# Mackinac Bridge Count.



## GrizzlyHunter (Jun 17, 2005)

Here ya go. This was taken around noon today (11/16/15). The gal in the booth said she just changed it from "1" about 15 minutes before I rolled through.


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## twolaketown (Jun 23, 2015)

GrizzlyHunter said:


> Here ya go. This was taken around noon today (11/16/15). The gal in the booth said she just changed it from "1" about 15 minutes before I rolled through.
> 
> View attachment 196535


Looks to be an increase of 600% YTD


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## Midalake (Dec 7, 2009)

bounty hunter said:


> The deer are not there due to lack of logging . There were no deer in the up until it was logged hard
> There until massive cutting. No green bottom floor no deer . Wolfs will help kill the rest off until they log like the old days


Very incorrect statement............


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## OneidaEagle (Sep 25, 2008)

brookie1 said:


> What makes you think those numbers are used for herd management?


Brookie,
I said I would not, trust them for herd management/Deer population. I did not say that they were being used.

People from Wisconsin may be hunting in the UP. They don't cross the bridge, we have no deer count.
So the numbers in my mind would be skewed, and far off from actual deer totals taken.


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## J D (Jan 19, 2011)

This is also just a count for rifle they don't count archery or muzzle loading so depending on the weather the count could be very skewed imo


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## Luv2hunteup (Mar 22, 2003)

OneidaEagle said:


> Brookie,
> I said I would not, trust them for herd management/Deer population. I did not say that they were being used.
> 
> People from Wisconsin may be hunting in the UP. They don't cross the bridge, we have no deer count.
> So the numbers in my mind would be skewed, and far off from actual deer totals taken.


Mackinac bridge count is not used for deer management only for comparison purposes from year to year. It only shows deer harvest trends. The count is performed my Mackinac Bridge Authority personnel not the DNR.


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## codybear (Jun 27, 2002)

Luv2hunteup said:


> Mackinac bridge count is not used for deer management only for comparison purposes from year to year. It only shows deer harvest trends. The count is performed my Mackinac Bridge Authority personnel not the DNR.


Excatly!! And many of the troll booth operators aren't even told to ask if you have a deer so its just a reference....


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## PTPD2312 (Oct 19, 2004)

Not to mention last year we were never asked if we hunters and/or harvested a deer. This year the woman asked and when we said no deer signs and no tracks she completel agreed as did the woman in the store in Manistique.


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## backstrap bill (Oct 10, 2004)

How many people bought hunting property in the UP only to go up and not see any deer? That's rough!


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## Midalake (Dec 7, 2009)

Live by that count....DIE by that count...........you do not get to not use it because it happens to be inconvenient at this point!!!!


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## Liver and Onions (Nov 24, 2000)

trophy18 said:


> How many people from the u.p. Do you think voted down the wolf hunt. 1% maybe. They are destroying there economy up there. How many people want to drive up there and spend money when there's no deer to hunt.


1% ?? Pretty easy to Google the results of that election to get accurate numbers. Pretty close to 40% as I recall. A surprising number for sure. I'll let you Google that and post the link. I've done that at least twice for those who thought that few Yoops voted to protect the wolves.

L & O


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## Rencoho (Oct 18, 2000)

Liver and Onions said:


> 1% ?? Pretty easy to Google the results of that election to get accurate numbers. Pretty close to 40% as I recall. A surprising number for sure. I'll let you Google that and post the link. I've done that at least twice for those who thought that few Yoops voted to protect the wolves.
> 
> L & O


At 3 this afternoon the count was 52 last year same time was 42.


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## DirtySteve (Apr 9, 2006)

Liver and Onions said:


> 1% ?? Pretty easy to Google the results of that election to get accurate numbers. Pretty close to 40% as I recall. A surprising number for sure. I'll let you Google that and post the link. I've done that at least twice for those who thought that few Yoops voted to protect the wolves.
> 
> L & O


http://www.mlive.com/lansing-news/index.ssf/2014/11/michigan_wolf_hunting_laws_sup.html

72% against in the UP. 3 to 1 against. Chippewa county was the only county in the UP for it.


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## SWMbruiser (Jan 25, 2012)

Went thru at 5. Count was at 147. 270 this time last year


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## Jager Pro (Nov 8, 2013)

brookie1 said:


> Wolf lovers live in bubbles? What does that mean?


A number of non-hunters are misinformed. I had someone in the UP tell me today that the wolves are still trying to get their numbers up and the the deer are very over populated.


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## slabstar (Feb 25, 2009)

Michigan's deer herd was estimated at 1.5 million in 1950. In 1989, it peaked at 2 million. 
The upper peninsula can support a larger herd. It has before, as history shows. 
The reduced bait allowance starting in '95, as a result of tb found in northern lower, is imo the largest factor for deer numbers decreasing ever since. 
That, coupled with profoundly poor habitat management is why the yoop whitetail is what it is today. 
For the MI dnr to claim "bad winters " , is nothing short of complete incompetence. Zero foresight, zero accountability. 


Luv2hunteup said:


> There was no mistake.
> Deer numbers were huge in the UP in the mid 90s. Unlimited doe tags were available in the banana belt, it was easy to get permission to use a farmers block permits. In the winter of '95-'96 the UP lost 200,000 deer and a 100,000 deer the following year due to winter kill.
> 
> Those huge numbers destroyed the wintering complexes in many parts of the UP. It was the biggest mistake the DNR has ever made in the history of Michigan deer management.


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## slabstar (Feb 25, 2009)

Perhaps report 3241 should be read also. The lazy, lackluster way the MI dnr counts on loggers to regenerate winter habitat is pathetic. There's countless glaring examples of why we now have very little wintering habitat!
Starting first with appropriating the proportional amount of money from deer hunting revenues. Then hiring a habit specialist (Not from the dnr!) The UP could easily support over 20 deer per sq mile. Not the 5 or less your seeing now! This should've been done years ago. The above report is from '96! 
I'd trust the Mackinac bridge authority more with deer numbers, then the MI unaccountable dnr any day of the week!


Luv2hunteup said:


> See report 3251
> http://ww2.dnr.state.mi.us/publicat...t/Reports/WLD-library/3200-3299/3200-3299.htm


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## 33steven (Mar 27, 2006)

Here you go, crossed today at 2:30, they gave us there sheet, must have been doing a new tally.


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## QDMAMAN (Dec 8, 2004)

If they're not consistent year to year with their survey methods the data is JUNK!


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## codybear (Jun 27, 2002)

slabstar said:


> Michigan's deer herd was estimated at 1.5 million in 1950. In 1989, it peaked at 2 million..


Yup and keep in mind that after that they wanted to reduce it from 2 million to 1 million, which they claim they did BUT the population shifted and the population in the SLP actually grew which means the northern herd was reduced by far more than 50%.. From 1990 to about 2000 I watched some areas in the NLP and U.P. get reduced by at least 80% if not more.. Just ask the locals near Moran and Trout Lake what they witnessed.. I witnessed it because I lived and hunted hard in these areas, not by counting poop in a deer yard and "guesstimating"...


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## 2508speed (Jan 6, 2011)

My opinion only, based on nothing scientific. UP had lots of deer up to the '70's. Reason being the lumber was all wiped out in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Lot's of tender new growth for the deer to multiply. The Lumber Barons left after they clear cut everything. About 1950 the economy came alive aftr WW 11 and people headed up to the UP to hunt. Purely coincident to the lumbering era and our country coming alive where we culd afford to go to the UP. Deer were scarce to Michigan when th country was founded.


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## GrizzlyHunter (Jun 17, 2005)

33steven said:


> Here you go, crossed today at 2:30, they gave us there sheet, must have been doing a new tally.


Wasn't last year the lowest year on record...until this year? There's still a lot of season left though.


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## Fisherman6 (Sep 1, 2009)

Crossed today heading back north about 4:00pm. 2014: 557. 2015: 335. Down 40% from last year.


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## UP Hunter (Jan 24, 2000)

I've lived up here in the western UP all my life. 60 years as of this Saturday. I can't tell you about the eastern end or the banana belt of Menomonee, Dickinson, and Delta counties but I have done a lot of hunting in Houghton, Baraga, Marquette, Ontonagon, and even some in Keweenaw and Gogebic counties. Deer populations were very down around here in the 60s and 70s and started to rise after a series of mild winters in the 80s. Previous posters are correct in stating that the population peaked in '95. I bow hunted a logging area south of Mass City on New Years eve of '95. In a 2 hour walk I counted one hundred ninety seven deer. I walked through the same area in April. There were dead and dying deer everywhere. It was depressing. The next winter was just about as bad. I fully agree that the DNR did not manage the herd properly. The winter yarding areas were way overpopulated! When the bad winters hit there was not enough feed to last throughout the winter and the vast majority of the deer died. That has not been the problem we have had currently. Predation, particularly wolves, has played a major role in my opinion. It used to be common for hunters to shoot domestic dogs for running deer in the winter because they were said to be overstressing the deer by chasing them and using up their energy reserves. What does a pack of wolves do to a herd in a yard it hunts all winter? Over harvesting of the thermal cover by logging has been a big part of it as well. I know of a number of cedar or pine forests that are now poplar They may provide browse but the deer get no protection from the snow and cold there anymore. 
My wife and I took a ride in Ontonagon county last Saturday evening. During the last 45 minutes of daylight we drove by 30+ miles of mostly fields where we usually can see hundreds of deer in an evening. We saw exactly ZERO deer! I am not saying this to complain since I did manage to take a spike buck on Monday but just about everybody I talked to out there had the same observations of the deer population as I did. It is worse than any time I can remember. I do not know if it is just the last 3 winters, predation, disease, or something else, maybe even a combination of all of the above. It is very bad right now.


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## swampbuck (Dec 23, 2004)

Doesn't matter UP Hunter. The fellows in the far southern SLP, still know more about it than you. They crossed the bridge once and seen it !

They will be along any time now, to tell you what management practices to follow.


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## Watersmt (Jan 28, 2011)

Well said Up Hunter. You are spot on. I hunt Ontonagon, Gogebic, and Iron counties and it has never been this bad in my 35 years of hunting there. I trap a lot in those counties and now have to set differently than ten years ago due to the volume of wolves. You won't find a beaver pond without wolf tracks, bear sign is everywhere, and coyotes run almost every two track. I remember back in the late 80's when one or two coyotes a year is all we could get due to the low numbers. Other factors like incorrect logging have not helped. There have always been bad winters, but the deer are stressed continuously now. I have a lot of friends and family that have been affected by all of this, hunting wise and economically.
In fact, the last two years I have hunted southern Mi farm country for deer. Our main meat is venison so we consume about three each year. It takes all of about half a day two take three between my son and myself. Its like shooting farm animals now.
I fear that the traditional UP deer hunt will never be again.


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## November Dreaming (Aug 14, 2008)

I found this thread extremely interesting so I figured i would comment. First off I believe the lower deer count for the bridge has to do with many different factors including 3 horrible winters in a row, wolves, loss of habitat, etc. But I think the actual count at the bridge is extremely effected by the total numbers of hunters that actually cross the bridge to hunt up there anymore. I have been heading up there for the gun opener from the deer rich farm country of southern Michigan since 1995 basically because it's what our family tradition. Other than the deer numbers that been in a steady decline are the amount of us trolls heading up there any more. I was fortunate enough to harvest a beautiful 8 point on opening morning around 10:00 and up to that point I had heard a grand total of 0 shots! And what makes that more astounding is the fact that it was dead calm on opening day up there and I sit on the edge of a large grass opening where I use to hear closer to 50-100 shots on opening day. Out of 7 guys in camp, we seen one other buck (spike) and a handful of does. Then when I checked my deer in along US-2 on our way home Tuesday I was informed by the lady at the DNR station that i was number 1 to check a deer in at that facility. We did see a couple of other deer on vehicles but there are verry few deer up there and even less hunters. But with all that said our family will be headed up to the central UP for our deer camp tradition for many many years to come hopefully. Here are a couple of pics of my buck and a pic from behind camp on the evening of the 14th...


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## onebad800 (Apr 28, 2003)

So why does Canada deer population not fluctuate like our UP? More wolves , bears there, harder winters, etc, ???We cant blame wolves for our lower than usual deer population nor harsh winters in my opinion. I hunt up there, and will continue unless I see crazy drop in deer sightings but otherwise no different for me up there since 1995


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## dubser31 (Jun 8, 2005)

That sky was something else in the North Country Saturday night.


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## buck snort (Nov 9, 2007)

One bad 800 the U.P. gets more snow then Canada due to a lot of lake effect. Yes Canada gets colder but the snow depth in the U.P. is more than Canada and impacts the deer herd more.


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## uptracker (Jul 27, 2004)

onebad800 said:


> So why does Canada deer population not fluctuate like our UP? More wolves , bears there, harder winters, etc, ???We cant blame wolves for our lower than usual deer population nor harsh winters in my opinion. I hunt up there, and will continue unless I see crazy drop in deer sightings but otherwise no different for me up there since 1995


Um, it does. Look into Manitoba closing all antlerless harvest. Look into SK's herd decreasing. Look into NW Ontario closing antlerless harvest and lack of tourism during hunting season that has closed most of the lodges down after fishing season wraps up. Canada is effected too.


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## November Dreaming (Aug 14, 2008)

onebad800 said:


> So why does Canada deer population not fluctuate like our UP? More wolves , bears there, harder winters, etc, ???We cant blame wolves for our lower than usual deer population nor harsh winters in my opinion. I hunt up there, and will continue unless I see crazy drop in deer sightings but otherwise no different for me up there since 1995


I know i talked to a buddy of mine that hunted in Canada this year and said the herd has been decimated in the area he was and does not plan on going back for years....


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## GrizzlyHunter (Jun 17, 2005)

dubser31 said:


> That sky was something else in the North Country Saturday night.
> View attachment 196814


I thought the same thing. Here's one I took:


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## swampbuck (Dec 23, 2004)

onebad800 said:


> So why does Canada deer population not fluctuate like our UP? More wolves , bears there, harder winters, etc, ???We cant blame wolves for our lower than usual deer population nor harsh winters in my opinion. I hunt up there, and will continue unless I see crazy drop in deer sightings but otherwise no different for me up there since 1995


Simple answer, the Michigan DNR wildlife division.


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## Robert Holmes (Oct 13, 2008)

I did some serious scouting before I bought my deer license. I chose not to buy a deer license this year. I could not even find a deer track. I know that there is some around just not in the areas that I prefer to hunt.


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## kstout (Dec 26, 2005)

I hunted Northwestern Ontario for about 10 years, and had great hunting. The winters of 2012 and 2013 just about wiped out the deer in the areas I hunted. Went up in 2014 and hunted 10 days without seeing a deer. In a normal year we would hunt 2 weeks and see an average of about 15 different bucks, but also see wolves every couple of days. I agree the snow depth has more affect on the deer than the cold temps. I also hunted the UP for many years and think there are many factors in the reduced deer population. I went to the Western UP this year and hunted in several spots where I've killed CBM bucks in the past and every where I went the roads, that used to be blocked, and for foot travel only, now were opened up and improved. I tried spots in Ontanogan, Houghton, and Keewanaw counties and found the same thing everywhere, shacks and bait piles, including spots that you had to walk a mile or more just to get into, several years ago. There are deer there, but never saw any huge tracks That you would look for when hunting older bucks,never saw any buck rubs on anything bigger than your thumb, and never saw any scrapes anywhere. I know I sound like the "old man" yelling at kids to get off my yard, but until you get some large areas without road access, stop people from hauling shacks and trailer loads of bait to stake out their spot on public ground, your not going to have good hunting again. I had a visit by 2 CO's at camp yesterday and had a long conversation with him about the baiting. This was up on the Keewanaw peninsula, and he said there was no one baiting up there, I told him of 3 shacks with bait piles within 3/4 mile of where we were standing, and he acted like I had told him I just saw bigfoot. I also talked to a guy in Ontanagon county opening day that was loading a doe and a fawn in his truck, he said he was hunting on a tribal permit and could get 3 more deer. I don't know what the answer is, just live with it, and try to hunt the way I want!


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## Robert Holmes (Oct 13, 2008)

Just wonder if the DNR is spending money on deer management in the UP. I would think that with the salmon situation and the loss of deer in the UP that the DNR is going to have a very large black eye. It is difficult at best to get deer numbers up if coyotes are killing the fawns and wolves are killing the adults.I wonder if management is out of the question now. There comes a time when all of the management in the world won't make much of a difference in the population. What needs to be done is to kill every coyote and kill 600 wolves that will allow a gradual increase in the deer population.


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## Zib (Jan 7, 2008)

I've been hunting my buddy's 155 acres north of Engadine every year since 2002. Doe usually bed heavily on the east side of his property & prior to 2013 we always seen plenty of doe with about 50% of them with 2 fawns each. This year my buddy seen (from his elevated 16' blind) one doe with her fawn plus a button buck that was by himself. My buddy's trail cam (out since late Sept) only had pics of the deer he actually seen plus a small spiker. My trail cam had no pics of deer over the same time period. As much as I enjoy hunting my buddy's property I'm considering not going next year.

We didn't see any wolves or any signs of them, which we usually do see. Also only heard one coyote on the night before the opener, which we usually hear a lot of them every night.


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## wyandot (Dec 5, 2013)

. I also talked to a guy in Ontanagon county opening day that was loading a doe and a fawn in his truck, he said he was hunting on a tribal permit and could get 3 more deer. I don't know what the answer is, just live with it, and try to hunt the way I want![/QUOTE]

Wolves my ass, here's why you don't have any deer.


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## Trophy Specialist (Nov 30, 2001)

I predict.that the bridge found will be down about 20% from last and I also predict.that the DNR will proclaim that the kill was about equal to last year in the U.P. shortly after the season is over just like their prezeason forecast said.


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## Robert Holmes (Oct 13, 2008)

uptracker said:


> We've seen some monsters cross the bridge during the count. Most were from out of state though.
> 
> Actually, come to think of it, my group used to cross with out of state bucks, along with a ton of others. Those were counted too. It just so happened that those states/provinces closed their season right as ours was starting up.


Mine were counted when I came through on the northbound side the last 4 years.


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## GrizzlyHunter (Jun 17, 2005)

Tfuscg said:


> Great job guys!!! Nice bucks


Thanx for sharing. I hope the passenger was taking that pic while crossing the bridge.


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## Tfuscg (Nov 9, 2015)

GrizzlyHunter said:


> Thanx for sharing. I hope the passenger was taking that pic while crossing the bridge.


Lol yes picture was taken by the passenger.


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## uptracker (Jul 27, 2004)

Robert Holmes said:


> Mine were counted when I came through on the northbound side the last 4 years.


Why? How dumb...


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## Luv2hunteup (Mar 22, 2003)

-29% at 1:45pm today


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## Ranger Ray (Mar 2, 2003)

I'd be a little pissed at the management, if I was a UP'er.


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## UP Hunter (Jan 24, 2000)

Ranger Ray said:


> I'd be a little pissed at the management, if I was a UP'er.


Don't worry, we are! They are not responsible for the low numbers, the bad winters are to blame for them. They can't do anything about the wolves, they are protected by the USFW service. What bothers me is the blatant false predictions prior to the season every year. That is why, I believe, this thread was started. The state gives us a glowing report prior to the season so they can sell licenses and they gives us an excuse after it "explaining" why their projections weren't met. When you live and hunt in an area where you can lose most of your herd in a winter you have to expect to have boom and bust years.


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## Luv2hunteup (Mar 22, 2003)

UP Hunter said:


> Don't worry, we are! They are not responsible for the low numbers, the bad winters are to blame for them. They can't do anything about the wolves, they are protected by the USFW service. What bothers me is the blatant false predictions prior to the season every year. That is why, I believe, this thread was started. The state gives us a glowing report prior to the season so they can sell licenses and they gives us an excuse after it "explaining" why their projections weren't met. When you live and hunt in an area where you can lose most of your herd in a winter you have to expect to have boom and bust years.


Here is this years preseason prediction. Nobody sugar coated what to expect this year.
http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10366_54559_10402-366415--,00.html


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## Midalake (Dec 7, 2009)

UP Hunter said:


> Don't worry, we are! They are not responsible for the low numbers, the bad winters are to blame for them. They can't do anything about the wolves, they are protected by the USFW service. What bothers me is the blatant false predictions prior to the season every year. That is why, I believe, this thread was started. The state gives us a glowing report prior to the season so they can sell licenses and they gives us an excuse after it "explaining" why their projections weren't met. When you live and hunt in an area where you can lose most of your herd in a winter you have to expect to have boom and bust years.


UP Hunter 
The wolves are taking more than anyone in the DNR will admit. Before we had the last two difficult winters......the third borderline difficult I clearly documented two years of decline in deer per sq mile over many different areas. Mine included. 

NOW what is going to happen with many Sq miles of UP landscape without a huntable deer population? NOTHING is going to turn the UP around unless we have a FULL UP WIDE wolf hunting and trapping season. 

Even then it will be half a decade to reestablish a hunt-able deer population to the UP.


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## hda31 (Nov 21, 2006)

Don't forget about the coyotes and bears adding to the predator situation, didn't coyotes have bounty's on them years back? Now, we manage their populations?


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## UP Hunter (Jan 24, 2000)

Love2hunt, our local paper had an article prior to the season. The DNR biologist in the article was saying to expect a similar harvest to last season. I admit that it wasn't "glowing" but it still far overstated the deer populations this year. I am not just griping about this year's forcast through. This has gone on for as long as I can remember up here.


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## elkhoundloki (Oct 24, 2009)

Luv2hunteup said:


> -29% at 1:45pm today


With the bad snow storm in the UP just before opening day last year, it's hard to believe that there would ever be a year worse than last year, but to be down 29% is amazing. Although I did manage to get one this year, 4 of us only saw 4 deer over 4 days of all day hunting in Marquette County ... pretty sad.


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## onebad800 (Apr 28, 2003)

Last years heavy snow storm proved to be a bonus for our camp, we shot 4- 8pts (one lost), (another missed) due to deer migrating we saw record amounts of deer 30-40 by noon mostly does and fawns. those that got out to hunt I think did fine, its those who couldn't access camp and or didn't go that's why the deer count was so low


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## Midalake (Dec 7, 2009)

onebad800 said:


> Last years heavy snow storm proved to be a bonus for our camp, we shot 4- 8pts (one lost), (another missed) due to deer migrating we saw record amounts of deer 30-40 by noon mostly does and fawns. those that got out to hunt I think did fine, its those who couldn't access camp and or didn't go that's why the deer count was so low


How did you do this year? On a side note weren't all the deer that were "saved" last year make this year better? On a side note my friends in Menominee county have been rippin them up. Sent me a picture of a 150ish rack last night plus they all got nice shooters.


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## onebad800 (Apr 28, 2003)

This year complete opposite no daytime movement for us, lots on camera all at night? I chaulk it up too mild of weather for our camp just weren't rutting and lack of daytime moving, just based on our results we always do better with cold and snow but if its 40-50's we see little action


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## Midalake (Dec 7, 2009)

onebad800 said:


> This year complete opposite no daytime movement for us, lots on camera all at night? I chaulk it up too mild of weather for our camp just weren't rutting and lack of daytime moving, just based on our results we always do better with cold and snow but if its 40-50's we see little action


I have still not put one shooter on trail cam, my logging crew finally said they saw a 6pt [maybe] I had a shooter beat me to the punch on Sunday. Fawn production was bad 50% most likely less, revising lower the more time I spend in the woods.

Next year is going to be a tough year here unless something wafts in.........


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## UP Hunter (Jan 24, 2000)

Midalake said:


> How did you do this year? On a side note weren't all the deer that were "saved" last year make this year better? On a side note my friends in Menominee county have been rippin them up. Sent me a picture of a 150ish rack last night plus they all got nice shooters.


I can't talk about Menominee county but up here, in the snow belt areas of the western UP, the population seems to be down from last year by up to a 90% drop in some areas.


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## ThumbDweller (Aug 2, 2007)

QDMAMAN said:


> If they're not consistent year to year with their survey methods the data is JUNK!


Relax, it is a point of reference, anecdotal information, not a scientific survey.


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## QDMAMAN (Dec 8, 2004)

ThumbDweller said:


> Relax, it is a point of reference, anecdotal information, not a scientific survey.


If I was any more relaxed I'd be dead. 
You can't appreciate my comment because it has deep roots that you likely aren't aware of.


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## Luv2hunteup (Mar 22, 2003)

-20% at 1:00pm today.


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## Luv2hunteup (Mar 22, 2003)

Midalake said:


> Please be advised THIS RECORD LOW..........is occurring with: Sent lock clothes, tree stands, top shelf optics, better rifles and ammo, 6 more decades of hunting knowledge, atv's, and the same old outhouse..........Did I miss anything?


Yes a lot less hunters than years past. Plus nobody hauling back does killed with their bows just prior to the 15th.
Both are not bad things.


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## Midalake (Dec 7, 2009)

Luv2hunteup said:


> Yes a lot less hunters than years past.


You have some type of hard count or numbers to back that up? Not just a DNR "thought"

Not that I don't disagree.........I think hunter numbers are down but do not have a way to prove it.


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## IceHog (Nov 23, 2007)

Midalake said:


> You have some type of hard count or numbers to back that up? Not just a DNR "thought"
> 
> Not that I don't disagree.........I think hunter numbers are down but do not have a way to prove it.


Certainly no shortage of hunters in my neck of the woods, most I've seen in the last 20 years.


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## Luv2hunteup (Mar 22, 2003)

Midalake said:


> You have some type of hard count or numbers to back that up? Not just a DNR "thought"
> 
> Not that I don't disagree.........I think hunter numbers are down but do not have a way to prove it.


Deer Camp Survey Results will be available in January. I should have some numbers by 1/12/16.


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## Midalake (Dec 7, 2009)

Luv2hunteup said:


> Deer Camp Survey Results will be available in January. I should have some numbers by 1/12/16.


Do you understand?
You are going to be able to explain to everyone clearly we have less hunters NOW......than in the 1950's........... Excuses are like.......oles...........


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## GrizzlyHunter (Jun 17, 2005)

Liver and Onions said:


> I did not look at post #4 to confirm your numbers, but #3 above sure caught my attention. Wow.
> L & O


2014 Deer Count = 2,233
1995 Deer Count = 18,887

2233/18887 = 11.82%.


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## Luv2hunteup (Mar 22, 2003)

Midalake said:


> Do you understand?
> You are going to be able to explain to everyone clearly we have less hunters NOW......than in the 1950's........... Excuses are like.......oles...........


UP Hunter numbers per year
1954 110,930
2012 100,377
2013 103,937

Now you can do your own homework for any year you would like.


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## Tfuscg (Nov 9, 2015)

Sorry 7% down. That's a good point 7% down actually doesn't seem bad being that no does are being killed....well except for the ones that get like 5 tags per family member and shoot doe with rifles before archery season even opens up. I've heard of guys getting four deer each by oct 15th.


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## IceHog (Nov 23, 2007)

GrizzlyHunter said:


> 2014 Deer Count = 2,233
> 1995 Deer Count = 18,887
> 
> 2233/18887 = 11.82%.


Actually it's an 88.1% drop from 1995 to 2014.


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## GrizzlyHunter (Jun 17, 2005)

IceHog said:


> Actually it's an 88.1% drop from 1995 to 2014.


That's correct. It dropped 88.18%, which means the remainder is 11.82%. (88.18% + 11.82% = 100%) Thank you for proving my calculation.


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## IceHog (Nov 23, 2007)

GrizzlyHunter said:


> That's correct. It dropped 88.18%, which means the remainder is 11.82%. (88.18% + 11.82% = 100%) Thank you for proving my calculation.


:Welcome:.


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## DH510 (Nov 4, 2010)

Crossed the bridge at 5 tonight and the count said 1406 deer for this year down 10% from last year. Driving back from Wakefield I did see 3 bucks on car and trucks. I however did not see a deer or track where I was hunting.


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## DirtySteve (Apr 9, 2006)

Tfuscg said:


> Sorry 7% down. That's a good point 7% down actually doesn't seem bad being that no does are being killed....well except for the ones that get like 5 tags per family member and shoot doe with rifles before archery season even opens up. I've heard of guys getting four deer each by oct 15th.



That's a good point with lack of doe tags available the buck harvest is probably up from last yr.


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## Midalake (Dec 7, 2009)

Actually it might be missing a few archery does as carry over......but most units had no doe season for firearm last year as well..............


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## stickbow shooter (Dec 19, 2010)

I got a feeling I am going to have to learn a bunch of new card games if I keep going back to the Yoop.


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## gunner1 (Jan 25, 2006)

When was the last time the bridge ever showed a +? It's been on the decline no matter what data is used to show why. It's down way down and has been this way prior to the severe winters recently.


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## Luv2hunteup (Mar 22, 2003)

gunner1 said:


> When was the last time the bridge ever showed a +? It's been on the decline no matter what data is used to show why. It's down way down and has been this way prior to the severe winters recently.


2010 +3.8%
2011 +40.1%
2012 +12.7%

Since then we have had bad winters.


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## Midalake (Dec 7, 2009)

Luv2hunteup said:


> 2010 +3.8%
> 2011 +40.1%
> 2012 +12.7%
> Since then we have had bad winters.


Well there is your disconnect..........I and many others had deer per/sq mile numbers falling in 2011 and 2012.........BTW 2013 was not that bad of a winter. Nothing will be resolved for next year..........except maybe a one buck rule......be prepared for another record low number year.


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## UP Hunter (Jan 24, 2000)

Tfuscg said:


> Also everyone down south states there's no deer in the up. How many hunters are actually crossing that bridge just a thought


I'd have to say that there were LESS hunters than usual out there from the little I saw. There were actually more than last year, snow related, but the overall numbers of hunters had to be down in southern Ontonagon county. The number of deer were down by a far greater % though. My wife and I took a ride through Ottawa National Forest roads this afternoon. We covered somewhere around 20 miles of roads and saw very few tracks in the snow. We did see a doe and 2 fawns but only about 5 or 6 sets of deer tracks besides them and a couple sets of HUGE wolf tracks going down the road near Prickett Dam. I know MidaLake will jump on the wolf mention but they do play a part in the deer being gone. I still think that the deer will do a lot better if the winter isn't severe but even if we only get 10 to 15 feet of snow over the winter the wolves will still have an advantage over the deer in the deer yards.


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## Midalake (Dec 7, 2009)

TODAY 6pm............1500 Down 33%............


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## Trophy Specialist (Nov 30, 2001)

Midalake said:


> TODAY 6pm............1500 Down 33%............


I just got a long press release from the DNR that said, *"However, a short distance away, Mackinac Bridge Authority toll booth workers informally counted a total of 1,481 deer on southbound vehicles over the firearm deer hunting season. That total represents a 5-percent decline from the 1,563 deer tallied last year."*


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## Midalake (Dec 7, 2009)

Trophy Specialist said:


> I just got a long press release from the DNR that said, *"However, a short distance away, Mackinac Bridge Authority toll booth workers informally counted a total of 1,481 deer on southbound vehicles over the firearm deer hunting season. That total represents a 5-percent decline from the 1,563 deer tallied last year."*


Don't know? Maybe the sign was incorrect? Looks like it might be spot on with this article last year? *DNR FUZZY MATH AGAIN?*

*2014 Mackinac Bridge deer count lowest ever*
*December 8, 2014*
By JOHN PEPIN , For The Daily News
Save |
- St. IGNACE - This year's 2,233 deer counted at the Mackinac Bridge for the firearm deer season was the lowest tally there since the bridge opened in November 1957.

From the first deer counted - a 7-point buck on Nov. 16 - through the last tally of deer on southbound vehicles at 11 p.m. Tuesday, this year's firearm deer season count by Mackinac Bridge Authority toll booth workers was 47 percent below last year and marked the first time the count has sunk below 3,000 since 1980.

The next lowest year after this year on the Mackinac Bridge count was 1972 when 2,466 deer were logged. The 1970s was the worst decade for deer harvest, with an annual average of 3,166 deer, according to bridge count data.

After 4,251 deer were tallied in 1971, the count totals dropped below 4,000 each year until 1981, with five of those interim years falling below the 3,000 mark. The lowest annual total for the decade was 2,466 deer in 1972 and the highest was the tally from 1971.

Deer numbers did not rebound over 4,000 until 1985, when 5,378 deer were counted.

After the 1970s, the 1980s was the next lowest decade for deer numbers at the Mackinac Bridge. The yearly average was 4,981 deer. The lowest year total during the decade was 1980, with 2,695 deer, and the highest year was 1989 at 9,279 deer.

During the 1990s, deer counts continued to rise and produced some of the best totals since the high-water mark decade of the 1960s, which saw each year from 1963 through 1966 register above 10,000 deer and the average annual deer count during the decade was 9,691 deer. The lowest deer year during the 1960s was 1961 at 5,962 deer.

The 1990s average each year was 9,390 deer. The decade saw the highest bridge count on record with 18,887 deer tallied in 1995. The lowest annual total during the 1990s was in 1997 with 4,992 deer, which occurred after two consecutive snowy, rough winters.

From 2000-2009, the average annual count was 7,444. Since 2010, the average count each year has declined to 4,544.

Since November 1957, there have been a total of 407,814 deer counted at the bridge, with the annual average over those years at 7,031 deer.


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## Luv2hunteup (Mar 22, 2003)

Bridge count has nothing to do with the DNR aside from another data point. No Hunter money was used or DNR personnel was involved with counting deer that were visible when crossing the bridge. The toll collectors are supposed to record voluntary reported deer.


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## Midalake (Dec 7, 2009)

Luv2hunteup said:


> Bridge count has nothing to do with the DNR aside from another data point. No Hunter money was used or DNR personnel was involved with counting deer that were visible when crossing the bridge. The toll collectors are supposed to record voluntary reported deer.


Not sure what you are trying to imply? But the longer I dwell on the fact the DNR flat out lied about how far the bridge count is off the more PO'd I get. RIGHT NOW I have ZERO trust in this department to report *ANYTHING* as it really is.
Wait till you see how many deer tags are NOT sold in the UP next year.


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## slabstar (Feb 25, 2009)

Luv2hunteup said:


> Bridge count has nothing to do with the DNR aside from another data point. No Hunter money was used or DNR personnel was involved with counting deer that were visible when crossing the bridge. The toll collectors are supposed to record voluntary reported deer.


Not susure why you keep saying this!?! Everyone that hunts the yoop knows that. That's exactly why the bridge count is probably the single most reliable data for gauging the UP deer population. 
Can you share ANYTHING ,provide any data, published by the MI dnr, that gives a more accurate depiction of the herd in da yoop????? 
Cue the crickets. ..... .....


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## slabstar (Feb 25, 2009)




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## Luv2hunteup (Mar 22, 2003)

slabstar said:


> Not susure why you keep saying this!?! Everyone that hunts the yoop knows that. That's exactly why the bridge count is probably the single most reliable data for gauging the UP deer population.
> Can you share ANYTHING ,provide any data, published by the MI dnr, that gives a more accurate depiction of the herd in da yoop?????
> Cue the crickets. ..... .....


Statewide the DNR will only provide population trends not herd size.


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## slabstar (Feb 25, 2009)

Luv2hunteup said:


> Statewide the DNR will only provide population trends not herd size.


Precisely, useless fodder considering the fecal state of da UP herd.


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## Midalake (Dec 7, 2009)

The bridge count was finalized at 1500 deer a whopping 33% less that last year. Which completely smashes and makes a new record low.

Congrats to the captain of the ship..........


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## hartman756 (Nov 21, 2008)

Midalake said:


> The bridge count was finalized at 1500 deer a whopping 33% less that last year. Which completely smashes and makes a new record low.
> 
> Congrats to the captain of the ship..........


Well so much for the weather( heavy snow and cold) excuse last year .............WAIT isn't that the same excuse some are trying to use this year ( to warm , deer were already processed BLA BLA).
This is the second record low two years running of nearly 60 years of data !!! OH I forgot there isn't any deer habitat in the UP any more ...........


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## Luv2hunteup (Mar 22, 2003)




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