ESPN Hunting

Season dates:

• Archery: Oct. 1-Nov. 14 and Dec. 1-Jan. 1.
• Muzzleloader: Upper Peninsula: Dec. 2-11. Northern Lower Peninsula: Dec. 9-18. Southern Lower peninsula: Dec 2-18.
• Youth/disabled: Youth: Sept. 24-25. Disabled: Oct. 15-16.
• Firearm: Nov. 15-30.
• Special antlerless: Selected DMUs Dec. 19-Jan. 1 (see the "Michigan Hunting & Trapping Guide" for specific DMUs).

Resident license fees: Antlerless - $10 (one kill tag). Archery - $15 (one kill tag). Firearm - $15 (one kill tag). Combination - $30 (two kill tags).

Nonresident license fees: Antlerless - $100 (one kill tag). Archery - $138 (one kill tag). Firearm - $138 (one kill tag). Combination - $276 (two kill tags).

Bag limit: One deer per kill tag. A hunter may purchase only two kill tags good for taking a buck. A hunter may purchase one antlerless license per day. A quota is established for each DMU and antlerless licenses will be available until the quota is reached for that DMU.

Hunter/bowhunter education required? A hunter safety education certificate is required for anyone born after Dec 31, 1959. Specific bowhunter safety education is not required.

Population for 2005: Estimated at 1.7 million deer.

Season forecast: It's one of Michigan's biggest autumn traditions.

And no, we're not talking about the Michigan Wolverines beating Ohio State on the gridiron either.

We're talking the start of the Great Lakes State's deer hunting season, something that thousands look forward to each and every year.

What can those Michigan deer slayers expect to see in the woods this fall as the leaves change? Well, that depends on where a hunter finds him or herself hunting says Rodney Clute, a big game specialist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

While hunting is expected to be good in northern Michigan and on the Upper Peninsula, Clute says it should be nothing short of excellent in the state's southern reaches where nearly half of the state's sizable deer herd roams.

Up north, Clute says that the hunting will still be good, particularly in this area where plenty of public hunting land exists.

While winter weather and disease are always concerns for upper Midwest deer hunters, neither bovine tuberculosis nor chronic wasting disease (CWD) has caused Clute and his fellow biologists to raise any red flags just yet in Michigan.

In fact, while bovine tuberculosis has been reported on a portion of the lower peninsula of Michigan, the incident rate has typically stayed small in recent years.

And CWD hasn't been observed in the state just yet, although officials continue to keep a close eye with the disease on both sides of the Great Lakes State now in Wisconsin and New York.

With one of the nation's biggest whitetail herds in place, a huge annual harvest, no major disease concerns at the moment, and the ability to occasionally spit out a top end trophy buck, Michigan remains a great place for a hunter to renew this annual autumn tradition.

The guess here is that thousands of Michigan hunters will do just that again this fall as the leaves change color, the air grows crisp, the smell of apple cider fills the air, and pigskins fly between the Wolverines and the Buckeyes.

2004 harvest: Approximately 450,000.

Bow harvest: Approximately 125,000.

Muzzleloader harvest: Approximately 43,000.

Firearm harvest: Approximately 265,000.

Special seasons: Approximately 17,000.

Number of licensed deer hunters: 756,000.

Deer hunter success rates: 43 percent.

Number of bowhunters: 318,000.

Bowhunter success rates: 31 percent.

Number of muzzleloader hunters: 208,000.

Muzzleloader success rates: 19 percent.

Number of firearm hunters: 653,000.

Firearm success rates: 33 percent.

Top counties/regions: Clute says that southern Michigan has half the state's deer herd and takes half the annual deer harvest as well, but 97 percent of the land is private property. He reminds hunters that permission from the land owner is required prior to hunting.

The big game specialist also indicates that northern Michigan has 35 percent of the land in public ownership. While the deer herd has been reduced from previous years; however deer hunting continues to be good.

Clute also reports that the Upper Peninsula has some 60 percent of its land open to public hunting. He says that while the deer herd has been reduced the last few years, some excellent hunting opportunities still exist throughout the U.P.

Finally, keep in mind that Iron, Mecosta, Newaygo, Montcalm, and Jackson counties have been listed in past ESPNOutdoors.com Whitetail Deer Forecasts as top spots to check out in Michigan.

Top public-hunting spots: Clute says that since white-tailed deer exist almost everywhere in Michigan, nearly all public land offers excellent deer hunting opportunities.

Testing conducted for chronic wasting disease: Clute says Michigan tested more than 3,500 hunter harvested deer for the presence of CWD in 2004. The state also plans to test some 4,000 hunter harvested deer this year as well.

Units/areas that tested positive for chronic wasting disease: None.

State record typical: 198 0/8 inches, taken by Troy A. Stephens in Jackson County in 1996. This buck ranks 20th all-time in the Boone & Crockett Club's typical whitetail record book.

State record non-typical: 238 2/8 inches, taken by Paul M. Mickey in Bay County in 1976.

State record archery typical: 193 2/8 inches, taken by Craig Calderone in Jackson County in 1986. This buck ranks 15th all-time in the Pope & Young Club's typical whitetail record book.

State record archery non-typical: 219 6/8 inches, taken by Bruce Heslet II in Cass County in 2000.

More information: Log onto the Michigan DNR's Web site or call the Lansing MDNR Wildlife office (517) 373-1263. To report a poacher, call (800) 292-7800.

Did you know? If a hunter in Michigan takes two bucks, one buck must have at least four (4) points on one antler according to Clute … The big game specialist says that there are also three (3) Deer Management Units (DMUs) where spike bucks are not legal and five DMUs where any buck must have at least three (3) antler points on one side … Clute indicates that there are over 490,000 antlerless licenses available in Southern Michigan. That means that hunters will have plenty of opportunities to help reduce the deer herd in this part of the state … Michigan offers a deer hunter patch for anyone that voluntarily brings in their deer to a DNR staffed deer check station reports Clute … Wildlife personal collect biological data on some 45,000 hunter harvested deer every year … Michigan's rut ranges from the last week of October on the UP to the end of November in the lower portion of the state … Deer management has a long history in Michigan. In 1887, a law was passed making it illegal to use dogs or lights for taking deer in the state. That same year, the state's first game warden was hired. Legislative efforts to control market hunting of deer saw an 1895 law passed that established the open deer-hunting season to be Nov. 1-25. A bag limit of five deer was also established and a license was required to hunt whitetails … The Michigan DNR Web page indicates that once again, young hunters from the ages of 12 to 16 will be able to participate in the special youth firearm deer season scheduled statewide for Sept. 24-25. A youth, properly licensed to take a white-tailed deer with a firearm, is allowed to take one deer during this two-day hunt … The Web site indicates that this is the sixth year for the youth-only hunt in Michigan … During the first youth hunt in 2000, an estimated 14,000 youths participated. Approximately 20,000 youngsters participated in the 2004 youth firearm deer season, harvesting over 6,000 deer, about one percent of the total 2004 white-tailed deer harvest … The MDNR Web site indicates that about 750,000 individuals are expected to spend 10 million days deer hunting during the 2005 archery, firearm and muzzleloading seasons … The DNR site also reports that the agency has had some success in lowering the burgeoning Michigan deer population. Therefore the combined harvest for 2005 is expected to be less than last year's estimated harvest of 450,000 deer. About one-half the harvest is expected to be antlerless deer.