A bill to be signed aims to increase the number of hunters to hunt deer

• House Bill 5357 will allow people with developmental or intellectual disabilities to participate in mentored hunt, if they are unable to successfully complete a hunter safety course may participate in hunting.
• In 2000, there were 800,000 registered deer hunters and now, there are only 550,000 according to the Department of Natural Resources.
• Video shows community leaders talking about the importance of increasing the efforts of deer hunting and environmental conservation.

"Our hunting is important to our outdoor heritage in our state and unfortunately some people are left behind."
The deer population is going up, the amount of hunters are going down according to the Department of Natural Resources.

A bill on its way to the Governor's desk is aiming to increase those efforts and add more hunters to our neighborhoods.

"One of the things that get me up every day is really giving voice to our members."

Part of Amy Trotter's role as the CEO of Michigan Union Conservation Clubs, or MUCC, is to introduce people to natural resources in our neighborhoods.

WATCH THE INTERVIEW WITH AMY TROTTER, CEO of MUCC

And while people associate hunting with being up north, it's also right near us.

"We have at MUCC as well as the state of Michigan, the biggest concentration of members, hunters, and anglers are southeast Michigan," Trotter said.

But the numbers are decreasing, says Deer Management Specialist Chad Stewart with the Department of Natural Resources.

"Back in 2000, we had well over 800,000 deer hunters now we're in the 550 range," Steward said.

And with the decreasing numbers of hunters, he tells me that they prefer hunting deer with antlers or male deer.

"When we talk about overall management and control of growth rates of deer populations typically, we focus our efforts on the female portion of the deer herd, and we have typically fallen short of that in Michigan in the recent years," Steward said.

To address the increasing amount of does in the state, the DNR approved new deer regulations including

• extending archery hunting season for antler-less deer to the second Sunday in January,
• giving hunters the ability to hunt antler-less deer on private and public lands during the early and late seasons
• and those who live in the northern-lower peninsula, any legal firearm can be used during the muzzle loader season.

But the MUCC is focused on including more people into hunting in our state including youth with mentored hunting.
And their advocacy for House Bill 5737 , that is on its way Governor Gretchen Whitmer's desk, people with intellectual or developmental disabilities can now be able to be a part of mentored hunting program.

"They would have the chance to hunt with a mentor side-by-side arms distance in a very safe way but to get them to be outdoors, to contribute to that hunting, fishing economy and also cherish those traditions with families and friends," Trotter said.

Because advocates say everyone should enjoy our neighborhoods and the resources that it gives.

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