Vapour,
It's probably more like Cabelas and Savage have not come to an agreement. It is Cabelas' way or the highway with some items that they sell, ie; Leupold Scopes and others. I'll bet the clerk don't even know the reason. When you are a supplier to a company the size of Cabelas, like it or not, they pretty much dictate the prices.
Oh, by the way, you can hunt with the Savage in Southern Michigan (Zone-3), you just can't use smokeless for deer, but you can use smokeless to hunt predators and varmints and other game you can use a rifle on. Also, you can use smokeless to hunt deer in (Zones 1 & 2) during the "All Firearms Deer Seasons", you cannot use smokeless period during any "Muzzleloader Deer Season" Statewide.