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Michigan goose gassing plan paused
After a letter from lawmakers urging non-lethal methods for managing Canada geese populations, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources has paused its plan to gas birds in problematic areas.
(FOX 2) - Michigan hunters will be able to harvest antlerless deer throughout the entire Upper Peninsula during the archery season.
The change follows 10 years of prohibited hunting under the conditions now legalized by the Natural Resource Commissions, which was updated during the regulatory body's meeting last week.
The backstory:
Earlier in May, the NRC weighed expanding when hunters could harvest female deer in the UP after a decade of prohibitions against it.
After harsh winters in 2013-14 and 2014-15 decimated deer populations in the northern region of Michigan, the Department of Natural Resources worked to further protect their numbers by restricting their harvests during the archery season.
Bow hunters are permitted to hunt deer between Oct. 1 and Nov. 14, as well as between Dec. 1 and Jan. 1.
The DNR believes bow hunting would "not lead to further low deer densities that would impact the long-term sustainability of the deer herd," according to the conservation order presented to the NRC on May 8.
That's because since outlawing bow hunting of antlerless deer in the targeted region, there has been no measurable improvement in the herd population.
"Managing for balance in the deer herd and within habitat limitations should be the goal of the approach, and the regulation as it exists currently is but one of the barriers to meeting that goal," the order reads.
Michigan's deer hunting problem isn't going away
A worrying trend of falling hunter numbers has continued in 2024. There are big implications for the rest of the environment and deer population if it doesn't stop.
Dig deeper:
The DNR has been looking to improve its management of deer populations in Michigan amid unprecedented issues facing the hunting world.
Diseases and falling hunter numbers have made it harder to control the numbers of bucks and does in the state.
In one of the latest recommendations from the Upper Peninsula Deer Advisor Team, the DNR is encouraged to reinstate archery options for hunting female deer.
Doing so would balance the number of male and female deer in the Upper Peninsula.
Why you should care:
Commissioner John Walters proposed amending the deer hunting season with an amendment that allowed their harvest in Zone 1 for those with any form of deer license.
Zone 1 includes the entire Upper Peninsula. The types of licenses included under the order are deer licenses, deer combination regular licenses, and deer combination restricted licenses.
Only one commissioner voted against the amendment.
The Source: Information from the Department of Natural Resources and the Natural Resources Commission was used in the reporting of this story.