Blackpowder hunters killed an estimated 562 antlered bucks in the eastern U.P. during December 2004 compared to 451 during 2003. There was a slight decline (5.8 percent) in the number of antlerless deer tagged in that district (710 versus 754).

Counties that make up the Eastern U.P. District are Schoolcraft, Mackinac, Chippewa and Luce. Best late-season hunting in this district will be in Mackinac and Chippewa counties and the southern half of Schoolcraft.

Although the overall harvest in the eastern portion of Region 1 was up by 5.4 percent, that increase was offset by a greater decline in the muzzleloader kill for the western U.P. The kill there was down 19.3 percent. An estimated 3,661 bucks and does were bagged during the 2004 frontloader season in the west compared to 4,535 in 2003. There were 1,114 bucks bagged in the west with muzzleloaders last December compared to 1,449 the year before. The tally for antlerless deer in that district dropped to 2,548 from 3,086. Counties that make up the Western U.P. District are Delta, Menominee, Dickinson, Iron, Alger, Marquette, Baraga, Houghton, Keweenaw, Ontonagon and Gogebic. Best December hunting in this district will be found in Delta, Dickinson, Iron and Menominee counties.

Late-season deer hunting success in Region 1 is tied closely to the weather. If there's a lot of snow and cold weather, deer begin moving toward winter yarding areas, making them more vulnerable to hunters. If there's little to no snow and mild weather, whitetails remain on fall range and December hunting is usually poor. It appears as though late-season weather conditions during 2004 favored December hunters in the eastern U.P. more than the west. Another factor that played a role in the slightly better buck harvest in the east last December is overall deer numbers did not decline as much as in the west.

Special antler restrictions are in effect for late-season muzzleloaders and bowhunters on five deer management units (DMUs) in Region 1. On Drummond Island at the eastern end of the U.P., bucks must have at least one forked antler, with the forks being at least 1-inch long to be legal. On four more DMUs (122, 152, 155 and 252), bucks have to have at least 3 points an inch long on one antler to be legal. Refer to a DNR map of these DMUs for their boundaries.

This is the fifth and possibly last year for experimental antler restrictions in the four units requiring bucks to have a minimum of 3 points on one antler to be legal. These stringent antler restrictions are basically unnecessary, in my opinion, since winters have more impact on managing the number of whitetails present -- including bucks -- than hunters. The special rules may be eliminated by the 2006 season.

Late-season weather conditions also play a role in December deer hunting success in Region 2 and Region 3. The colder and snowier it is, the more active whitetails become. They have to eat more to meet their higher energy demands, sometimes moving to feeding areas earlier than they otherwise would.

Cold and snow during the 2004 muzzleloader season made it possible for Josh Fritz from Owendale to bag a Boone and Crockett-qualifying buck in Huron County on Dec. 17. The 21-pointer had a gross score of 204 2/8 and netted 198 4/8 inches. He also saw more does during the cold weather than he had earlier in the fall. The story behind Josh's exceptional hunt begins on page 17 of this edition of Michigan Sportsman.

The muzzleloader kill was down 13.8 percent in Region 2 during 2004. The DNR estimated 9,592 bucks and does were taken by blackpowder hunters in that region compared to 11,129 in 2003. The number of bucks bagged by blackpowder hunters in the region was down 14.1 percent (2,190 versus 2,549) and the tally of antlerless deer was down by 13.7 percent (7,402 compared to 8,580).