As deer season comes to a close, let’s talk about deer from a wildlife management perspective. White tailed deer populations have been on the rise in Michigan, especially in the Lower Peninsula. The DNR estimates the total deer population to be 2 million, which is double the size it was in 1940. About 1 million of these deer are concentrated in the southern Lower Peninsula, which is a 500% increase in the past 40 years. No matter who you are, there is a reason to care about the overabundance of deer on the landscape. 

What are deer doing?  

Deer like to live where they have sufficient cover, food, and water. Their home range on average is about one square mile, though they tend to move more with the change in seasons and food availability. As an herbivore, a lot of their activity is browsing. They eat an incredible amount of plants — anywhere from 8 to 24 pounds a day for an adult depending on their body weight. For cover, deer prefer dense vegetation in fields, marshes, and woodlands. Historically in Michigan, black bears, wolves, coyotes, and bobcats served as the native predators to help keep deer populations in check. The lack of predators around southeast Michigan caused by habitat fragmentation means this responsibility now largely falls to humans. 

What are their impacts? 

Many people might believe that the more wildlife there is, the better. While this is certainly true for wildlife whose populations are threatened, it no longer applies when populations swing to the extreme such as in the case of deer. For people, the overpopulation of deer can lead to both physical and economic damages. Deer-vehicle collisions in Michigan numbered to 58,000 in 2023, killing some and injuring many more. Deer also are hosts for lyme-carrying ticks, which can infect our pets and our own bodies. Of course, deer eat crops and horticulture gardens where deer density is high, hurting farm yields and our own plant sanctuaries. From 2014 to 2020, crop damage permits, which are granted to hunt deer on farmland during the summer due to significant crop damage, increased by 60% in Michigan. In forests, deer preferentially munch down tree saplings and native forbs, which already have to compete with invasive species. This means that overstory trees are not being replaced by understory saplings when the mature trees die off. This also hurts many other wildlife species who have to share food sources with deer. 

How are humans related? 

Humans have long held a close cultural connection to deer. Managing for deer habitat to provide us with deer harvest was for a long time part of family tradition in Michigan, especially in rural areas. Older generations would teach younger generations how to hunt and continue to provide food for the family. This interaction directly benefited humans, and indirectly benefited the environment. By keeping deer populations in balance, natural areas sustained higher levels of plant diversity and forests regenerated themselves. But as more people have moved to the suburbs and the cities, the tradition of hunting has become less prevalent. 

Why are deer increasing in the Lower Peninsula? 

Historically, deer populations have been lower in the southern Lower Peninsula, and higher in northern Michigan. Today, the opposite is true. Deer in the Lower Peninsula have abundant food sources, from understory brush to crops to gardens, and a lack of predators. In the north, previously young forest stands have grown into mature forests, leaving less food combined with harsher winters and more natural predators. Additionally, there are fewer hunters per capita in the southern part of the state.

How can we help restore the balance? 

There’s still a lot that people can do to keep deer populations in check. While some things are outside of our control, like the harshness of winters that can either help or hinder deer survival, there are other interventions that will make a difference. 

If you are planting trees on your property, using a 4- or 5-foot protective cage goes a long way to diminish deer pressure and increase the tree’s chance maturing and providing its lifelong benefits. 

Most of the solutions, though, come back to promoting deer hunting, including here in Lenawee County. In our county, the number of hunting licenses sold since 2013 has dropped 16%. Looking at data collected by the DNR, Lenawee hunters harvested 4,632 deer in 2022, and 4,204 deer in 2023, a roughly 9% drop in one year. And while bucks are always the prize to take home, hunting does, which birth on average one to two fawns every spring, will go a lot further to help control the population. 

What programs already exist to promote hunting access? 

To bring more youth into hunting, the Hunt Michigan Collaborative (HMC) is leading the way to invigorate the next generation of hunters and reduce crop damages and vehicle collisions in our state. The HMC works with the DNR and the National Deer Association to organize hunts and bring much needed deer management to private landowners, urban areas, and farmers. 

To bring hunting access to people in towns and cities where they don’t own their own private hunting land, the Hunting Access Program is another thoughtful solution. If you are a landowner and do not already utilize your land for hunting, you can still promote public access solely for hunting purposes by leasing your land to the DNR. This program is run out of the Lenawee Conservation District by Farm Bill biologist Caleb Brink. If you would prefer to arrange a private lease for hunting purposes with someone you know, the Michigan Farm Bureau has also provided a sample hunting lease agreement with proper guidelines, which can be found at michfb.com/agriculture/farming-resources/land-use-regulation/hunting-lease-agreement. 

In addition to promoting more land access and hunting recruitment, we can also support our present hunters in taking more deer each season. Most hunters only harvest one or two deer, since processing costs are high and that amount provides enough meat for their family. 

The Lenawee Community Foundation is aiming to curtail hunger for food-insecure people in our county through their Hunters Helping Lenawee program. Similar to Sportsmen Against Hunger, this local program covers the cost of animal processing with deer provided by hunters and supplies local food pantries, which serve over 1,000 residents every month. One deer can provide enough meat for a meal for 200 people! You can learn more about Hunters Helping Lenawee at lenaweecommunityfoundation.com/hunters-helping-lenawee-faqs. 

Deer, just like any other wildlife, are an important part of our ecosystems and provide an important role. However, overpopulation has many negative consequences for people, the environment, and the deer themselves.

Allegra Baird is a conservation specialist with the Lenawee Conservation District. She can be reached at [email protected] or 517-263-7400.