Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources are giving out patches like this one to hunters who participate in its deer management program this season.
By KELSEY HANSEN
Wakefield - Russ Mason, Chief of Wildlife for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, made a visit to the Upper Peninsula from Lansing on Saturday for the first day of deer hunting. Mason started the day at the Wakefield field office before continuing to Crystal Falls.
Mason was able to give a little insight on the expectations of the deer season this year throughout Michigan. He said depending on where one is in the state will be a good indicator of the season. In the lower part of the state, hunters will have a very good or better than average year.
The deer population down state last year went into the winter looking very good and this year is the same, he said. One concern though is the corn harvest is down this year.
As for the U.P., Mason said, it is a different story in terms of a good or bad hunting season. Looking at the western end, deer have been hit by two hard winters in a row as well as a predator problem, specifically coyotes.
The snow this year will be a huge factor as well. If hunters can get to a deer trail, chances are good they will have a pretty good season. In this part of the world, deer begin migrating when snow depth hits 15 inches and the deer are now on those migratory quarters, Mason said.
Therefore, if a hunter can get on one of these deer trails, they have a great chance of having a better season than usual. The season expectation for locals is pretty good, Mason said.
Along with the hunting season brings the job of deer population management as well as wildlife management in general. The increase in the price of a hunting license offers the DNR the funds it needs to manage these areas, Mason said.
Available at every Michigan field office, a "More Bang for Your Buck" handout offers information on where the money from the license increase is going. This includes wildlife management for big game, grouse, woodcock and others.
Part of the funds have also gone into creating a habitat work group with the intentions of finding ways to reach out to private land owners to help incentivize to create more and better conservation for deer.
A top priority for wildlife management in the area is looking at what to do with a coyote predator problem. A long-term predator study has been put in place for the Western U.P.
Last year in some study areas, coyotes zeroed improvement on deer population growth, according to Mason. In those zones there were no fawns that made it through. The typical survival rate for a fawn in coyote territory is about 10 percent.
Mason quoted Mark Twain in describing coyotes, "They are living, breathing allegories of want." Coyote populations are at an all time high in the state. Mason said this needs to be addressed locally to decrease these populations.
Another priority is finding ways to manage the supplemental feeding of deer, which is a topic of debate whether it is a good conservation option or not. The department has been looking at ways to handle this issue.
The Wakefield Field Office is now open for deer registration and is located at 1405 E. U.S. 2. Hours are 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Nov. 16-21, Nov. 24-26 and Dec. 1.
