Courtesy Photo Deer are seen in a forest with a suspected browse line in this undated photo provided by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. As the deer population increases in an area, overbrowsing can create a browse line, removing sufficient ground-level vegetation that provides food and cover for deer.

ALPENA — Michigan’s natural resources are beginning to see damaging effects from an increase in the deer population, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

With deer hunting the ideal management tool to steady that population, a decrease in the number of hunting licenses sold each year can become more problematic in several ways, said Chad Fedewa, a DNR deer, elk, and moose management specialist.

“In broad terms, it’s likely there are more deer in many parts of Northeast Michigan than what a habitat would normally support, so it does cause concern on a couple of ends,” he said.

Data provided by the DNR shows the number of Northeast Michiganders with a deer license declined 2% between 2019 and 2023. The number of deer killed in Alpena, Presque Isle, Montmorency, and Alcona counties declined roughly 16% between 2022 and 2023, according to the DNR.

Fewer hunters and more deer can lead to numerous negative consequences, Fedewa said, including the spread of invasive species as deer overeat competing native species, the spread of disease both among deer and livestock, the destruction of habitat for other animals, and more.

‘SPECIES THAT ARE LEFT’

So-called “overbrowsing” is the most noticeable indication of too many deer in a given area, Fedewa said. Those who visit an overpopulated area will see a horizontal line about six feet off the ground where deer have eaten all the vegetation off the trees.

“It will almost look like someone went and trimmed the bottom of trees in a forest,” Fedewa said.

Overbrowsing can mean a lack of sufficient ground-level vegetation that provides the food and cover required by deer, according to the DNR Deer Management Plan.

Overbrowsing can also degrade the quality of habitats for other wildlife and alter entire ecosystems. Numerous wildlife species use lower vegetation for nesting and cover, according to the DNR.

“Species that are left are less diverse,” Fedewa said. “And those can expand, because, with the pressure that deer put on the other plants, those with less pressure can outcompete the other ones and create more of a monoculture, or a single species of plant in an area versus a wide variety.”

Deer will migrate to places with a more suitable habitat, meaning biodiversity in those communities will also see a decline if the area is overpopulated by deer.

A decrease in biodiversity is not a good thing from a habitat or ecological standpoint, Fedewa said. The more diverse a community is, the better for the health of the plants and animals that call that community home.

‘A CASCADING EFFECT’

As deer eat away biodiversity, that can begin to impact other animals, down to the insects that might rely on outcompeted plants. Small mammals up to the deer themselves can also depend on those resources, which become scarce as they regrow less quickly than deer consume them.

“The less diverse the plant community, the less diverse the wildlife and insects,” Fedewa said. “It can have a cascading effect.”

In turn, the habitat may become less and less desirable to any animal or species, allowing invasive species to take over.

Invasive species tend to outcompete native species, so they will often emerge sooner in the springtime, and their growth pattern can give them certain advantages, Fedewa said.

Invasive species, aside from reducing biodiversity, can spread disease, permanently alter habitats, increase wildfire risks, and even have an economic impact if they disrupt agricultural operations.

‘QUITE A BIT OF DAMAGE’

Agricultural operations can also see direct harm from deer overpopulation.

Where crops are more common, food is abundant for deer. That, combined with more solid cover of scattered woodlots, is a near-perfect deer habitat, according to the DNR.

“Deer can do quite a bit of damage to crops, but, also, in northeast lower Michigan, bovine tuberculosis is a pretty large concern among deer herd and cattle,” Fedewa said.

Having too many deer on the landscape can lead to more transmission of the disease.

Alpena, Montmorency, Alcona, and Oscoda counties are currently under state observation for the prevalence of bovine TB there, according to the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

‘ONE-TO-ONE’

Fedewa said hunting is the DNR’s management tool of choice, and increasing deer harvest in overbrowsed areas is a particularly good idea to help reduce the number of deer and allow vegetation to regenerate.

“Our focus the last few years, particularly as we see that combining trend of decreasing hunters but increasing deer herd, overall, we try to encourage people to harvest more antlerless deer,” Fedewa said. “In Michigan, generally, hunters are more interested in antler deer than antlerless deer. But the antlerless deer — does — are what can help control population spread better.

“At a minimum, we’re trying to get people to do one-to-one,” he continued. “If you harvest a buck, harvest a doe, as well. It will help keep some of those overall population numbers in check, especially in areas where we keep seeing an increase in population.”

Fedewa said some hunters are content with harvesting one or two deer, given the amount of venison they’ll eat in a given year.

However, if hunters choose to harvest more deer, they can donate the meat.

Torianna Marasco can be reached at 989-358-5686 or tmarasco@thealpenanews.com.

ABOUT THIS SERIES

For the last several weeks, reporters at The News have studied data and talked to hunters, economic development officials, wildlife officials, and outdoors supplies stores to understand the impact a decline in the number of hunters has had on Northeast Michigan.

Here’s what they found:

∫ FRIDAY: Hunting declines in Northeast Michigan

∫ SATURDAY: The economic impact of a decline in hunting

∫ TODAY: The impact of a decline in hunting on the environment

∫ TUESDAY: Meet a family of multi-generational hunters