Nationwide interest in hunting on the decline, DNR says
By Emily Brown and La’Nita Brooks
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SAGINAW, Michigan (WNEM) — It is the start of firearm season for deer hunters, but the sport is seeing a dramatic decline in popularity.
A local expert said that it’s not just Michigan seeing fewer hunters tagging bucks.
Chad Stewart, with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, said, “It’s a very, like, day that’s looked forward to by a lot of hunters. It’s got a lot of historical significance to it.”
It’s a day Stewart said is unique to Michigan.
“We’ve had the Nov. 15 opener now in Michigan, it’s approaching 100 years. Michigan is sort of a unique state that the opening of firearm season is tied to that date, whereas most other states it’s tied to, like, a day of the week.” Stewart continued, “Whether it’s, like, the first Saturday of November, or the Monday after Thanksgiving type thing. It’s not the case in Michigan, it’s tied to Nov. 15 and has been like that for every year.”
Despite the day’s longstanding historic roots, Stewart said there has been a decline in hunting popularity.
This year the number of licensed hunters is down 1.4 % compared to last year.
“In the year 2000, we had right around 800,000 deer hunters in the state of Michigan. And this year I’m expecting probably around 550,000 individuals to participate over the course of all deer season,” he said. “So, over a 20-year period, we would have lost about a quarter of a million deer hunters in the state of Michigan alone.”
He said that part of the decline is due to younger generations not adopting deer hunting as previous ones did. He added that it’s not just in Michigan, but nationwide.
Don Beaver, with Franks Great Outdoors, said it’s still their busiest season.
“We’ve been full board busy… We had a lot of traffic in here on Saturday, Sunday, and even Monday. People staying back home finishing up projects before heading up north,” Beaver said.
For those who will be participating in hunting season, there is one new regulation you should be aware of.
“We’re asking hunters within 72 hours of tagging their deer to report that harvest through either the website or the mobile app,” Stewart said.
Firearm season goes through Nov. 30.
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