LANSING, Mich. — Michigan deer hunters who want to know just how old that buck really is can get an answer for free next month. The Department of Natural Resources is holding hunter appreciation days at field offices and service centers across the state on Nov. 16 and Nov. 21, with doors open 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.
Hunters can drop off a whole deer or just the lower jaw, and DNR staff will estimate its age by looking at how the teeth have replaced and worn down. A harvested animal is welcome but not needed, and the department says anyone who hunts is invited to stop in and talk about the season.
The department once relied on ages from harvested deer to model the makeup of the herd. That role faded after Michigan moved to mandatory harvest reporting, but staff say aging still gives hunters useful bragging rights, since an older deer tends to be warier and harder to take.
Giveaways include gloves for field dressing, hand warmers, stickers and patches while supplies last, plus snacks. The events are also pitched as a way to find a mentor or a hunting partner, including someone to share public land with.
This is the second year for the program. Sites stretch from the Upper Peninsula, including Baraga, Marquette, Newberry and Sault Ste. Marie, through northern Lower Michigan stops such as Cadillac, Gaylord, Roscommon and Traverse City, to southern locations including Allegan, Bay City, Cass City, Lapeer, Plainwell, Grass Lake and the Lansing Customer Service Center on Legacy Parkway.
In the Lansing area, the Rose Lake barns on East Stoll Road in East Lansing host the event only on the November dates. Full addresses for every site are posted by the DNR.
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