The Michigan Natural Resources Commission will consider new deer hunting regulations

LANSING, Mich. — On the first day of summer, let’s talk about fall, or more specifically, deer season.

Last week, the Michigan Natural Resources Commission heard recommendations from the DNR’s newly formed Deer Management Initiative (DMI) on how to address the state’s growing deer herd amid a decades-long decline in hunting.

“The ear is more open than it has been in the past,” said Chad Stewart, deer, elk and elk management specialist for the DNR.

Stewart spent months meeting with hunters, representatives of state conservation clubs and even people “critical” of his department about the initiative, a process that took him and several other people involved hundreds of hours.

“I have to give a lot of credit to the members of these groups,” Stewart told FOX 17 on Friday.

Deer with a white tail — White-tailed deer shown in the forest

Dividing its recommendations between the Upper and Lower Peninsulas, DMI listed several regulatory and non-regulatory issues for the commission to consider while also soliciting comments from tribal representatives in Michigan.

Regulatory elements on the lower peninsula…

Continue mandatory reporting
Use the principle of earning another penny
Amend the combination license to allow one deer of any sex (regular tag) and one additional antlerless deer (restricted tag)
Implement 3 or 4 antler point restrictions on each site throughout the peninsula, depending on location
Reduce antlerless bag limits in the northwestern Lower Peninsula from 10 to 5
Reinstatement of bait use in counties where chronic wasting disease or bovine tuberculosis has not been detected in white-tailed deer
Expand end-of-season urban archery to additional counties, including Kent
Expanding early and late antlerless seasons on public lands (already allowed on private lands)
Bring back the traditional muzzleloader season
Let drones retrieve harvested deer
Expand the Hunter Access Program

Regulatory elements on the upper peninsula…

Reinstate a year-round coyote season
Allow antlerless deer hunting with archery equipment only early in the archery season, limiting late season availability
Eliminate antlerless permits in Deer Management Units 351 and 352
Set antlerless licenses to expire on November 14
Enter an antler point limit of 3 on each side
Allow deer management assistance permits only in southern deer management units
Review the regulations every three years
Organize hunter safety classes in schools

Watch Chad Stewart’s full presentation to the NRC on behalf of the Deer Management Initiative Here.

For each recommendation, the Deer Management Initiative shared the level of support from its members. In the Lower Peninsula, the expansion of late-season urban archery (100%) and continued mandatory reporting (96%) received the most approval, while the use of drones (46%), expanding antler point restrictions (54%), and changes to the combined license received the least approval. (54%).

Additionally, NRC commissioners also proposed restoring the three-point front restriction in DMU 122, adding restrictions on combination licenses, and changing freedom and independence hunts to antlerless-only hunts.

“It’s kind of like an engine,” Stewart said of the recommendations. “It’s a collection of all the parts that help it work.”

On issues not covered by regulations in the Lower Peninsula, recommendations focused on increasing both harvest numbers and hunter numbers, with the initiative identifying increased education on antlerless deer harvesting, increased funding for Michigan Sportsmen Against Hunger, public land improvements as priorities and not only.

READ MORE: Michigan Deer Harvest Totally Decline – DNR Negotiates Regulations with FOX 17

However, further north in the Lower Peninsula, the deer population is relatively sparse, prompting DMI to request funding for habitat conservation, a plan for wolves and other predators, a DMU realignment, and additional opportunities for UP residents to participate in the NRC, among other things.

“We have two different sets of challenges on each peninsula,” Stewart said.

During that months-long meeting, Stewart noted that relations between some hunters and the DNR could be repaired: “Let’s face it: The Department of Natural Resources is a government agency,” he said. “There is certainly a layer of distrust at every level of government.”

He believes that with a crowdsourcing campaign, not only can the state’s deer population be better managed, but the department can also be trusted.

On Wednesday, June 26, the NRC will discuss DMI’s regulatory recommendations during a work session, making a decision on whether to adopt or change them on July 11, in advance of the upcoming deer season.

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