It is a beautiful crisp sunny Saturday  here in Michigan.  The streets and highways are deserted. Is everyone watching football? Nope. They are setting up hunting camps “Up North” as we Michiganders call the upper regions of our state. Here are some interesting facts about the 2011 season which begins November 15.

2011 MICHIGAN DEER HUNTING PROSPECTS
THE STATEWIDE FORECAST
Brent Rudolph, Deer and Elk Program Leader
517-641-4903 ext. 248

Statewide

Over the last few years, around 700,000 individuals have purchased a license to hunt deer in Michigan. These hunters ultimately spend more than 9.6 million days afield and take more than 400,000 deer. Over 300,000 hunters participate in Michigan’s archery season, about 600,000 hunt with a firearm and 200,000 with a muzzleloader. While the number of firearm season hunters often rises and falls as the traditional November 15th opening day rotates through days of the week, expanded youth hunting programs and crossbow hunting opportunities have increased participation among other segments of the hunting population. Although surveys show that the leading reasons many participate in deer hunting is simply the opportunity to spend time outdoors with friends and family, many hunters prepare each season to give themselves the best chance to see and take deer.

Before applying for a license hunters must decide if they wish to take one or two antlered deer. Those desiring the opportunity to shoot two bucks must purchase a combination license. Both bucks have antler point restrictions. One buck must have one antler with at least 3 antler points; the other buck must have one antler with at least 4 antler points. Those choosing to purchase a firearm deer license and/or an archery deer license are limited to taking only one buck from within these areas during all seasons combined. Within most of the areas, a deer must have just one antler 3 or more inches in length, but point restrictions remain in place for some individual DMUs (deer Management Unit) as well.

If you want more information visit the Michigan Department of Natural Resources website which was the source of this article: http://www.michigan.gov/dnr.   Another interesting site is a cooperative website on deer hunting  by the DNR and Michigan State University: http://www.deer.fw.msu.edu