Mackinac Bridge deer numbers falling sharply

Early reports are that 2013 is a disappointing firearm deer season, and now one more indication of that has come in.

The Mackinac Bridge Authority says that as of 3:00 Saturday afternoon, Lower Michigan hunters had taken 3,022 deer home with them from the U.P. across the bridge.

That’s down 37% from last year. 4,832 deer had been driven across the bridge by this point in the 2012 firearm season.

The Mackinac Bridge Authority keeps a running tally throughout firearm season and updates its figures at 7:00 a.m., 3:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. each day.