THE END? Dismal Michigan Deer Harvest Numbers: 83 County Rank

With all seasons closed in 80 of Michigan's 83 counties, the 'final' numbers for the 2023 Whitetail Deer Season can be analyzed. As of January 3, 2024, at 5:51 am, there were 272,997 deer harvested in Michigan.

Related: Michigan 83 County Whitetail Deer Ranking: 2022 Bucks and Does

Compared to 2022's total harvest of 303,082, 2023's numbers fall 30,085 deer short. With an estimated whitetail population of around 2 million in Michigan, this shortfall is bad news for farmers, outdoor enthusiasts, and insurance rates in the state.

Recapping Michigan's 2023 Whitetail Deer Season

Here's a quick look at the dates of this year's Michigan Whitetail Deer Season:

Deer (Hunting Regulations):

• Liberty hunt: Sept. 14 – 15, 2024
• Early antlerless firearm: Sept. 21 – 22, 2024
• Independence hunt: Oct. 17 – 20, 2024
• Archery: Oct. 1 – Nov. 14 and Dec. 1, 2024 – Jan. 1, 2025
• Regular firearm: Nov. 15 – 30, 2024
• Muzzleloading (Zones 1, 2 and 3): Dec. 6 – 15, 2024
• Late antlerless firearm: Dec. 16, 2024 – Jan. 1, 2025
• Extended urban archery: Jan. 2 – 31, 2024
  • This extended archery season occurs through Jan. 31 for Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne
    counties to manage ongoing human-deer conflicts. A deer license, deer combo
    license or antlerless deer license are valid during this extended season. All rules
    and regulations for the archery season apply.

Note the newest entry, "Extended Urban Archery" and the reasoning behind it:

to manage ongoing human-deer conflicts

Those conflicts include automobile accidents, property, and crop damage. With the Michigan deer herd estimated at or near 2 million, those "human-deer conflicts" are only going to increase as the state struggles to renew interest in dying sport.

Related: Tradition is Killing Michigan Whitetail Hunting

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources asked Mitten state hunters to take more doe this year, to curb the reproduction of the growing herd. Did it work? No. The Liberty Hunt was meant to increase youth interest in the sport. Did that work? Not likely. Let's take a closer, county-by-county look, at Michigan's 2023 Whitetail Deer Season.