Search
Close this search box.
Join For Free

Tag: Michigan

Look Up! It’s Elk Survey Season in Michigan

With another successful season in the books for Michigan’s elk hunters, the state’s Department of Natural Resources is getting fired up for survey season. With hunter harvest data compiled, officials with Michigan’s wildlife management department are gassing up aerial vessels and are ready to once again assess the elk population. It Wasn’t Always Done This Way We’ve come a long way since the early 1900s in many ways including the way in which we account for big game animals such as elk. Tracing reintroduction efforts back to 1918, Michigan has worked diligently to not only ensure these animals survive, but thrive. Back then, biologists were dependent on track counts, personal encounters with elk and the information gathered from hunters and residents. As the process evolved, pellet counts were introduced throughout the 1960 to try and determine size and distribution of elk herds. The technique, still employed by many departments across America, was found to be useful but was not believed to be terribly reliable. Between the years of 1975 and 2001, Michigan’s DNR employed the use of both air surveys and snowmobile surveys to aid them in estimating density and populations. In 2006, the DNR went all-in on aerial surveys and to this day rely on fixed-wing aircraft paired and corrected using a sightability model. The Counting Season Aerial surveys of this nature are almost always reserved for the month of January as the conditions on the ground make for great animal spotting conditions. Yesterday, Michigan’s DNR once again took to the skies on the first aerial survey for elk of the 2018 season. Marking the 100-year anniversary of elk in the Wolverine State, biologists hovered around 800 feet and performed the first grid search of the season. Early reports indicated that the crew on board of this year’s inaugural flight spotted roughly 100 elk in its first grid search. Each and every year, DNR personnel cover about 1,000 square miles aboard aircraft during elk survey season. The Numbers In order to plan and allow for the state’s first elk hunting season, officials set a population benchmark of about 1,000 elk. Elk hunts are occurred on an annual basis in Michigan since 1984, albeit, with very variable seasons. Last year’s surveys produced 800 elk sightings and based on the model used by the DNR, led officials to peg the population at around the 1,100-animal mark. This year, officials are looking for more animals, hoping to increase that number of sightings to 900 animals. Total fly-time is estimated to be about nine and a half days and will give DNR researchers the data they need to determine the number of tags allotted for 2018 hunting seasons.

With another successful season in the books for Michigan’s elk hunters, the state’s Department of Natural Resources is getting fired up for survey season. With hunter harvest data compiled, officials with Michigan’s wildlife management department are gassing up aerial vessels and are ready to once again assess the elk population. It Wasn’t Always Done This […]

Michigan’s 10th Case of CWD Surfaces During Youth Hunt

michigan-whitetail-deer

Harvested in Montcalm County during last months youth hunting season, a 3 1/2 –year-old doe is believed to be Michigan’s 10th free-ranging deer with chronic wasting disease. After an initial round of testing, the preliminary results indicate the presence of the disease but the DNR has stated that they are still awaiting final confirmation from […]

Michigan’s $500k Elk Study to Aims to Create Better Habitat for Elk

michigan-bull-elk

Funded through a Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Wildlife Division grant, a research project is underway aiming to determine how elk interact with their habitat and the people who recreate within it. The $500,000 study was launched last year when biologists collared 40 elk in the Pigeon River State Forest area. The data extracted […]

Michigan DNR Investigating the Poaching of Two Bucks

two-poached-michigan-bucks

A pair of whitetail deer turned up in a ditch in Akron Township, Michigan earlier this week and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources is reaching out to the public for help. The remains of two bucks-an 8-point and a 9-point-were recovered by conservation officers in full velvet on August 1. “Not only is this […]

Ann Arbor Quietly Approves $481k to Continue Deer Management

ann-arbor-doe

Amid fierce opposition, protests, lawsuits and everything else that comes with performing a deer cull, the City Council of Ann Arbor, Michigan, approved additional measures for measuring the city’s deer herd. The vote, which had no members of the public present was kept quiet, so to speak, in an effort to continue the deer management […]

Michigan DNR Confirms First Cougar Sighting in Lower Peninsula

cougar-in-lower-peninsula

With stories of possible sightings scattered across the east, officials in Michigan made it official last week after investigating a good lead on a sighting in the Lower Peninsula. A resident snapped a decent picture of what appears to be a mountain lion as the large cat crossed the road ahead of his vehicle.  Snapping […]

Artists Wanted to Help Celebrate 100 Years of Elk in Michigan

michigan-elk

Next year marks the 100th anniversary of elk in Michigan. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources invites artists to help celebrate this milestone by creating a one-of a-kind poster depicting the history of Michigan’s elk. The chosen design in the “100th anniversary of Michigan elk” poster-drawing contest will be reproduced and distributed to elk enthusiasts […]

Michigan Elk Blocking Snowmobile Trail Euthanized

elk-in-michigan-snow

  After assessing the condition of a bull elk that was blocking a well-traversed snowmobile trail in late February, Michigan DNR officials euthanized the animal, suspected of having brainworm. Common to whitetail deer, but also found in moose, elk, caribou and mule deer, brainworm affects neurological and behavioral responses in affected animals.  Due to their […]

Michigan Bans Chocolate for Bear Baiting, Increases Lower Peninsula License Quotas

michigan-black-bear

  Late last week, Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources approved bear hunting regulations for the 2017-2018 hunting seasons, outlining a number of new changes scheduled to begin this year. “We presented recommendations for the upcoming years based on input we received from department staff and stakeholders from across the state. We are happy to see […]

join over 20,000 hunters & anglers

The outdoors straight to your inbox.