Friday is opening day of the firearms deer season.
Ho-hum. Traditionally Nov. 15 has been marked on the calendars of deer hunters for years to come as they plot vacation days and ward off family conflicts that might keep them out of blinds on coveted “opening day” — Nov. 15.
While still a cherished tradition, opening day may be losing its luster as more hunters take advantage of the six-week-long archery season and a lineup of new weapons that claim accuracy to a range similar to shotguns without a scope that were used decades ago.
“I think that crossbows are pretty effective,” said avid hunter and taxidermist Mark Steimel Tuesday evening as he was butchering the eight-point he shot Friday night. “Now a lot of people are looking for a second buck, and some are even tagged out.”
The regular firearms season, however, hasn’t taken off its crown as the king of deer hunts in Leelanau County, Statistics kept by the MDNR through a mandated reporting system begun in 2022 prove that out.
In 2023, gun hunters during the traditional Nov. 15-30 season downed 396 bucks and 266 anterless deer for a total of 662. Early season archers in 2023 — a category that includes crossbow users — killed 286 bucks and 86 unaltered deer for a total of 372.
As of Tuesday evening, 299 bucks and 108 antlerless deer had been killed during the early archery season and posted on the MDNR website. The early archery season runs from Oct. 1-Nov. 14.
The results of several other specialized hunts — for youths and handicap people, for example, and sometimes restricted to antler less deer — are combined for an overall kill. In 2023 in Leelanau County, those totals were 732 bucks and 520 antlerless deer for a total of 1,252 animals. The figures are off a bit from 2022 when 743 bucks and 571 antlerless deer were harvested, according to the state’s figures.
Steimel said the rut, which keeps bucks active and vulnerable, should still be going strong when firearms hunters hit the woods.
“The rut makes them move. And there’s a full move Friday — they call it a harvest moon — so I’m thinking there will be more movement during the day, from 10 to 2,” he suggested.
The National Weather Service is calling for a slight northeast breeze Friday morning with temperatures in the lower 40s and a chance for showers.
Regardless, hunters who marked the day years in advance will be out there and ready.
