The Nature Conservancy - Deer Hunting in Michigan

Hunter Safety

For safety reasons, the number of hunters allowed at each Conservancy preserve follows the Michigan Department of Natural Resources suggested limits of one hunter per 20 acres. Hunters must carry their permit and display a parking tag on their vehicle at all times while on Conservancy land.

Anterless Deer

We allow hunting on some of our preserves to help manage the deer population; the most effective way to help reduce the deer population is to take antlerless deer. Although not all Michigan Department of Natural Resources Deer Management Units are designated for antlerless deer hunting, we request all hunters on preserves within those management units to take an antlerless deer prior to taking a buck. You can purchase a state antlerless deer permit over-the-counter at a licensed agent or online at www.michigan.gov/dnr. If you are opposed to taking antlerless deer, we ask that you do not renew your license with The Nature Conservancy so others may have the opportunity.

Volunteer Opportunities

This is a great way to visit preserves and gain first-hand knowledge of the lay of the land before hunting season starts. Work that we do on the preserves includes trail maintenance, removing invasive species, and planting trees. And, if you have the required training, you could become a member of our Prescribed Fire Crew. If you are interested in volunteering with The Nature Conservancy, please visit our Volunteer page.

Nature Conservancy Preserves

Before you visit a preserve, please see The Conservancy's Preserve Visitation Guidelines to learn more about the use of Conservancy preserves in Michigan, including other permitted activities.

All Nature Conservancy preserves in Michigan are threatened in some way by deer, either through overbrowsing or the transmission of disease to other species (i.e., moose) that are conservation targets. Managing white-tailed deer populations through hunting is an important step in reducing deer damage and protecting the biodiversity of our preserves. At some of our preserves, deer populations have grown well beyond the ability of the natural communities to withstand their effects. For this reason, we employ hunting as a tool to reduce populations in order to reduce the damage deer cause, allowing natural communities to recover their full vigor and diversity.

The deer population is unnaturally high:
White-tail deer are native to Michigan, but over the last six decades their population has grown to levels that are much higher than any prior period. The population has fluctuated between 1 and 2 million over the last two decades, well above pre-1940 populations of 500,000 or less. The increase is due to changes in vegetation related to conversion of forest to agriculture, increased edge habitats resulting from changing forest management practices, and also to deer management practices. Current trends in land use, forest management and deer management provide little hope that the deer population will decline significantly in the foreseeable future.

Current deer population is a threat to ecological systems:
Natural ecosystems are not adapted to these high population levels and are being degraded through overbrowsing of the shrub and ground cover layers. Some shrubs, such as the Canada yew, are in severe decline almost throughout the state due to this browsing pressure. Several tree species (such as northern white-cedar, sugar maple, eastern hemlock, and several oaks) that are preferred as browse are failing to regenerate where deer numbers are high, and if the pressure continues the composition of Michigan’s forests will be changed, perhaps irreversibly. Deer also prefer some herbaceous plants to others and the decline or disappearance of some species has been attributed to deer browsing activity. These changes in vegetation that result from deer browsing have been shown to affect birds. In heavily browsed areas, the shrub layer is virtually absent or is populated almost entirely by species (such as balsam fir or leatherwood) that deer tend not to eat. Animals that nest or forage in the shrub layer are not, in some cases, able to adapt to such dramatic changes in forest structure and must find suitable habitat elsewhere or persist at low densities. Deer also carry brain worm, a parasite that does not seriously harm deer but that is fatal to moose. Moose can not survive in areas that have even moderately high deer populations and are limited to areas where deep winter snow keeps the deer population low, such as in the Lake Superior watershed where annual snowfall may average more than 200 inches. Deer thus affect the composition of the faunal and floral communities in ecological systems throughout Michigan and have put some species and ecological systems at risk.

Hunting on Conservancy preserves can help to abate the threats caused by too many deer:
The Conservancy owns slightly less than 20,000 acres in Michigan, scattered in preserves that are at most 3,000 acres in size. Hunting deer on Conservancy preserves will have an undetectable affect on the deer population that is spread over roughly 36,000,000 acres in the state. Managing the statewide deer population to levels within the carrying capacity of the ecological systems of the state is a challenge that requires strategies far broader than hunting on Conservancy preserves. However, if the Conservancy is to achieve conservation of the ecological systems and species that occur on our preserves, then hunting is a valuable strategy. First, harvesting deer effectively on our preserves can reduce browse pressure directly through a short-term reduction in the local deer population. Second, hunting deer on preserves where moose are a target can help to keep the deer population at a low level so that moose are not as likely to contract brain worm. Third, allowing hunting on our preserves helps to ensure that the preserves do not become “refuges” for deer during the hunting season. Deer learn to avoid areas where hunting pressure is high and move into areas that are not hunted so heavily. If we choose not to harvest deer from preserves in areas with high deer density, we are probably helping to exacerbate the negative effects of deer browsing in the very areas we are seeking to conserve. Once hunting is established, deer may learn to avoid the preserve and adopt movement patterns that lessen browsing pressure in the preserve. Thus, hunting deer on our preserves is a strategy that can reduce threats related to overbrowsing and disease transmission.

Hunting by Permit Only on Conservancy Preserves

In the Lower Peninsula, where more capacity and greater trespass issues arise, we currently allow hunting on seven preserves with a fee of $70.00/adults and $60.00/minor per season. We maintain the same ratio as the state guidelines of 20 acres/hunter. Most Lower Peninsula preserves are currently at capacity; however, we do maintain a waiting list. In the Upper Peninsula, we have less capacity issues and currently offer nine preserves without a fee, but written permission is required. The preserves are offered on a first come, first serve basis. Please refer to the table below for a break down of which sites have permits available.

The application for 2008 deer hunting season permits is now available. Current hunters must include their Conservancy-issued Hunter ID in their application.

Permit and Fee Required	Permit Required
Dayton Wet Prairie, bow FULL Grand River Fen (North and South), gun/bow FULL Ives Road Fen, gun/bow FULL Jenney Woods, gun/bow FULL Nan Weston Nature Preserve at Sharon Hollow, bow FULL Paw Paw Prairie Fen, gun/bow FULL Robinson Woods, bow FULL Ross Coastal Plain Marsh, gun/bow FULL Squaw Bay, gun/bow FULL Tamarack Swamp, gun/bow FULL	Carl. A. Gerstacker Nature Preserve at Dudley Bay, gun/bow Haunted Forest, gun/bow Helmut and Candis Stern Preserve at Mt. Baldy, gun/bow Laughing Whitefish Lake, gun/bow Mary Macdonald Preserve at Horseshoe Harbor, gun/bow Maxton Plains, gun/bow McMahon Lake, gun/bow Swamp Lakes, gun/bow Two Hearted River Forest Reserve, gun/bow

Hunting Guidelines

To hunt on Nature Conservancy lands hunters must agree to the following rules and statements:

Deer hunting is not permitted on all preserves. All hunters must carry a Conservancy-issued permit along with a Michigan DNR hunting license while on the preserve.
Only white-tailed deer may be hunted; no other species may be hunted or trapped; no collection of plants and animals other than deer. All hunting must be done in designated areas. The hunter must report how many deer were taken (and gender of deer) upon expiration of this License.
Licenses are personal to the hunter and shall not be used by any guests, invitees, agents, sublicensees, servants, or employees of the hunter.
No shooting is allowed across open fields, marshes, or roads. Shooting at targets is prohibited.
Parking of vehicles is only allowed in designated parking areas.
Deer baiting and deer drives are not allowed.
No fires, smoking, camping, littering (including the use of plastic flagging), or dumping of ashes, trash, garbage, chemical waste or other unsightly or offensive material on Conservancy property.
Only 2 temporary, non-damaging deer stands are permitted. No tree spikes or steps, or use of any implement that will damage trees is allowed. All stands must be removed prior to expiration of this permit. Any stands not removed by this date shall become the property of the Conservancy. The hunter shall place his/her name and contact information on the stand.
No cutting, breaking or clearing of vegetation. Planting of food plots or other vegetation is not allowed.
No off-road vehicle use.
No hunting is allowed within a 200-yard radius of any inhabited dwelling.
Alcohol is not allowed on Conservancy preserves or in the parking lot.
A hunter may be accompanied by one or more of his/her own children to hunt on Conservancy lands. The minor must be at least 12 years of age and have all licenses or permits required to hunt under Michigan law. The adult hunter agrees to take full responsibility for the minor.

In addition to the above rules, hunters must comply with all local, state, and federal laws and ordinances governing hunting activities, including obtaining all required government licenses or permits.