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Most of the Upper Peninsula saw an extremely mild winter, which was a welcome change from the previous two winters. Low snowfall and lack of extreme cold likely resulted in fewer deer seemingly affected by winter starvation and predation. The result was deer coming out of the winter in better
condition and better fawn production with many sets of twins being observed. While conditions are going to vary locally, soft and hard mast production such as apples and beech nuts look good this year.
Despite no additional cases of chronic wasting disease (CWD) being detected in Dickinson County since 2018, the DNR is still collecting baseline surveillance data for CWD in many counties across the UP we encourage hunters to consider submitting a sample for CWD testing. Samples for 2024 are being sought from Chippewa, Mackinac, Luce, Schoolcraft, Dickinson, Baraga, Keweenaw, Houghton, and Ontonagon Counties.
A few regulation changes for the UP should be noted before heading into the woods this fall.
An abundant mast crop last fall had deer heading into the winter in good shape. With an extremely mild winter, deer did not need to group up as much as they have during harder winters. This also made food readily available throughout the winter and resulted in deer coming through the spring healthy and with what appears to be good fawn survival. Most does have been observed with fawns and many with twins.
Deer numbers can vary greatly across the northern lower, with some areas seeing high numbers while other areas are experiencing low numbers. If you are in an area where deer are plentiful and you see evidence of browse lines or lack of natural forage where you hunt, you may want to consider harvesting an antlerless deer or two to help manage the deer herd. If you hunt an area where deer numbers remain lower or are more balanced with the available habitat, it may be appropriate to continue to keep antlerless harvest similar to past practices.
Along with ongoing testing for bovine tuberculosis (Tb), the DNR continues to get baseline data for the presence of CWD across the state to gain a better understanding of where the disease may occur where adequate testing has not been done yet. We encourage hunters where we are looking to establish this baseline data to consider submitting a sample for CWD testing. Samples for 2024 are being sought from Arenac, Gladwin, Clare, Iosco, Ogemaw, Manistee, Benzie, Leelanau, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Antrim, Otsego, and Cheboygan Counties. Testing for bovine tuberculosis continues in Iosco, Ogemaw, Roscommon, Crawford, Oscoda, Alcona, Alpena, Montmorency, Otsego, Cheboygan, and Presque Isle Counties. Hunters are encouraged to submit heads for Tb testing as well.
A few regulation changes for the northern lower peninsula should be noted.
Deer numbers remain high throughout much of the region. Routinely mild winters and abundant summer foods mean deer are rarely negatively affected by winter mortality. Fawn survivorship remains high with many twins and even triplets being reported. Precipitation across the region this spring and summer has been good, but timing varied depending on the specific area. Farmers in some areas were able to plant crops early while others had to wait for the ground to dry out and planted some crops late. Timing of harvest this fall will vary accordingly, but dry conditions in late summer/early fall may have corn harvest trending earlier than last year.
Rainfall totals in late summer have also been variable with many areas seeing drier conditions. Cases of epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) have been reported in many counties, especially in southwest Michigan. Reported cases started earlier than we have seen in most years. These earlier cases and continuing hot, dry conditions could allow the virus to be on the landscape for an extended period as a good frost is needed to kill off the midge flies that transmit the virus. For areas where the virus has been circulating since late July or early August, impacts on the local deer herd could be extensive. Areas where the virus did not start circulating until mid/late September will likely see less impacts. The DNR will be closely monitoring this and encourages people to report suspected cases of EHD in .
Chronic wasting disease is still present in many counties in southern Michigan and is still a priority for the Department to continue monitoring. However, while the DNR continues to get baseline data for CWD presence across the State, they are not actively seeking samples from counties in the southern lower peninsula this year. This part of the State has already had extensive sample collection and resources are being used to collect data in other parts of the State. If you hunt in a county with known CWD cases, there are still options for if you choose to do so.
Regulation changes for the southern lower peninsula:
Hunters in most of the southern lower peninsula should consider taking an additional antlerless deer than they would normally harvest. While some properties may require the harvest of dozens of antlerless deer annually to keep population numbers in check, more hunters harvesting just one more antlerless deer than normal will have a positive impact on getting deer numbers more balanced and reducing the negative impacts of deer over-abundance. In areas where EHD has been present for several weeks, additional antlerless harvest may not be necessary. Where EHD hasn’t been on the landscape as long, antlerless harvest is likely going to still be required. While prolonged EHD can have substantial impacts to a local deer herd, it’s distribution on the landscape can be extremely variable. Some locations a short distance from severely impacted areas might not experience any effects of EHD. Parts of EHD affected counties are likely to continue to need increased antlerless harvest efforts. Understanding your local conditions and deer herd should drive your harvest decisions this upcoming fall.
