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Farm Hunts offer new deer management solution

Farm Hunts are offering a new approach to deer mitigation efforts and renewing interest in hunting.

“This is the new way of hunting, it’s completely different than what we’ve ever thought before.”

President of Hunt Michigan Collaborative Bryan Farmer says the collaborative was created as part of the state’s Deer Management Initiative last year, and other states are looking to replicate.

“This is something we’ve been looking for,” he says. “This is something that is going to happen in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, and Wisconsin, to help solve the issues they’re having with wildlife and habitat improvement.”

The nonprofit’s Farm Hunts started this year with two farm partners and have already sold-out spots on four additional farms this winter.

“There’s a lot of deer that are out there, and it is devastating in terms of crop loss,” he shares. “They do need help, but the package when we work with these farmers, we’re not just going to come out there and shoot the deer in the summertime, we’re going to offer four hunts. We’re going to do a youth hunt. We’re going to do an early antlerless hunt, a muzzleloader hunt, a late season hunt.”

Coordinators from the Collaborative and the National Deer Association guide participants throughout the antlerless hunt and field dressing, and extra meat is donated to local food banks.

Farmer says profits are then used to help communities build archery ranges and buy equipment, which he says is an approachable way to introduce hunting to new audiences.

Farmer is also collaborating with several cities in the state to make organized urban hunts part of their master plans to address deer challenges.

Farmer presented the group’s efforts over the past year during this week’s Michigan
House Committee on Natural Resources and Tourism hearing.