DMU 040 - Michigan Department of Natural Resources

WORKSHEET FOR ESTABLISHING DEER POPULATION GOALS
2006–2010
Kalkaska Co., DMU 40
Adjacent DMU(s) used in calculating goal: 5, 20, 28, and 57_
2006 - 2010 goal: 11,500 to 13,500 deer ( 21 /sq mi to 24 /sq mi)
Estimated 2005 population: 9,600 deer
1996 - 2004 goal: 12,500 deer ( 22 /sq mi)
Arguments for the 2006-2010 Goal:
The deer population has declined 47% from the 2001 estimate as part of an effort
to bring the statewide deer population into conformance with its goal. Declines have
been recorded among the number of antlered bucks harvested (40%) and deer killed by
vehicles (34%). DMAP’s used in DMU 40 have been in low demand to address deer
damage in agricultural areas and has varied greatly since 2001. Snow depth and winter
severity have varied among winters over the same period, but the number of deer dying
of exposure has been minimal, suggesting this goal is lower than the ecological carrying
capacity of DMU 40. Management of the herd at this level will minimize the impact of
deer browsing on forest regeneration and winter food resources in and near the
extensive network of deer yards in the county. Winter mortality should be moderate in
the event of a severe winter. This goal reflects a balance between the expectations of
hunters and wildlife viewers to see deer frequently, and the needs of the agricultural and
forest management communities to raise crops without experiencing excessive deer
depredation.
Proposed management strategy for moving the population toward the goal:
The estimated population is currently 1,900 deer below the goal, and is being
allowed to increase by limiting the number of antlerless permits to 100 and their use to
private lands. Landowners experiencing significant deer crop depredation are
encouraged to apply for DMAP’s and permit hunter referrals to their properties. Archery
hunting is popular and accounts for most of the antlerless deer harvested, but
distributes hunting pressure more heavily to the less productive public land. Harvests
from youth and muzzleloader seasons are minimal.
Proposed management strategy for maintaining the population within the goal:
Application of current deer harvest regulations to northern DMU’s with deer
populations managed at or below their goals create a series of dichotomies that can be
only partially addressed. The interaction of climate, landscape, and land use determine
the biological carrying capacity, while the interplay of human demographics, economics,
and aesthetics influence the social carrying capacity.

The more productive agricultural land will always support more deer and attract
additional deer from adjacent forested lands of any ownership. However, the
consolidation of several DMU’s to coincide with county boundaries in 2001 has mixed
the more productive agricultural lands with the less productive public lands,
necessitating a much more labor intensive approach to adjust harvest management to
the biological and social demands of DMU 40. Limited availability of antlerless deer
permits for private land and more liberal use of DMAP’s for landowners experiencing
significant crop depredation will be used to maintain the population near goal.
Goal relative to land ownership patterns, habitat, and deer distribution:
DMU 40 comprises all of Kalkaska County, an inland county of 560 mi 2 , located
on the western edge of a large plateau extending across much of the NLP of Michigan.
Fifty-one percent of the land is publicly owned and managed as State Forest or
Michigan National Guard lands. The Skegemog Lake Wildlife Area is located at the
northwestern corner of Kalkaska County.
Kalkaska County shows a diverse, glaciated topography, with a climate
influenced by lake effect precipitation off Lake Michigan. The resulting diversity of soil
types, variable temperatures, and enhanced precipitation produce a favorable mix of
early successional and mast producing deciduous types interspersed with natural and
plantation conifer cover. Land use is divided among agricultural, and multi-use forest
production and recreation. Traverse City, the most populous area in northern Michigan,
is a short distance to the west, and supplements local hunting pressure in the DMU. A
few apple and cherry orchards are found in the northwest near Skegemog and Elk
Lakes, and row and forage crops are raised in the central part of the County. Publicly
owned land is located in the less fertile soils of the Grayling Outwash Plain covering all
but the northwest corner of the County. Deer population density is greater on and near
the more fertile land under private ownership.
Goal relative to adjacent DMU’s within Management Unit:
Deer populations in surrounding DMU’s are also below their goals. Antlerless
permits are limited in number, and when offered, are restricted to private lands. Winter
severity has not been a problem the last two winters, but normally is greater in Kalkaska
County than elsewhere in the NWMU.
Draft
Final Draft
Biologist Rich Earle Rich Earle
Management Unit Supervisor Penney Melchoir Penney Melchoir
Field Operations Supervisor
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Wildlife Division Chief
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