Deer season is over for Chuck Bond, who figures one buck will be plenty to feed him and his wife. However, a change in the weather starting today may give hunters an edge heading into the last weekend of the firearms deer season.
According to the mandated reporting section of the MDNR website, Leelanau County has a long way to go to catch up on the 2024 gun harvest. As of Sunday night, some 414 bucks and 176 antlerless deer were reported shot, for a total of 590. In 2024, county hunters reported taking 485
bucks and 264 does for 749 deer killed.
But with a whole week of hunting remaining and up to a three-day lag before harvested deer must be registered, catching 2024 is doable — with a change in the weather. Traditionally, deer hunter success wanes due to wariness and a drop-off in rutting toward the end of the firearms season.
Bond used patience to catch up to the five-point he shot.
“Opening day, I saw some does, Sunday, same thing. Monday nothing, and then late Tuesday, there were five does, two mature and three yearlings. He was interested and trying to chase them around. The most difficult part was seeing that third point (on one antler, a requirement in northwest Michigan). Not the biggest buck I’ve shot, but he was 1 1/2- or even 2. 1/2-years old, ” Bond said.
He heard very few shots while hunting compared to previous years, despite observing about the same number of deer hunters at his two favorite stands in the Lakeshore. Even his trail cam set up near his home, close to Little Traverse Lake, hasn’t produced a photo since opening day.
Conservation officer Zach Walters, who patrols Leelanau County, reports an increase in the number of hunters and cars parked along roads on opening weekend, likely due to the firearms deer season starting on a Saturday.
“For the most part, everyone I’ve talked to has been seeing deer despite the rather poor weather for hunting, and that’s for early archery and firearms season,” Walters said.
He reported issuing five citations — three for baiting, which is illegal in the Lower Peninsula, and two for having uncased or loaded rifles in vehicles.
Finding hunters who take safety risks bothers him.
“Please make sure your guns are properly unloaded and stored,” Walters said. “Be safety-conscious, and stay within the range of ethical hunting.”
He recalled a funny story he read online about turning lemons into lemonade.
“I saw online about a hunter who had a spot set up for opening day, only to find a sign that said another hunter had claimed the area and was going to hunt there. He didn’t want the confrontation, so he moved and shot a pretty nice buck elsewhere in the (national) park. It worked out quite well for that gentleman,” Walters said.
He added, “The hunters I’ve met up with have been ethical and responsible.”
Snow, which has been lacking this firearms season, was expected to start falling last night and continue at least through Saturday. Lower temperatures push deer to move toward food sources, and a white ground cover makes them easier to spot.
For lucky hunters who have enough venison but would like to keep hunting, Walters suggested they consider dropping field-dressed and properly tagged deer at Buntings Market. Through a collaboration between Buntings and the Empire Area Community Center, your deer meat will be donated to the Empire Area Community Food Pantry.
Harvest figures point to a successful early archery season, with 384 deer killed. Some 271 were antlered bucks.
That falls short of a highly productive 2024 early archery hunt with 443 animals tagged, 328 of which were bucks. The 2023 figures were 372 deer killed, including 286 bucks.
