Report Nr. 3156 1990 Deer Season Preliminary Report

This report contains a preliminary analysis of the 1990 deer hunting season based on data collected at highway deer check stations. from field reports. from counts of deer being transported all vehicles, and from highway traffic counters. The Michigan Department of Transportation and the Mackinac Bridge Authority assisted in providing data. The winter of 1989/90 started early and ended early. Record cold temperatures and snow depths occurred in December, but record mild temperatures occurred in February and March. Had it not been for the mild temperatures in late winter, winter mortality of deer would have been even higher than the estimated loss of 98,800 deer in seven northern districts. For the first time since 1982, the number of deer in the fall population decreased. There were about 10-20% less deer in Michigan in the fall of 1990, compared to fall of 1989.