The firearm season began Nov. 15th and thousands of hunters go north to hopefully fill their refrigerators with venison. The conditions this year were ideal. There was a little bit of snow in some areas and temperatures steady in the 30s and 40s degrees. The snow allows for better visibility and when it gets cold deer get up and move around to stay warm and to find food sources. Local hunter and MHS senior Jacob Chaplin, was lucky enough to shoot a nice nine point on opening weekend on his local property.

Talking to Deputy Eric DeLanoy, an avid hunter and sheriff liaison at Milford High School says, “I love to be in the woods; there’s nothing like watching the animal and observing them in their natural environment while they don’t know I’m there”. There are many reasons why hunters are attracted to hunting, for example Colin Swanson a MHS Senior says that he goes for the meat. Other hunters enjoy the sport for peace and quiet in the woods and admire the land of this beautiful state while stepping back into the footsteps of our ancestors.

Hunting Works, an online hunting website, has made a rough estimate that one hunter alone can spend about $4,400 per year on assets regarding hunting. This includes your license, deer tags, ammunition, gas, clothing, blind, weapon, and many other accessories.

Sadly, according to the DNR (Department of Natural Resources) over half of the hunting population has vanished, leaving us with around 675,000 hunters and its still on the decline. The main reason behind this is change, laws, regulations, and expenses. In the 1960s and 70s baby boomers came back from the war and many of them adapted the sport of hunting to relax and get meat. Now, the baby boomers are aging and the youth aren’t filling their spots mostly because of technology.

With the no

baiting regulation in affect, this is also said to be declining the interest of hunting, but currently Michigan Senate is voting against the ban. The ban started because of a disease that’s spreading in deer called Chronic Wasting Disease, which causes degeneration of the brain, and DNR says its not safe to eat a deer with this disease. The DNR believe that baiting is the main cause of this, so that’s why there’s a ban. If you get caught with unlawful baiting of deer, it’s a misdemeanor offense with a maximum of 90 days in jail, a minimum fine of at least $50 to a maximum fine of $500, court costs and state fees, and the loss of hunting privileges at the discretion of the court. You can check your deer at DNR check stations and the DNR will examine the meat and health of the deer for them.

A lot of people today cannot afford to go hunting due to the cost. For a resident, it’s $40 for a deer combo tag ($20 for regular, $20 for restricted), For a non-resident its $20 for a regular( good for any deer), and $170 for a restricted(4 points on one side or more). On top of that you need to buy your base license which is $11 for a resident and $151 for a non-resident. The decline of interest in hunting is sad and  not only hurting the sport, its damaging the conservation budget, economy, and skyrocketing the deer population