Tagged: deer

This week on Seeking Change, Christina Shockley spoke with Dean Hall. He is the president of Michigan Sportsmen Against Hunger. The group donates it's game venison to soup kitchens and food pantries across the state. He says, "We can use the benefit of deer management to people that need the help sorely."

Hunters in much of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula will have a cap on the number of deer they can take home this season. A disease that’s killing thousands of deer has prompted the state to enforce new hunting restrictions.

Last winter was unusually warm and that’s helped create fertile breeding ground for the biting fly that spreads Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease. It has infected deer in a record 30 Michigan counties; killing at least 13,000 deer this year. EHD does not affect humans.

Brent Rudolph runs the deer and elk program at the Department of Natural Resources.

Michigan’s deer season has officially begun.

Thousands of archers took to the woods this morning to mark the start of bow season, which runs through November 14, then resumes from December 1 – January 1.

According to a state report, over 300,000 archers participated during last year’s ten week season.

Thousands of deer have died in Michigan due to a virus in the last few months.

State wildlife officials hope to hear from deer hunters this week as they try to track the disease.

This past weekend, thousands of Michigan deer hunters took to the woods.  A few were legally allowed to hunt deer, but most of them just to track deer they will try to bag when bow season starts next month.

Update 2:00 p.m. Aug. 30

State wildlife officials say more deer have died across the state, reaching almost 2,000 casualties, reports the Associated Press.

More from the AP:

More than 1,700 white-tailed deer have been killed this summer by a disease affecting several counties in the southern half of Michigan's Lower Peninsula.

Michigan Department of Natural Resources say the outbreak of epizootic hemorrhagic disease, or EHD, has been worst in Ionia County, where more than 1,100 deer have died.

DNR officials say 225 deer have been killed in Branch County, followed by 153 in Clinton County and 101 in Calhoun County.

12:20 p.m. Aug. 16

The AP reports that the disease has turned up in eight Michigan counties and killed hundreds of deer.

More from the AP:

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources said Thursday that deer infected with epizootic hemorrhagic disease, or EHD, have been found in Barry, Calhoun, Cass, Clinton, Eaton and Montcalm counties. Experts previously confirmed the disease had killed deer in Ionia and Branch counties.

EHD outbreaks have happened in isolated sections of Michigan repeatedly since 2006. The number of cases is rising nationwide because of hot, dry weather.

Wildlife biologist Tom Cooley says there are reports of more than 900 dead deer across the eight counties. But he said the die-off probably will be confined to local areas and won't affect the wider deer population.

2:30 p.m. August 5, 2012

State wildlife officials are trying to get a handle on the scope of a disease outbreak that's killing deer in large numbers in southern Michigan.

Casino hearing

The Michigan Court of Appeals will hear arguments Monday morning on whether a proposal to allow eight new casinos should go on the November ballot. "The campaign turned in more than half a million petition signatures to get the question on the ballot. The opponents include casinos in Detroit and Indian tribes that operate casinos. They would compete with the eight new casinos. The opponents say the ballot proposal tries to do too many things – including changing state gaming laws and amending the Michigan Constitution. They say ballot questions must be simple with a single purpose. The ballot campaign says the amendment was carefully drafted by experts in the state constitution. The three-judge court of appeals panel is not likely to rule today, but it does have to act quickly if state elections officials are going to meet their deadlines to have the November ballot ready in time," Rick Pluta reports.

Flint boxer makes Olympic debut

"Flint's own Claressa Shields makes her Olympic debut Monday morning. The 17-year-old fighter is the youngest competitor in the brand-new women's boxing event. Shields faces Anna Laurell from Sweden in the middleweight quarterfinals," Sarah Hulett reports.

Disease hits deer population

"State wildlife officials say as many of 250 deer have died in the past few weeks from a seasonal disease that usually doesn’t develop until late August or September. The disease is spread by small biting flies that infect the deer. The deer often die close to or in ponds or streams which they seek out as the disease worsen The current outbreak is in Branch, Ionia and Clinton counties," Steve Carmody reports.

The crackle of gunfire can be heard today across Michigan as the state’s firearm deer season opens.   

For the first time in three years, hunters in the Lower Peninsula are legally using piles of food to lure deer. Deer baiting was temporarily banned after a Kent County deer tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease in 2008. The ban was lifted earlier this year after no more deer tested positive for the disease.   

Dean Molnar is with the Department of Natural Resources law enforcement division.  He says baiting can be effective if done properly.   

“I think in some particular areas it will be beneficial for folks to be able to see deer and harvest them…especially in areas where (the deer) have minimal habitat," says Molnar.   

Something else new this year, hunters are getting younger. The state is permitting ten and eleven year olds to hunt deer, as long as they are accompanied by an adult. The previous age limit was twelve.