As the Associated Press reports, wildlife officials in Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, and Vermont are considering issuing fewer deer hunting permits this year after harsh winters claimed a severe number of the animals.
Reporter Patrick Whittle writes:
In Maine, biologists are recommending a cut of 23 percent to the state’s deer hunting permits. In Vermont, the number of antlerless deer permits is being cut nearly in half. In Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, deer hunting could be halted altogether. … New Hampshire officials are also concerned about the possibility of above average deer mortality and might consider trimming hunting days in 2016.
The article notes that deer populations in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula have dropped upward of 40 percent in the past two years as a result of the weather. While the conditions in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont are not as dire, the deer in each state suffered higher-than-average seasonal deaths, experiencing an approximately eleven percent loss.
The news is unfortunate for both sportsmen and state wildlife agencies, which nationwide last year received more than one billion dollars from sporting license and permit sales and from taxes on outdoor gear, according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation.
*Update: May 8, 2015. 12:20pm. Sources report that Michigan lawmakers will not cancel deer hunting season in the Upper Peninsula this year, though there may still be new restrictions to help manage the weakened herd.
Cover image courtesy of Flickr/KegRiver.