Hunting, Fishing On The Decline In Michigan: Report

MICHIGAN — Hunting and fishing are on the decline in Michigan as baby boomers retire the habit, according to a new report, and that could have detrimental effects on the state.

According to a new report by the Detroit Free Press, this could pose a crisis in how Michigan funds its wildlife and habitat programs, including by having a huge, negative impact on the state's economy, and raising the specter of deer overpopulation. Plus, there’s accompanying animal diseases and increases in car-deer accidents.

Here’s a look at how the problem is being quantified in the report:

From a high of 785,000 deer hunters in 1998, the number of licenses sold for Michigan's firearm deer-hunting season last year was down to 621,000 — a nearly 21 percent decline. And those remaining hunters are graying, with most in their late 40s to late 60s, according to a demographic analysis conducted by Michigan Technological University. By 2035, projections are that the late-'90s rate will be cut by more than half.

Younger generations aren’t hunting in high enough numbers, the report said.

“That matters whether you love, loathe or are indifferent to hunting and fishing,” according to the report, which added that license fees and surcharges on hunting and fishing gear purchases fund most of the wildlife management and habitat preservation and restoration work done by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Hunting contributes $2.3 billion annually to Michigan's economy and supports more than 34,000 jobs, according to the DNR. This means people who hunt and fish have helped pay for conservation in the state historically.

Read the full report in the Detroit Free Press here.

Subscribe to Patch for more regional news and real-time alerts. Connect with Detroit Patch on Facebook. Image via Shutterstock