Great Lakes Echo (http://greatlakesecho.org/tag/deer/page/2/)
A virus has killed more than 900 white-tailed deer across eight Michigan counties this summer, 600 more than last summer.
State biologists struggle to explain the increase, but believe it could be related to warmer, drier weather.
Two Michigan departments regulate fenced in deer farms.
Some farmers are unhappy with the DNR’s role, and a new bill would make the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development solely responsible for the farms.
Lichens are hardy and unusual organisms.
And they might be the key to solving one of Wisconsin’s burgeoning wildlife issues — chronic wasting disease.
In 2008, the Michigan Natural Resources Commission prohibited hunters from baiting deer.
Some three years later northeast Michigan residents still blame a ban on deer baiting for harming the local economy.
Michigan deer hunting is a $1 billion-a-year industry but last year license sales dropped 4 percent from previous years.
The state is attempting to boost hunting tourism with new campaigns like advertising that targets out-of-state hunters.
LANSING, Mich. — Hunting may soon have new guidance if the state Department of Natural Reseources and Environment approves its draft deer management plan.
The plan to manage 1.8 million deer goes to the agency director, Rebecca Humphries, on April 8.
Final approval would come on May 6; the agency would begin implementing parts of the plan immediately.
By Sarah Coefield
Nov. 19, 2009
The best medicine for diseased deer is the business end of a rifle, according to wildlife experts managing the species. And it’s inoculation time. With hunting season in full swing, conservation officials across the Great Lakes region are relying on hunters to thin the massive herd and slow the spread of disease. At more than 7 million strong, the region’s white tail deer herd is largely healthy, but there are small pockets of disease.
By Sarah Coefield
Coefield@msu.edu
Great Lakes Echo
Sept. 23, 2009
Countless deer descend on crops in the Great Lakes region, leaving in their wake torn corn silks, leafless soybeans, devastated orchards and millions of dollars in damage. It’s a drop in the bucket for the agriculturally rich region but nonetheless painful for individual farmers. “In the grand scheme of things, it’s a minor amount, but it can be your entire crop,” said Paul Zimmerman, the public affairs executive director for the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation. While damage may be little noticed on large farms, it can be devastating for small operations where deer can quickly wipe out a field of young soybeans. “Welcome to raising crops in Mother Nature,” Zimmerman said.