The kill was off by 13.6 percent in the Northeastern District and 26.5 percent for the Northwestern District. The tally of deer of both sexes from the northeast was 3,585 last December versus 4,150 for 2003. The buck kill was close to the same for both years (962 compared to 981), but the antlerless harvest was down 17.2 percent (2,623 versus 3,168).

In the northwest, a total of 3,791 deer of both sexes were shot during 2004 compared to 5,157 for 2003. The number of bucks bagged in the Northwestern District during the 2004 muzzleloader season was down 6.9 percent (937 compared to 1,006), but the take of antlerless animals declined by 31.2 percent (2,855 versus 4,151).

Counties in the Northeastern District are Iosco, Ogemaw, Roscommon, Alcona, Oscoda, Crawford, Alpena, Montmorency, Otsego, Antrim, Charlevoix, Emmet, Cheboygan and Presque Isle.

The Northeastern District includes counties where some whitetails are infected with TB. The prevalence rate for the disease remained at 1.7 percent during 2004, the same as it was during 2003. The percentage of infected deer has declined in spite of the fact there's a higher than 60 percent noncompliance rate with the ban on baiting in a handful of counties in that district. This would suggest that a DNR claim is false that a ban on baiting in the counties where the disease is most common is needed to eradicate TB from whitetails.

Special antler restrictions are in effect for blackpowder and archery hunters in a portion of Iosco County comprising DMU 135. Bucks are required to have at least one forked antler, with the forks being a minimum of 1-inch long to be legal.

Counties where baiting is legal in the Northeastern District offer the best chance for muzzleloader and bowhunting success. Those counties have higher deer numbers than the TB Zone where unlimited antlerless permits have been issued. Those counties are also the best option because food is uppermost on the minds of deer when the weather is cold and there's snow on the ground, so baiting can be beneficial for attracting late-season whitetails in wooded habitat.

Hunting natural food sources such as acorns, beech nuts and feral apple trees can be even better than baiting. Agricultural fields or the runways leading to them are also prime late-season hotspots. So are forested areas that have recently been logged, and clearcuts in which new growth has created a bumper food supply.

Seven counties in the Northeastern District are open for a late-season antlerless-only firearms hunt from Dec. 19 through Jan. 1. Only private property in those seven counties is open to hunting during this season. Centerfire rifles and shotguns can be used during this hunt. The counties where this season is in effect are Presque Isle, Alpena, Alcona, Oscoda, Crawford, Otsego and Montmorency.

Since antlerless permits are unlimited for this area, it shouldn't be difficult to get one. However, hunters new to this area need to be aware that there are free-roaming elk in some of these counties, so it's doubly important to make sure of your target. The kill during the late-season firearms hunt was down substantially during 2004 in the Northeastern District. An estimated 1,110 does and fawns were bagged there last year, which is down 38.1 percent from the 1,793 in 2003.

The Northwestern District is composed of Mecosta, Newaygo, Oceana, Mason, Lake, Osceola, Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska and Leelanau counties. Southernmost counties of that district such as Newaygo, Mecosta and Osceola have the highest deer numbers. Good late-season hunting can also be found in Manistee and Wexford counties.

So it's not too late to put some venison in your freezer. Just don't forget your deer knife!