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