Firearm Deer Season Opening Day
The occasion that many people consider a regional holiday of sorts is finally here.
Firearm deer season is off and running in the Upper Peninsula.
Many more hunters are coming back from their blinds with bucks in tow than a year ago.
The Marquette DNR field office had seven deer checked in on opening day last year.
At mid–afternoon, they’d already had 19; our cameras caught three of them.
DNR wildlife biologist Brian Roell says hunters are telling him they’re encountering great numbers of bucks with excellent antler development after three consecutive mild winters.
The greater Marquette area has no snow cover.
Some areas north and west of Marquette do have snow, which makes tracking deer easier.
Additional snow is unlikely during the season.
The one deer that our cameras caught at weigh–in totaled 176 pounds after being gutted.
Firearm season lasts until November 30th.