MONROE, MI-- The Michigan Natural Resources Commission has eliminated the harvest of antlerless deer during archery season this year.
The NRC says the decision, which doesn’t affect the firearm deer season, was made in an effort to help the U.P.’s struggling deer population recover from three successive winters with severe conditions. Numbers have declined to a level comparable to the early 1980s.
The restriction will be in effect for the 2015-2016 season and makes deer and deer combo licenses used during the archery season “buck-only” licenses.
U.P. archers have harvested roughly 5,000 to 6,300 antlerless deer over each of the past four years.
