Jason Bradley is ready to hunt.
For the past 30 years, Bradley, a Groveland Township resident, has harvested his share of deer.
‘This year looks decent,? he said. ‘We’ve been out scouting and the population down here looks about the same as last year. The food is there and I’m not seeing a big difference from last year hunting on public land in the township. My son, Hunter, 14, is out there with trail cams after he shot his first deer last season’he’s ready to hunt.?
Bradley also hunts deer and bear in the Munising area of the Upper Peninsula.
‘I was in the UP last week baiting for the upcoming bear season and there were no signs of deer,? he said. ‘I know the winters have been bad, but it may also be the wolf situation up there, too, having an impact on the deer.?
Hunter Bradley is just one of about 615,000 hunters statewide that harvested roughly 329,000 deer in 2014. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources recently issued a Michigan Deer Harvest Survey Report showing a drop of 15 percent from 2013 for both archery and firearm season. The wildlife managers report that regional declines in deer harvest were greatest in the Upper Peninsula, where the overall harvest was down by nearly 36 percent last year. The DNR said several factors ? including back-to-back years of severe winter weather that depleted the deer population in some parts of the state ? contributed to the decline.
While a trip to the far north may not produce deer for hunters this season, Brent Rudolph, deer and elk program leader for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources said northern Oakland and southern Genesee counties deer herd is stable. Efforts to reduce the overabundance of deer numbers in southeastern Michigan are still ongoing for the Oct. 1 start of the archery season, he added.
‘Don’t expect a lot of change from last season when hunters head out to the woods,? said Rudolph. ‘There has been no winter issues in the northern Oakland County area like in the north. We had a decent spring, so lots of fawns survived and the ‘mast? or acorns and other nuts are abundant. Lots to eat in Oakland County compared to northern counties.?
Rudolph said there are no significant changes in hunting rules for 2015 and it appears no antler point restrictions are in the future for Oakland or Genesee county area of Michigan.
‘Sections of the northern lower peninsula will be starting their third year of point restrictions,? he said. ‘It’s still too early to say if there are bigger bucks’but the harsh winters may play a factor in the antler growth. The lack of food plays a big role. In contrast, the southern counties always seem to produce large bucks where food is abundant. We are also finding more hunters passing up smaller deer for the trophy racks.?
Chronic Wasting Disease was reported in deer in nearby southwest Shiawassee County earlier this year. The contagious neurological disease affecting deer and elk, has not been found in Oakland or Genesee counties.
‘We are asking hunters to report to the DNR if they see deer that look too skinny or if they can walk right up to them,? he said. ‘We just don’t have enough people to look for CWD deer; rather, we depend on the public and hunters to report. We have been testing aggressively for the disease. The three deer we did find were closely related and found living near each other.?