LANSING, MI – The 2023 firearm deer season opens tomorrow and the weather is expected to be on the warm side. Wednesday’s opener will see high temperatures reaching 60 degrees.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources says deer remain abundant throughout much of the region. The winter of 2022 was relatively mild and didn’t negatively affect deer in the mid-Michigan region.
It does say the summer of 2023 started with drought like conditions throughout much of May and June, which meant slow growth of crops. That may translate into a later crop harvest, which typically reduces hunter success due to the availability of more standing cover for deer, according to the DNR.
Baiting and feeding of deer is prohibited in the lower peninsula of Michigan. You must also report a deer kill to the state within 72 hours of harvest before transfer to a processor or taxidermist.
