TRAVERSE CITY — A bill recently introduced in the state legislature takes aim at the state’s increasing deer population trends.
The bill was introduced earlier this week by Republican State Representative from Cheboygan Representative Cam Cavitt. The bill would extend muzzleloader season from 10 to 15 days.
“We’ve got problems with chronic wasting disease; we’ve got problems with Lyme disease. There are issues with the herd where we need to reduce the amount, and I think extending the season will help,” Representative Cavitt explained.
Chad Stewart, the Deer, Elk and Moose Management Specialist for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, explained that the overpopulation of deer is impacting crops, wildlife, and causing more accidents.
“It’s really important to keep deer herds within balance of their habitat because if they don’t, they can literally eat themselves out of house and home,” Stewart said.
According to the DNR, last year the state saw the most car accidents involving deer since 2009.
“Deer are largely considered a keystone species where a lot of things are impacted by them. One of the most important things we can do is to keep their numbers in check,” Stewart stated.
Along with their ability to quickly reproduce, Stewart said another reason for the rise is because less people are hunting.
In 2000, the state had over 800,000 deer hunters in Michigan. This year, the DNR is expecting somewhere around 550,000.
“It’s a pretty dramatic decrease in the number of hunters,” Stewart admitted.
Rep. Cavitt said with less hunters, the extended time to hunt will help the economy and take a small step towards solving the state’s overpopulation of deer.
“We want to be out in the woods, we want a more sustenance lifestyle where we have good healthy venison in our refrigerators and in our freezers,” Rep. Cavitt said.
