With the new year comes new Michigan hunting regulations. The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has recently issued a series of rules and outlines for the new year with goals of decreasing the deer population in order to maintain the vegetation of the Michigan ecosystems.
These changes stem from the decline of Michigan hunters; an estimated 200,000 people have left behind hunting over the past 20 years.
To combat this decline, the DNR issued an entirely new antlerless firearm season spanning Jan. 2-12, 2025. The late firearm deer season was also extended until Jan. 1, 2025, with reduced restrictions on public and state-owned land.
For many, some smaller changes have made a larger impact on their hunting season. For example, in some areas of the Upper and Lower Peninsulas, baiting has been made illegal, but was reversed in an effort to further control the deer population.
Some of the efforts to decrease the deer populations in Michigan are not viable. These season extensions aimed at increasing hunting time are not projected to decrease deer numbers, as DNR figures show the majority of hunting reports fall in the early days of any selected season.
While the DNR and the Natural Resource Commission (NRC) want increased deer hunting, House Bill 6229 calls for hunting license fee increases, just introduced in the house on Dec. 4, 2024. Amendments like these only hinder Michigan’s hunter base and will cause a further decline in hunting.
If introduced, key specifications of the bill will increase deer hunting licenses by 50% and allow the DNR to ask purchasing hunters for a “voluntary contribution” to subaccounts linked to preservation projects. Nearly all license types from turkeys to fishing will see a spike in price. Seniors purchasing any type of game licenses will also be receiving a 25% discount rather than the 60% that is in place currently.
These price increases would increase the DNR’s revenue in the millions, in theory, but would also increase the monetary burden on hunters of all types.
The State of Michigan and the DNR are on two sides of the table with little communication. If Bill 6229 is passed, it will increase monetary yield for the DNR and decrease hunters to an even further marginalized number.
According to the DNR, there has been a slight increase in deer population in deer management unit (DMU) 28, where Traverse City falls. To combat this, it recommends “creating additional hunting opportunities to harvest specifically on public lands … [which] should help to mitigate [the] loss of forest regeneration and to stabilize and eventually, slightly reduce the population.” The DNR says this will also aid in decreasing deer-to-vehicle collisions in the area.
The antlerless bag limit (legal amount a single person is issued to hunt), was also altered this hunting season to ten per season, per hunter, a number that a small percentage of veteran hunters actually reach.
One of the upsides of fewer hunters means more deer available for the half a million hunters still in play. According to the Wildlife Conservation Order Amendment No. 6, land regulations and limits on antlered and antlerless deer are fluctuating with the continuation of decreases in harvests.
These continued alterations to Michigan hunting are welcome in some areas and not welcome in others.
Increased hunting license prices are a possible alteration that hinders hunters and challenges the decreases in regulation meant to decrease the Michigan deer population. The state of Michigan and its subsequent departments need to work together to create policies that work in harmony, not dissonance.
