North Michigan News

State Rep. Cam Cavitt on Thursday urged the Legislature to act on measures to expand deer hunting seasons to address rampant deer overpopulation in the lower peninsula. Recent reports revealed that last year, deer caused more than 58,000 car wrecks, resulting in 19 fatalities.

“Hunting is the most effective control we have to limit deer populations,” said Cavitt, R-Cheboygan. “Rule changes won’t matter if we can’t encourage more parents and grandparents to wake their kids up early, hand them an orange hat, and hike out into the woods to see what they can call in.”

During a regular meeting on Thursday, July 11, the Natural Resources Commission (NRC) considered proposals from two Deer Management Initiatives (DPI), one from the lower and upper peninsulas respectively, created earlier this year to address population issues.

Some measures proposed include only allowing antlerless deer to be harvested during certain hunts, expanded antler point restrictions to protect younger bucks, and encouraging hunters to shoot does.

“Obviously, we want every outdoorsman to consider the environment first when taking deer. I’ll be the first to say we should all be a bit more willing to take a doe until the population starts dipping back down to normal,” Cavitt said. “But we can’t change the rules so much that it chases people away from hunting entirely. It’s already expensive to get the equipment and clothing. It’s a hassle for some even finding a place to hunt. Many may throw in the towel altogether if you start forcing them to count the number of antlers on each side of a deer’s rack before they can take a shot.”

Last fall, Cavitt introduced a bill that would extend muzzleloader season from 10 to 14 days. While he noted his bill would only be a small piece of addressing overpopulation issues, combining legislative measures like his could be key.

State officials have reported annual decreases in Michigan deer hunters. With fewer hunters each year, fewer deer are harvested. Leadership within the Department of Natural Resources reported that while there were more than 800,000 registered hunters in 2000, recent years have seen numbers close only to 600,000.

“The best way we can address overpopulation is by expanding access to all sorts of hunting options,” Cavitt said. “That starts with plans like mine to expand muzzleloader season. But one bill won’t fix everything. We need to work with the DNR, NRC, and all our partners to find more ways to get people off the couch and back into tree stands.”