Hunters in Hillsdale County bagged a total of 5,635 deer during the combined hunting seasons from September to January.
3,042 bucks were taken, along with 2,593 antlerless deer. That’s according to numbers released by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
2022 was the first season with a mandatory harvest reporting requirement.
The state now requires hunters to report online within 72 hours of a successful hunt.
2,684 deer were taken during the regular firearm season in Hillsdale County. 1,791 were taken during the early and late archery seasons.
The September Liberty & Youth Hunt produced a total of 96 deer locally.
Hunters in Branch County harvested a total of 4,316 deer during the combined season. 2,288 were antlered and 2,028 were antlerless.
Overall, the DNR said 585,595 hunters statewide, took a total of 303,087 deer.
Sanilac county led the state with 8,150 reported harvested. Jackson County was fourth, with 7,141 deer harvested.
Officials say, statewide, a total of 45,834 deer were taken on opening day of firearm deer season alone–accounting for about 15-percent of the total deer harvest for the entire year.
