What does November 15th mean to you?

November 15^th meant two simple words when I was a kid. Deer Camp. Opening day of firearms deer season meant my dad would head up north to hunt the public land in northern Michigan trying to land himself a big buck.

Now for my dad that only happened once in 40 years, but the outdoor tradition meant the world to him. (In fact, there were years that he wouldn’t even take a rifle, but still headed up to deer camp!)

Today, I don’t hear as much from friends and family as November 15^th draws near, but don’t underestimate what deer season offers to Michigan. Over 500,000 people will be hunting during firearms season which accounts for the largest economic impact of hunting in the state. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimate that hunting in Michigan generates more than $2.3 billion in economic impact.

Our partners at the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) know the recreational and economic benefit hunting provides in Michigan. That’s why the DNR formed a Blue Ribbon Advisory Group for State Game Areas to review the importance of the state game areas and provide a vision for the future of these areas. SEMCOG was happy to participate in this effort.

There are over 100 state game and wildlife areas whose primary purpose is to provide hunting and fishing opportunities…and have been part of Michigan’s history for over 60 years.

A few findings and recommendations of this advisory group include:

• There is a lack of formal, systematic data available about state game areas. Additional user surveys need to be completed in order to ensure best use of each individual game area.
• Many recommendations are introduced to address user conflicts that occur due to amount and types of users at game areas, such as dedicated management areas for certain species and limited draw hunts.
• Recommendations are also focused around using the game areas as places to grow interest in hunting and wildlife among members of the non-hunting public, including mentor and apprentice hunting programs and promoting wildlife activities such as birding.
• There was agreement within the group to better integrate the state game areas into local planning processes and citizen engagement activities.

This work implements policies found in SEMCOG’s Green Infrastructure Vision for Southeast Michigan. We look forward to continuing to work with our partners on implementation!