By David Fleet
dfleet@mihomepaper.com
Brandon Twp.— Local hunter Elliot Vantine reported a close encounter from his ladder stand when a young buck still in velvet passed under during the recent Liberty-Youth Hunt earlier this month. While Vantine passed on the whitetail it was a fall ritual soon to be played over and over by hunters statewide.
Michigan hunters like Vantine will now have an opportunity as the deer archery season opens Oct. 1. Hunters in the 2023 early archery season (Oct. 1-Nov. 14) tagged 79,463 deer compared to 90,178 in 2022, a decline of 12%. While the deer harvest lagged last season, Chad Stewart, the deer, elk and moose management specialist Michigan Department of Natural Resources said several factors could spell an excellent 2024-25 season.
Less standing corn this fall can make a big difference, said Stewart.
“The corn harvest is tracking ahead of last season,” he said. “The winter was mild and spring came on early with a lot of crops planted sooner. That bodes well for getting the corn out of the ground earlier.”
As a result, deer should have fewer places to hide if the corn is out of the field, he added.
Locally, hunting opportunities have been expanded this season for archery deer hunters in Lapeer County who can join those in Oakland County can now hunt until Jan. 31. In Genesee County the deer archery season will end Dec. 31.
“The changes made in the deer hunting rules this year were made by the Michigan Natural Resources Commission to address the local overpopulation that we have in the Lower Peninsula,” said Stewart. “I don’t think that what was passed (by the MNRC) is going to get us there alone. The longer season is just not going to move the needle enough.”
According to Michigan DNR data 75% of hunters don’t take an antlerless deer, while only 17% of hunters take one anterless deer in a season.
Similar to other years, the first step to better bucks is the antlerless deer harvest, said Stewart.
“There’s a lot to be said about being selective and what buck you want to shoot if you are looking for an older age class of buck,” he said. “But part of the conversation should be if hunters are taking an appropriate number of antlerless deer.”
It’s better to take those does early in the season, rather than later in the season, he said.
“We tend to see many deer taken later after Thanksgiving to fill your freezer,” he said.
Stewart suggests by taking does early in the season the balance of bucks to does improves and when the rut starts. The bigger bucks will have fewer to does chase and become more active.
“This will intensify the rut,” he said.
While the Department of Natural Resources has reported a 25% decline in hunters over the last two decades, participants in the archery season have remained stable. The extended season and the transition to crossbows over the past few years has kept archery hunters in the field longer.
Stewart also reported, Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) is a viral disease that affects deer in Michigan, so far has remained confined to West Michigan.
“Genesee, Lapeer and Oakland counties have not been impacted,” he said.
Infected deer may have swollen eyes and tongue, run a fever, and appear lethargic or dazed. They may also seek water to cool down, which is why they are often seen in waterways.