Michigan’s Natural Resource Committee announced last week that some changes are coming to the Upper Peninsula’s hunting laws. Members of the committee met to discuss and vote on 10 amendments that could have a big impact for hunters this coming November. 

One of these amendments would change the number of antlerless deer hunting permits available in northern Michigan. The Mideast UP’s permits would be reduced from 1,000 to zero. For the Midwest UP, available permits would be cut in half, from 1,000 to only 500. The committee claims it’s an attempt to regulate the deer population. 

In Amendment 10 of the Natural Resource Committee’s July 11 meeting agenda, they added the point that, “Deer hunting access permits will be issued to persons in a random drawing from applicants. Permits shall not be transferable to other hunters. The department may limit the number of antlerless deer hunting access permits that are available for the drawing for each deer management unit.” 

However, some of these changes will allow for more antlerless deer to be hunted in the Lower Peninsula. The committee added to Amendment 18, writing, “An extended late antlerless deer season shall be from Jan. 2 through the second Sunday in January upon public and privately owned lands within (31 Lower Peninsula counties).”

Individuals who possess an antlerless deer license can hunt during this time. Hunters can also buy up to 10 antlerless deer licenses for the extended season. Not everyone is happy with these coming changes. 

“There’s near zero deer in the UP,” says Kyle Thelen, a local hunter. He argues that they should keep the lottery system in place, instead of not offering permits at all in certain areas. He also argues that it may be difficult to regulate the deer population due to the UP’s difficult winters.

“The harsh weather doesn’t help,” Thelen added. 

Nate LeCronier, who also hunts in the UP, agrees that the weather makes it hard to stabilize the deer population. He thinks the wolf population may be to blame for the decrease in deer population. 

“(The) big reason they are doing this is probably because of the wolf population. I’d say work on the wolf population more. The deer already have problems surviving with the climate of the UP,” LeCronier said. 

Some residents, though, are on the side of the Natural Resource Committee. Hunter Joe Peterson says he understands the laws are needed to keep the deer population on the rise. 

“Hunting in the UP, the buck laws say it has to be a 6-point, which I would say regulates the population enough to keep large increases or decreases in population from happening. I would want (the laws) to stay the same,” Peterson said. He added that, “Most hunters, if they have a heart, or knowledge, only go after bucks.” 

According to the Department of Natural Resources, there are roughly two million deer in Michigan as of July 2024. This is a 15% increase from 10 years ago. One of the biggest current threats to the deer population is Chronic Wasting Disease. CWD, nicknamed “Zombie Deer Disease,” damages the brains of animals from deer to moose. It leads to deterioration of the body, odd behavior, and eventually death. CWD has been found in 13 Michigan counties. 

For more information on the upcoming changes, visit michigan.gov/dnr.