Managing Deer and Deer Hunters in Northeast Lower Michigan

Managing Deer and Deer Hunters in Northeast Lower Michigan

Brent Rudolph, Ph.D. Michigan Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Division

Deer and Elk Program Leader (517) 641-4903 ext. 248 rudolphb@michigan.gov

Overview

• Summary of deer permits and licenses• Deer Management Unit 487 special regulations• Review of northeast Michigan deer harvest,

population, and TB trends• Hunter opinions regarding TB management

• Disease Control Permits• Deer Damage Permits (“Crop Damage” Permits)• Deer Management Assistance Permits (“Block”

Permits)• Antlerless Licenses• Archery, Firearm, and Combination Licenses

Deer Permits and Licenses

• Livestock producers and private landowners in a county with a confirmed case of TB or 30 mi radius of confirmed disease

• Antlerless or antlered deer• Antlers must be submitted; heads must be

submitted if required• Free of charge

Disease Control Permits

WCO Section 5.77

Deer (Crop) Damage Permits

WCO Section 5.40

• Landowners with significant agricultural or horticultural damage documented by Department

• Not valid during deer hunting seasons• Antlerless, or antlered deer if approved by

Wildlife Supervisor• Free of charge

• Landowners or their designated agent where a variety of conditions exist, including where “regulations are insufficient to achieve landowner deer management objectives”

• Only valid during deer hunting seasons• Antlerless deer

Deer Management Assistance Permits

WCO Section 5.80

• Separate Private & Public licenses and quotas

• Early & Late Antlerless Seasons (private land)

• Archery, Firearm, Muzzleloader Seasons

• Liberty Hunt & Independence Hunt

Antlerless Licenses

WCO Section 3.101

• Archery and/or Firearm: new license package replaces with single tag, all season license

• Combination License (2 tags)• Typically “buck” tags

– Some opportunities for antlerless deer– Some restrictions on types of antlered deer

Archery, Firearm, Combination Licenses

WCO Section 3.101

DMU 487 Regulations

DMU 487• Only 50-60% of hunters purchase

1 or more antlerless licenses• >50% of harvest is antlered bucks• >50% of antlered bucks harvested

are yearlings

DMU 487 Hunting & Harvest

Statewide• ≤50% of hunters purchase 1 or more antlerless licenses• Hunting strategy of ~40% of hunters: take 1st legal buck• Point restrictions typically increase 2 ½-yr-old buck harvest

DMU 487 Regulations

• Antlerless deer: firearm hunters use any license • Antlered deer: min 3 antler points OR 1 buck

– shift harvest pressure from young bucks to antlerless deer (to reduce the population)

– do not constrain harvest of older bucks (more likely to be TB positive)

• Assessments will consider:– Short-term success: increasing antlerless deer

harvest over last 4 seasons?– Long-term success: decreasing TB prevalence,

population size?

Harvest, Population, TB Trends

5-County Deer Harvest

5-County Deer Population Trend

Relation to Highest and Lowest Antlerless Harvest

1995-2012, DMU 452

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No Trend, 2005 – 2009

Hunters, TB, and Deer Management

Hunter Opinions: TB and Deer Management

It is important to reduce or get rid of TB…From deer:• Strongly Agree 23.2%• Agree 56.5%• Not sure 5.0%

From livestock:• Strongly Agree 35.4%• Agree 54.6%• Not sure 3.5%

Hunter Opinions: TB and Deer Management

It is possible to get rid of all TB…From deer:• Strongly Agree 4.7%• Agree 19.4%• Not sure 14.1%

From livestock:• Strongly Agree 8.2%• Agree 38.3%• Not sure 13.9%

TB Management VolunteersThe opportunity:Michigan sportsmen & women

outnumber Detroit Lions & Pistons combined home attendance

The Limitation: Hunting is another form of

recreation, and participants expect to enjoy the product

Thank You!

www.michigan.gov/deer