Michigan Deer Harvest Drops Compared To Last Year

The 2025 archery deer season has gotten off to a rather slow start as compared to last season. Here are some of the reasons why the harvest numbers are down.

I used to not hunt the first two or three weeks of archery season to keep my scent out of the area, but the other reason was the deer are not moving they way they do when the pre-rut starts. Now that I have sons that hunt, we are weekend warriors and have to hunt every weekend to get our time in. We hunted early last season and this season and there is definitely a difference in deer activity.

Deer Harvest Declines In Michigan’s Latest Season

Hunting last season compared to 2025 has been drastically different. Although the first part of the 2024 was a little warm, it was nothing like the first 3 weeks of the 2025 season where it was like an extension of the summer.

The number of deer we saw in the first three weeks of the season compared to last year is completely different. It's like we are not even hunting the same piece of property. We couldn’t get out to our spots early enough before the field would fill up with deer. This year, we go out about an hour to hour and a half before dark when they finally start showing up.

Read More: Kent County May Expand Bow Hunting in Local Parks

Why Are The 2025 Deer Harvest Numbers Down?

The harvest numbers for the 2025 archery season are down a little over 10% compared to the 2024 season. There are many factors that play into the lower numbers.

• The Weather: The first three weeks of the season were extremely warm where deer do not move as much. With the drought of August, many deer changed their patterns due to lack of water. Many hunters just didn't hunt because of the heat and you would have to process the deer immediately or the meat would go bad.
• Michigan experienced a 'Mast Year' for acorns. A mast year is when oak trees produce an unusually large number of acorns. Acorns are the number one food for deer and they often have to struggle to find them. There are so many acorns this year the deer barely have to move to find food. It takes deer much longer to get to food plots and farm fields when they can eat something nearly every footstep while traveling through the woods.
• Many hunters avoided hunting due to the warm conditions and difficulty preserving their harvest.
• The southern Lower Peninsula has been experiencing Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) that has wiped many of the deer out before season even started, especially during the drought of August. The hunting numbers have been down both years in the EHD areas.

Get our free mobile app

Now that it is finally cooling off, more hunters will get into the woods since the deer are in pre-rut mode and moving like crazy. The two weeks leading up to firearm season should improve immensely. Most Michigan whitetail deer are harvested during firearm season, so with the slow start, gun hunters should have a banner season.

👇BELOW: Michigan Deer Crashes 2024: See Where Your County Ranks👇