Michigan Opens Youth Hunt, Offers Disabled Hunters Only Without Antlers, Faces Heavy Backlash

The Michigan Commission on Natural Resources New hunting regulations were approved last month to address the state’s growing white-tailed deer population, and now they’re facing a major backlash. One of the most controversial changes approved would make youth hunting and disabled hunters in the state antlerless only by 2025.

The change specifically targets Michigan’s Liberty and Independence hunts, where previously participants in both hunts could kill either male or female. The two-day Liberty firearms season takes place each September and is open to hunters 16 or younger and to individuals with qualifying disabilities. Michigan’s Independence Hunt allows hunters with disabilities to participate in four days of guided firearms hunts during the state’s October bow season.

The new rules have angered many critics.

“A lot of young people in my district would rather have you tell them Santa Claus isn’t coming for Christmas this year than tell them they can’t harvest a goat in September,” said Senator Thomas Albert. in a letter to the Natural Resources Commission. “Establishing an early youth deer hunting season has been a successful way to get our next generation excited about hunting and being outdoors. Limiting this hunt to only does will dampen the enthusiasm and drastically reduce the effectiveness of this great tool.”

“Haven’t our disabled and 100% disabled veterans done enough to have the opportunity to shoot a deer with antlers on the special hunts made available to us?” wrote Ron Hopkinsa disabled war veteran, in a letter to the state’s Natural Resources Commission.

Even the DNR admitted that limiting the Liberty and Independence Hunt to only does could negatively impact hunter participation.

“With the downward trend in hunter numbers, these hunts provide training opportunities and chances for hunters to shoot deer during less crowded hunting conditions. They also give hunters the opportunity to shoot a deer when the weather is likely to be less challenging and provide a more focused mentoring and assistance opportunity for those who choose to participate,” the DNR said in a memorandum to the Natural Resources Commission. “The Department has consistently maintained that youth mentors are better suited to help young people make decisions about hunting during the Liberty Hunt than to change regulations. Without options to hunt antlered deer during these hunts, participation may decline.”

According to the DNRApproximately 20,000 young and disabled hunters participate in the Liberty Hunt each year, shooting between 6,000 and 7,000 deer. Another 2,500 hunters participate in the Independence Hunt, typically shooting between 500 and 600 deer. The number of deer killed during these two special privilege hunts represents only about 2 percent of the total number of white-tailed deer harvested in Michigan each year—a relatively insignificant number from a statewide wildlife management perspective.

Where do the new rules come from?

The DNR Deer Management Initiative recommended the legislative changes. The DMI, which launched in January, consisted of two working groups — one for Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and one for the Lower Peninsula — organized to address the unique factors affecting deer herds in each region. The two groups were composed of members from various natural resource organizations, tribal partners and nonaffiliated individuals “who share concerns about deer management,” to ensure that diverse perspectives and backgrounds were represented, according to a Press release DNR. Both groups submitted reports in May, after topics such as the impact of deer on agriculture, chronic wasting disease, baiting and feeding, and hunter recruitment and retention had been thoroughly examined.

The decision to make the Liberty and Independence Hunts yolk-only represents the DNR’s attempt to shift the focus of Michigan’s hunting culture from bucks to doe hunters. Michiganders have traditionally been buck hunters, placing a premium on shooting bucks rather than antlerless deer. This tradition dates back to a time when deer numbers in the Great Lakes State were much lower and doe hunters were needed to rebuild the herd.

Read more: Is public deer hunting ruined forever? Dan Infalt, the serial killer of big bucks, weighs in

However, with a successful comeback of the whitetail, particularly in the southern Lower Peninsula, there are now an estimated 2 million deer in the state. This growth was largely driven by a decline in the number of hunters go to the woods of Michigan every fall. In areas with skyrocketing deer populations, a concerted effort is now being made by deer managers to remove females from the landscape.

However, this measure may have unintended consequences, as there may be fewer young hunters willing to experience the thrill of hunting in the deer forests with their families, risking the loss of a cherished tradition.

“The lack of funding for youth killed the interest my grandson had in the sport. That one decision robbed me of time and memories I will never have,” Jim Walker said in a Response on Facebook.