They would use the bladder for children's play toys, and they would use the antlers for weapons or tools, such as knives. As with the Indians, my grandfather taught my father how to hunt and my father has taught me how to hunt. Deer Hunting in Michigan is time-honored. One generation teaches the art to another generation. .
The deer herds in Michigan are growing at a rapid pace. For example, in 1914, the deer population was about 45,000 in Michigan. In 1999, there were about 1.9 million deer. These animals are becoming over crowded and have moved into areas where hunting is regulated. The DNR has become recently concerned with deer moving into urban parts of Detroit, such as the Stony Creek, Kensignton and Hudson Mills Metro parks. Therefore, a committee of eight groups was formed to study this problem, including, Michigan United Conservation Club, United Sportsman of America, the Michigan Bow hunters Association, the Michigan Humane Society, the Department of Natural Resources, the Michigan Audubon Society, the Michigan Natural Areas Council and the Michigan Botanical Society. They found that the parks were overcrowded with deer. An aerial count was done in January 1998, and discovered to have over 117 deer per square mile. Biologists state that 18 deer per square mile is a healthy population. The deer have little food, threatening them with starvation. The group agreed that the herd must be controlled. Their decision was to use a controlled hunt in the parks. They instituted a lottery program, in which hunters would be issued a hunting license to kill the deer during this non-hunting season. To date, these hunters killed almost 647 deer. (Gross 2000) .
Hunting is one way to control the deer population. Years ago the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, (DNR), tried a non-lethal method of controlling the deer population: sterilization. This method was not successful for several reasons.
Hunting is another big activity that people do in the forests. ... Not only is hunting a fun activity, but it helps control the animal population in the state. Without hunting, deer populations would exceed the forest capacity and could be detrimental to the forest. There is more to hunting than just shooting deer. ... Hunting licenses and fees fund the popular industry. ...
Hunting was another crucial reason the settlers needed their guns . ... For example, in Michigan, the white tail deer population was numbered around 500,000 in 1972 which has exploded into an alarming two million today. ... However it is estimated that only one third of these accidents involving deer were reported. Another problem is the damage done to crops by deer. In Michigan there was a reported 31.9 million dollars in crop damage due to the overpopulation of deer each year. ...
