Deer-hunting numbers - steady decline in Michigan

[Skunk]

Deer-hunting numbers expected to continue slow, steady decline in Michigan

By Chris Killian, the Kalamazoo Gazette. Found at Mlive.com

December 13, 2010


Deer hunter Larry Martin, with grandson Lucas Cogar, poses with a buck taken
in Kalamazoo County in the first days of the Nov. 15-30 firearm deer hunting
season. Courtesy photo

KALAMAZOO — Over the past several years, there has been a slow and steady decline in the number of hunters participating in firearm deer season in Michigan. This season was no different.

The final numbers won’t be out until the middle of 2011, but the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment says preliminary data show about a 4 percent decrease in both the number of hunters who came out for firearm season, which ended on Nov. 30, and the number of kill tags sold.

Statewide, the estimates of the total number of deer taken vary greatly from region to region.

• Upper Peninsula: No change to 10 percent increase from 2009.
• Northern Lower Peninsula: 5 percent to 15 percent decrease from 2009.
• Southern Lower Peninsula: No change to 10 percent increase from 2009.

About 440,000 deer were taken in 2009, the MDNRE said.

This season’s decline is attributed to the fact the Nov. 15 opening of firearm season fell on a Monday, meaning that some hunters had a tough time getting out for the all-important opening day.

The state has done surveys of hunters asking them if they’d like to see opening day moved to a weekend, but the results always overwhelmingly show that hunters want Nov. 15 to remain the first day of firearm season.

“It’s tradition,” said Mary Dettloff, spokeswoman for the MDNRE. “It’s part of the culture of this state. It’s been the same day since the 1920s.”

Over the past several years, there has been a 1 to 2 percent decline each year in the number of hunters who venture out to bag a deer, a trend that the state says is not unique to Michigan. The reasons are many and include people being too busy to hunt and a diminished interest in hunting among younger people, the state says. A lack of public land, especially in the southern part of the state, is also a contributing factor, the MDNRE says.

State Sen. Randy Richardville, R-Monroe, introduced a bill in the state Senate last month that would eliminate the age restriction for hunting. Currently, no Michigander under 10 can hunt.

Deer processors locally reported mixed business during firearm season.

Volume was about the same as 2009 at Galesburg Meat Co., said manager Doug Tolhurst. About 200 deer were processed at their facility in downtown Galesburg this firearm season, when the company does about 50 percent of its processing business.

A good crop of new hunters “kept us pretty busy,” Tolhurst said.

Things were not as rosy at Lala Custom Meats in Mattawan, where business has declined slowly over each of the past several years, said owner Kosta Lakovic.

“We seem to be down every year,” Lakovic said. “I think the economy is making a lot of people process their own deer.”

Sales of guns and ammunition this firearm season were “brisk” at D & R Sports Center in Oshtemo Township, said Dennis Resman, who works in the shop’s firearm section.

“There’s always someone who wants to upgrade,” he said.

http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2010/12/deer-hunting_numbers_expected.html

[scootrd]

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — Preliminary figures show Vermont's buck harvest during the November firearms season declined by 23 percent.
The Times Argus in Montpelier says reports are still coming in and the final numbers won't be known until later this month. If they hold up it'll be the second consecutive year there's been a declining buck kill.

As of Dec. 1, the last reporting date released by the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, 3,290 bucks had been brought into checking stations around the state. That compares to 4,268 bucks taken, on average, over the past three years for the same time period.

[Ron 1]

the last time i headed north to hunt with a rifle i thought i was in a pumpkin patch with all the orange  thru out the woods
rw

[1sourdough]

 I may just get up for a day or 2 in the U.P. this year. I've been going to IL the last 5 years or so. I still think it's crazy, a guy who hunted the U.P. since the mid 70's going to IL. I'm sure the wolf lovers are happy with these statistics.

[Lloyd Smale]

deer numbers are down at our camp in the up. Not so much in the farm belts of the up though. Ive been hunting up here all my life and will say this. everytime the deer numbers go down everyone gets up in arms and trys to blame the dnr the foresters the auto insurance companys ect but I truely believe its like that rabbit and partridge. theres just a natural cycle that goes up and down. I believe that accounts for most of it and add in the increase in preditors which take more deer hands down then are shot and factor in the idiots that run our dnr in the up from an office down state. they treat the entire state as one and the Up defineatly has its own unique situations. personaly i cant see why hunters come up here from down below anymore. theres more probably more deer per square mile outside of detroit  then there is in any hunting area up here.

[ihookem]

Michigan gun license sales dropped by 2% again this year. Wisconsin gun sales were only down 500 sales. That is almost nothing though but still if you think about it that is like 20 sq. mi. of land not hunted. It can be a good thing that sales are down. I think there are too many hunters anyway. It can make hunting better for the ones who still hunt. It is bad that so many are getting too old to hunt.  Young girls are the biggest group of hunters taking up the sport.