When the statewide firearm deer season opens today, Nov.15, area hunters could find one more challenge.
While the 2014 deer season is forecasted to have similar success rates to last year, a very late corn harvest could impact hunters? ability to find their often elusive targets.
‘As of the first week of November, the statewide harvest of corn is at only 21 percent’it should be at 51 percent this time of year,? added Brent Rudolph, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Division Deer and Elk Program leader. ‘The bottom line is deer hang out more in the corn and just don’t come out. It’s hard to see deer moving and hard to get them out.?
‘The winter of 2013 started early and continued late into spring 2014 throughout most of the state,? he said. Record low temperatures and above average snowfall made for difficult conditions for deer, most notably in the Upper Peninsula. Some areas may see decreased numbers of fawns and yearlings in the U.P. as a result, but overall there appears to be good survival throughout much of the Lower Peninsula regions including Oakland and Genesee counties.?
Deer are rebounding from the outbreak of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHC) with no outbreaks reported this year, he added.
Acorns trump all early-fall food sources, and they are about to drop.
‘Mast production (fruits and nuts) has been good throughout the region. High production of acorns, apples and beechnuts has been reported,? he said.