numbers appear to be similar to recent years, though they have been lower around some areas that have been most heavily affected by outbreaks of epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) this summer. However, many hunters have remained upbeat, and have indicated in some of these locations they are pleasantly surprised at the number of deer that they are still seeing. Hunter observations regarding impacts of EHD are being collected at check stations to increase information available to the department to evaluate the extent of the outbreak.

To learn more about Michigan deer hunting seasons, visit www.michigan.gov/deer.