Ken Thompson arrowed this 21-point non-typical buck in Ingham County last fall. The antlers netted 167 6/8 inches and grossed close to 180. Photo courtesy of Ken Thompson.

Michigan’s archery deer harvest for 2006 went up by 12.6 percent from 2005, according to preliminary figures from Department of Natural Resources statistician Brian Frawley. Based on favorable conditions for deer survival last winter and excellent fawn production this past spring, bowhunters should have an even better chance of filling their tags this year, and thus the bow kill should go up another notch in 2007.

“Everything that we have seen across the state indicates deer came through winter in good shape,” DNR big-game specialist Rod Clute said. “And they were in good shape going into winter. There should be a lot of deer out there.”

Bowhunters arrowed an estimated 125,614 deer statewide in 2006, according to preliminary figures, compared with 111,508 the year before. That total was composed of 74,724 antlered bucks and 50,890 antlerless deer. The buck kill went up more than 15 percent from the 64,784 bagged in 2005, and the tally for antlerless animals increased by 9 percent from 46,725 deer.

The archery kill went up in every region of Michigan last fall, with the greatest increase experienced in the northern Lower Peninsula, or Region 2. There were an estimated 25.7 percent more bucks and does taken in Region 2 last fall (37,896) than the previous year (30,159). The buck kill among bowhunters in the region went up 28.1 percent -- 21,365 compared with 16,672 -- and the tally of antlerless whitetails increased by 22.5 percent -- 16,531 versus 13,489. Part of the reason for that increase was more hunting pressure.

The northeastern L.P., which includes the TB zone, had 4.6 more bowhunters during 2006 (46,746) than the year before (44,701). Such a small increase in hunter numbers of about 2,000 doesn’t account for the reported change in the kill of close to 8,000 deer. Bowhunters who tried their luck here obviously had a higher success rate.

Figures for the Northwestern District bear this out. Even though hunter numbers declined 4.1 percent during bow season in that district, the number of deer arrowed still went up by 17.1 percent. A total of 19,094 deer were taken in the northwestern L.P. by bowhunters last fall versus 16,309 in 2005 by 2,356 fewer archers. The buck harvest went up by 19.1 percent (11,309 and 9,493) and the number of does and fawns tagged increased by 14.2 percent (7,785 and 6,816).

Counties comprising the Northwestern District are Leelanau, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Mason, Lake, Osceola, Oceana, Newaygo and Mecosta.

Not only was the bow kill up in this district, but some trophy bucks were also taken. Brad McClure, for example, arrowed the highest scoring typical bow buck on record for Mason County during mid-October. The 10-pointer netted 161 5/8 inches.

McClure said he almost got a shot at the buck on opening day of bow season. It was approaching his tree stand with two other bucks. When he was about 10 yards away, the whitetail looked up and saw McClure, blew and took off. Two weeks later, McClure was in the same stand when the trophy deer trailed an 8-pointer into bow range. This time, the buck was distracted by an opossum long enough for McClure to make the shot.

The biggest jump in the kill for Region 2 was in the northeastern L.P., where it went up by a whopping 44.9 percent last bow season -- 11,645 compared with 8,039 in 2005. The number of antlered bucks bagged by bowhunters increased by 53.8 percent in that district (6,139 versus 3,991) and the antlerless kill was up by 35.9 percent (5,505 and 4,051).

The Northeast District consists of Emmet, Cheboygan, Presque Isle, Charlevoix, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Crawford, Oscoda, Alcona, Roscommon, Ogemaw and Iosco counties.