Photo by Mike Lambeth.

In a nutshell, the outlook for 2007 Michigan deer seasons, on a statewide basis is the best it has been in years.

More specifically, hunting for white-tailed deer in the southern third of Michigan -- Region 3 -- has been the hotspot for quality and quantity during recent times, easily overshadowing prospects of success in the northern two-thirds of the state. Two mild winters in a row, with the most recent one ranking as extremely easy on northern deer, is changing that picture.

Mild winters increase deer numbers in two ways: 1) Overwinter survival of whitetails that escaped hunters is maximized; and 2) more does not only survive, they are in better health, giving birth to as many healthy fawns as possible.

Reduced hunting pressure during recent years in regions 1 and 2 is another factor responsible for improving this fall's outlook in those areas. Because of the excellent deer hunting in Region 3, many hunters who used to travel north to chase whitetails have hunted closer to home. High gas prices have contributed to the decline of hunting pressure up north.

Improved Growth Region-Wide
Less hunting pressure means more deer survive. The bucks among that carryover will be in older age-classes and carry larger racks. Extremely mild conditions last winter reduced nutritional stress on the deer, too, allowing more of them to grow bigger antlers this year. And an early spring and accompanying green-up in the northern regions of the state provided a boost in antler development, too.

The harvest of whitetails during Michigan's 2006 firearms season was up from the year before in every region of our state. The preceding mild winter contributed to that increase, but poor hunting success because of lousy weather during the first days of the 2005 gun hunt was another factor. Many of the deer that weren't taken by hunters in 2005 were tagged during 2006.

Some of that carryover from 2005 remains in the herd along with deer added to the population since then (two years worth of fawn production). That means there will be an excellent crop of yearlings and fawns this year.

One of the biggest variables in how Michigan's gun season actually turns out is the weather. As already mentioned, the 2005 firearms tally was reduced statewide as a result of heavy rain and snow, coupled with high winds, during the first days of the season. Last fall, the weather was generally mild and snow-less during the entire two-week season. Although there was some snow in parts of the Upper Peninsula (U.P.) on a few days during late November, there was much less snow than normal.

Most hunters agree the 2006 firearms harvest would have been higher if there had been more cold weather and snow. Snow cover makes it possible for hunters to better determine where the best and most recent deer activity is, which increases their chances of scoring. Deer are more visible against the light background, too. Snow also contributes to the recovery of wounded deer.

2006 By the Numbers
On a statewide basis, the 2006 firearms tally for all deer was up 8.7 percent from 2005 (261,533 in 2006 compared with 240,597 in 2005), according to preliminary estimates by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, but those numbers don't tell the whole story. The harvest of antlered bucks was actually up by 23.3 percent, and the antlerless kill dropped by 10.6 percent. Michigan gun hunters tagged an estimated 169,050 bucks last fall compared with 137,158 bucks in 2005, an increase of more than 30,000 animals. The tally for antlerless deer across 2005 and 2006 was 92,483 versus 103,439, respectively.

For the first time in a number of years, the tally of firearms deer hunters increased in 2006. The change in the minimum firearms-hunting age from 14 to 12 years old is probably largely responsible for the increase. Gun deer hunters numbered 630,379 in the field last fall, compared with 610,663 for 2005.

And the MDNR intentionally cut back on the number of antlerless permits issued during 2006 to allow deer numbers to rebound in some areas. Plans call for the same action this year. Fewer does tagged by hunters means more of them are present to produce fawns, and hunters should see the benefits of that this year.