As reported by Fox 2 Detroit, the number of deer hunters in Michigan continues to drop in 2024, the state that once had more than 800,000 licensed deer hunters now has less than 600,000.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the state reported a harvest of more than 75,000 deer from firearm deer season, bringing the total deer harvest to more than 172,000, a number that will continue to climb.

As hunters continue to enjoy the rest of firearm season, the DNR is also reminding them to report their harvest within 72 hours or before they transfer the deer to someone else such as a processor or taxidermist. Hunters must add a paper kill tag to the deer and the tag must remain with the head if the deer’s head and body are separated.

Even though there is still a week left of this hunting season, state experts aren’t expressing much hope that this year’s numbers will exceed last year’s. In 2023, a total of 274,282 deer were harvested, with 155,649 of those antlered and 118,633 antlerless, DNR records show.