Central Michigan Life

Issue date: 11/16/07 Section: News

John Ehlke/ Senior Photographer [Click to enlarge]

By David Veselenak
Staff Reporter

When it comes to hunting, Danny M. Long does it to spend time with the people he's close to.

The Saint Louis freshman got into hunting when he was 13.

"My grandpa and my cousins do it," he said. "It's a family thing."

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources estimated more than 735,000 individuals have purchased a deer hunting license this fall.

Although firearm season started Thursday, Long said he prefers bow hunting, which opened Oct. 1.

"You see a lot more deer," he said. "It's warmer and you get to see the colors change. I like that a lot better."

Long said he'll still go out during firearm season with his family.

"Every opening day, we stay the night at my cousin's house," he said.

Long also said he planned to be out for opening day near Shepherd, his favorite place to hunt.

Tim Reis, wildlife supervisor for the Saginaw Bay management unit of the DNR in Bay City said hunters traditionally go to the northern Lower Peninsula, where many of them have cabins or traditional hunting locations. But numbers for the northern Lower Peninsula have gone down in recent years.

"More people are staying in lower Michigan," Reis said. "The biggest bucks are coming from southern Michigan."

Long said he will be out looking for deer as much as time permits.

"I'll go all day every weekend," he said. "It's a little hard with school."

Long also planned to be out on Thursday during the day.

Hunters have had plenty of success recently in Isabella County.

"We've checked in some healthy deer," said Barry Sova, wildlife technician for the DNR in Bay City. "We checked in some 12-point bucks and some gorgeous eight and 10-point deer."

Long said his best hunt was on his first day of firearm hunting.

"Two years ago on opening day, I shot a 7-point buck," he said. "I couldn't believe I shot a deer like that the first time."


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