Biologists estimate Michigan’s statewide fall whitetail population is about the same as it has been in recent years, still above the statewide goal. They predicted the 2004 deer hunting season will be similar to last year’s season, when an estimated harvest of 500,000 deer – approximately the size of Michigan’s entire deer herd in 1970 – were taken. The full report is available on the DNR Website.

The DNR’s goal is to maintain a quality deer herd that is in balance with its habitat and yields healthy fawns, does, and bucks. Michigan’s deer herd is dynamic, and not evenly distributed across the state. Most of the deer population resides on private land. In the last decade, the southern half of the Lower Peninsula has contributed an increasing percentage of the statewide deer population. For the last two years, the estimated southern Michigan deer harvest exceeded the combined estimated harvest for northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula.

Deer hunting in Michigan is big business. An expected 775,000 individuals will purchase at least one deer license in 2004 and spend more than $500 million for food, lodging, transportation, and equipment to pursue deer in Michigan. Hunters will spend more than 10 million days enjoying deer hunting recreation during archery, firearm, and muzzleloading seasons combined, which is more deer hunting than any other state or Canadian province.