This browser does not support the Video element.
Deer hunting down in Michigan
The concerning trend of falling numbers of deer hunters in Michigan has continued in 2024, according to preliminary statistics from the DNR's online reporting tool that hunters use.
(FOX 2) - Has Michigan's falling hunter numbers bottomed out?
After years of declines, new data from the state's latest deer harvest report offers some of the most promising information that wildlife managers have seen since the mid-90s.
Big picture view:
Michigan recorded 604,088 hunters in 2024, which led to a 7.6% increase in the number of deer harvested. The increase bucks a persistent trend that has stymied wildlife managers for decades.
It's the second straight year that Michigan has seen its deer hunter numbers rise. If the state reports even higher hunter numbers in 2025, it will be the first time since 1995 with three-straight increases.
"It suggests we may be reaching more leveling," said Brian Frawley with the Department of Natural Resources. "So we may not encounter that 1.3% average decline going forward."
He credited extended hunting seasons, new hunting seasons, and hunters being permitted to use different devices behind the increase.
Speaking before the Natural Resource Commission on Thursday, Frawley said "hopefully it's going to stabilize or even slightly increase."
By the numbers:
Since 2022, there has been a 3.1% increase in the number of tags issued to hunters. The largest jump was among antlerless deer, with nearly 40,000 more being harvested over the two-year period.
Not every part of Michigan is seeing an increase in their deer harvest data. There were large jumps in the Upper Peninsula and the Northern Lower Peninsula in 2024, which make up approximately half of the harvests in Michigan.
The Southern Lower Peninsula, where more than 200,000 deer were caught, saw only a slight increase from last year.
Great Lakes safe fish guidelines: How much fish you can safely eat per month
Michigan has some of the best fishing in the world. But toxic 'forever chemicals' like PFAS makes eating them less safe. Here are the guidelines for fish caught in each Great Lake.
Michigan's new deer harvest data
Local perspective:
This is the last time the Michigan DNR will conduct its traditional harvest survey. For the past 75 years, it's used a voluntary survey to gauge its estimates of how many deer were harvested.
With the introduction of a mandatory reporting process, officials hope to do away with the imperfect survey, which was both expensive and time-consuming, Frawley said.
The wildlife specialist included hunter satisfaction figures. Since falling below 40% in 2014, the overall deer hunting experience has improved over 50%, he said.
"Satisfaction is closely linked with success," he said.
Zoom Out:
However, there are still systemic problems within deer hunting - notably the presence of disease. Frawley said EPD (Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease), which impacts white-tailed deer and frequently leads to death, was likely behind a drop in harvests in Southwest Michigan.
The disease spreads when an insect called a midge picks up the virus from an infected host and transmits it to another host.
The DNR reported outbreaks of hemorrhagic disease in15 Michigan counties in 2024.
Tracking the illness is tricky and there is no current treatment for preventing its spread.
The Source: This story was reported with information from the Natural Resource Commission's June meeting.