As Michigan’s fall deer season gets underway, hunters are encouraged to consider state parks and recreation areas when preparing to hit the woods and fields.
“Over 90% of state park and recreation area land is open to hunting,” said Ray Fahlsing, stewardship manager for the DNR Parks and Recreation Division.
Along with enjoying the beauty of our state’s 103 state parks, hunters who venture into these areas also can play a pivotal role in helping preserve and protect these natural public spaces by hunting deer. These animals, often making meals out of park plants and wildflowers, can be highly damaging to flora and fauna.
“Unfortunately, overabundant deer are a significant threat to the biological diversity of most of our state parks and recreation areas. The only thing more worrisome is direct habitat loss,” Fahlsing said.
“Trillium and many other wildflowers are like ice cream to deer,” he added. “These highly palatable plant species disappear first when deer numbers get too high. Some ‘tasty’ trees have difficulty regenerating even with relatively low numbers of deer. If deer numbers stay high, less appetizing plants become over-browsed. Eventually, even plants not normally eaten by deer are damaged.”
The impact of too many deer in state parks and recreation areas can snowball into additional issues, Fahlsing said.
“The impact cascades – pollinator insects decline as the numbers of their host plants are eaten, and birds and animals have fewer seeds and insects to dine on,” he said. “Ecosystems with too many deer have fewer native plants and are less resilient.”
A part of our natural heritage is diminished when this kind of damage occurs, he added. “This should matter to you whether you are a birder, nature watcher or hunter.”
Harvesting antlerless deer helps reduce their impact on state parks. Hunters can also consider harvesting an additional doe for donation to the Hunters Feeding Michigan program. “Not only will you help feed hungry people, but you will help conserve wildlife, wildflowers and the state’s natural heritage,” Fahlsing said. Since not all parks and recreation areas are open to hunting, and those that are have specific areas designated for this activity, it’s best to contact parks directly for details before you go. Ludington State Park in Mason County allows hunting in a designated area, said park manager Jim Gallie. “We have a fair number of hunters use the park during deer season – there are regular bow and firearm hunters,” he said. “We often see them biking along the lighthouse trail, north to the hunting zone, with their rifles over their backs or while hauling a trailer to assist with getting the deer back to the campgrounds and parking areas.” Hunting at Ludington State Park does come with some physical challenges, he said. “Getting deer out of rolling sand dunes, thick jack pine barrens and around interdunal ponds can be quite a workout,” he said. “We’ve heard multiple tales of it taking hours to get the bagged deer to a boat on Hamlin Lake or to the lighthouse road before biking and boating it to civilization.” Learn more about hunting in state parks and recreation areas by visiting the DNR’s Recreation Search tool at Michigan.gov/RecSearch. Select the state parks icon, choose “hunting” as an activity and add other filters, as desired. Find general deer hunting season information, hunting regulations, maps, resources and more at Michigan.gov/Deer. Questions? Contact Ray Fahlsing at 517-977-2383. |