John Henry
12-04-2003, 10:30 PM
http://www.detnews.com/2003/business/0312/01/c01-338465.htm
Deer hunters pump $1.2 billion into economy
By Edward L. Cardenas / The Detroit News
Deer facts
* There have been six nonfatal deer hunting injuries as of Wednesday.
* The estimated deer herd is 1.8 million.
* An estimated 775,000 hunters participated this year.
* They were expected to kill 360,000 deer.
* Culling the herd to a smaller size ensures the remaining deer are healthy and do not have as large an impact on the environment. It also reduces the number of car-deer crashes.
Neal Easterbrook considers himself lucky for the number of deer he brought back to his Shelby Township home and the time spent with family during this year's hunting season.
Easterbrook, who went hunting with his brother and father in Michigan's Thumb, bagged a 7-point buck and two does during the 15-day firearm season that concluded Sunday.
"I have heard it is spotty out there," said Easterbrook, 38, who will donate the meat from one of the deer to Sportsmen Against Hunger, a charity he founded 12 years ago. "We have a tradition of being with family, and if we get a deer or two, it is something extra."
The final tally from this year's deer season is not expected to be released by the state Department of Natural Resources until Tuesday. Early projections put the number of deer to be killed by hunters around 360,000, or about the same culled from the state's deer herd last year.
The annual hunt thins the state's estimated 1.8 million deer herd and also pumps $1.2 billion into Michigan businesses each year, with an estimated 775,000 hunters purchasing guns, ammunition, food, clothes and other supplies for their trips into the woods.
At the 160,000-square-foot Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World in Auburn Hills, assistant store manager Tom Hardecki said the season started off slow but ended up strong.
"We did fine the middle two weeks," said Hardecki, who did not release sales figures for the store off Interstate 75 on the route north for hunters. "Our gun sales were nothing spectacular, but we did quite a bit better in our clothing lines and deer attractants."
Deer culled during the season so far have also been free of chronic wasting disease, according to Rodney Clute, big game specialist for the state Department of Natural Resources. The agency hoped to test 4,000 bucks and does for the fatal illness.
Todd Stanaway and his father-in-law, Mike Belz, did not kill any deer this hunting season, but enjoyed the chance to be outdoors and away from televisions, cell phones and pagers.
"We don't do a ton of hunting, it's more male bonding," said Stanaway, 32, a Westland firefighter who lives in Warren.
You can reach Edward L. Cardenas at (586) 468-0529 or ecardenas@detnews.com.
Deer hunters pump $1.2 billion into economy
By Edward L. Cardenas / The Detroit News
Deer facts
* There have been six nonfatal deer hunting injuries as of Wednesday.
* The estimated deer herd is 1.8 million.
* An estimated 775,000 hunters participated this year.
* They were expected to kill 360,000 deer.
* Culling the herd to a smaller size ensures the remaining deer are healthy and do not have as large an impact on the environment. It also reduces the number of car-deer crashes.
Neal Easterbrook considers himself lucky for the number of deer he brought back to his Shelby Township home and the time spent with family during this year's hunting season.
Easterbrook, who went hunting with his brother and father in Michigan's Thumb, bagged a 7-point buck and two does during the 15-day firearm season that concluded Sunday.
"I have heard it is spotty out there," said Easterbrook, 38, who will donate the meat from one of the deer to Sportsmen Against Hunger, a charity he founded 12 years ago. "We have a tradition of being with family, and if we get a deer or two, it is something extra."
The final tally from this year's deer season is not expected to be released by the state Department of Natural Resources until Tuesday. Early projections put the number of deer to be killed by hunters around 360,000, or about the same culled from the state's deer herd last year.
The annual hunt thins the state's estimated 1.8 million deer herd and also pumps $1.2 billion into Michigan businesses each year, with an estimated 775,000 hunters purchasing guns, ammunition, food, clothes and other supplies for their trips into the woods.
At the 160,000-square-foot Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World in Auburn Hills, assistant store manager Tom Hardecki said the season started off slow but ended up strong.
"We did fine the middle two weeks," said Hardecki, who did not release sales figures for the store off Interstate 75 on the route north for hunters. "Our gun sales were nothing spectacular, but we did quite a bit better in our clothing lines and deer attractants."
Deer culled during the season so far have also been free of chronic wasting disease, according to Rodney Clute, big game specialist for the state Department of Natural Resources. The agency hoped to test 4,000 bucks and does for the fatal illness.
Todd Stanaway and his father-in-law, Mike Belz, did not kill any deer this hunting season, but enjoyed the chance to be outdoors and away from televisions, cell phones and pagers.
"We don't do a ton of hunting, it's more male bonding," said Stanaway, 32, a Westland firefighter who lives in Warren.
You can reach Edward L. Cardenas at (586) 468-0529 or ecardenas@detnews.com.