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Tuesday, April 28th, 2026

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Outdoor Observations: Michigan deer harvest dwindles despite rise in license opportunities

Bill Parker writes that Michigan's deer herd in the southern part of the state continues to grow and that is causing concern among game managers, auto insurance companies, agricultural interests, and even some rural residents who live among the deer. (Stock photo)

Michigan’s deer population is growing. A steady decline in hunter numbers in Michigan – and across the country – has led to a decline in harvest numbers as well. 
Michigan’s deer hunting population peaked in the 1990s. An estimated 785,000 deer hunters hit the woods in 1998, and they combined to kill just shy of 600,000 whitetails. Just 24 years later, last year, 586,595 individuals purchased a license to hunt deer in Michigan, and we combined to kill an estimated 303,087 deer.

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