Management for deer

Deer in the Lake States are declining. Early stages of second growth forest following the logging era favored deer. Aging and successional changes toward more tolerant types are causing range deterioration. Aspen is the major deer-producing forest type. Commercial harvest of aspen improved deer range, but not enough is taking place to reverse the downward trend of deer or to save the type from conversion. Additional efforts to cut of otherwise treat aspen stands specifically for deer have been of token size. Michigan has earmarked a deer license increase for range improvement and is now embarked on a large scale habitat management program aimed principally at aspen types.