ISHPEMING, Mich. (WLUC) — Firearm deer season in Michigan ended Wednesday and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Wilderness Sports in Ishpeming say the season looked a little different this year.
DNR statistics show there have been slightly fewer hunters in the woods. Since deer hunting started in September, there’s been a 1.2% decrease in the number of people getting deer kill tags statewide.
A co-owner of Wilderness Sports said he thinks sales were slightly down because of the cold weather. The DNR also said it expected to see fewer hunters due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Sales this year for deer season are down a little bit,” said Wilderness Sports co-owner Raymond Sundquist. “I think there are fewer people in the woods. A lot of it has got to do with the weather we’ve had this year for deer season. We have the snow early before the season.”
The owners of Wilderness Sports said, thanks to loyal customers, overall sales continue to be outstanding.
New this year, deer hunters are required to report their harvest within 72 hours. The latest DNR numbers from the firearm season show 12,160 antlered deer have been harvested in the U.P. and 3,294 antlerless deer.
In the U.P., Menominee County has the most deer harvested in both categories, with Delta County next in line. Because this is a new reporting system, the DNR says there’s no way to accurately compare harvest numbers to previous years.
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