(WWJ) - Officials say a dramatic drop in hunters over the last two decades is making it difficult for Michigan to manage its rapidly growing deer population which poses threats to farmers and drivers.
Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) deer management specialist Chad Stewart told WWJ's Luke Sloan that they cannot rely on hunting as part of their regulation plans when it comes to keeping the state's deer population in check -- and now new initiatives must be considered.
"Going back to 2000, we had well over 800,000 deer hunters in the state of Michigan," Stewart said. "Today, we're probably in the mid-500,000 -- which is still a lot compared to a lot of other midwestern states -- but, you know, it basically translates to us losing almost a quarter million hunters in our state over a 20-plus-year period."
Current projections show these numbers will continue to decline -- all the while deer in the Lower Penninsula continue to wreak havoc on the local landscape.
"In many areas we have an abundance of deer and we're having real challenges in managing those numbers," Stewart explained.
Deer are considered a "keystone species" with their abundance levels having direct impact on the environment, but management is important not only for the ecosystems around them, but also for humans as deer often pose risks for drivers and farmers
According to state officials, there are over two million deer in Michigan. They are most active from April through June and from October through December. Although deer crashes happen year-round, the most vehicle-deer crashed occur during that timeframe.
In 2022, Michigan State Police recorded more than 58,000 vehicle-deer crashes in rural, suburban, and city areas.
According to Stewart, one deer able to eat between 7 to 8 lbs. of forage a day, and an overpopulation of the herd can greatly alter "the successional pathways and some of the cover for other types of animals."
Their appetites also impact economies in Michigan.
Back in November 2023, a group of hungry deer made short work of evergreen trees at Peacock Road Tree Farm in Laingsburg, about 20 miles northeast of Lansing, which left the business scrambling during its busiest time of year.
Owner Ed Carpenter told WWJ's Beth Fisher that he's been growing trees at the location off 11854 Peacock Road for nearly 30 years, but has only noticed an issue with deer in the last three seasons.
"The deer herd has just increased tremendous and they'll go through every night and take a few bites out of the trees... and pretty soon there a lot of damage," Carpenter said.
“Less hunters in the woods is definitely a concern because that’s our number one tool that was able to regulate and actually make a difference and keep that population in check,” said DNR Wildlife division manager Dustin Isenhoff said at the time.
Stewart explained to Sloan that the DNR alone cannot tackle the over population issue alone and that the department is working with the public, with stakeholders to come up with effective solutions.
"This can't be just a DNR process...from our standpoint, it makes a lot of sense to build collaboratively, what this future management change looks like together."