White-tailed deer are a historically important species in Michigan. Management has always been through regulated hunting, but as hunter numbers experience statewide and national declines, the ability to reduce deer populations to balanced levels is becoming more challenging. Several regulation changes in recent years have proven unsuccessful at increasing antlerless harvest, and alternative proposals typically brought forward offer little evidence of being successful. Clearly, a paradigm shift is needing to occur to manage white-tailed deer into the future, but what that looks like and how it may be received are still great unknowns.
Tuesday, January 30th, 2024
3:10 pm - 4:10 pm
Presenters
Chad Stewart
Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Chad Stewart is the Deer, Elk, and Moose Management Specialist for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, serving in that role for 9 years. Previously, he was the Statewide Deer Biologist for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, and a biologist for the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute. Chad has degrees from Penn State University and the University of Illinois, and is a Certified Wildlife Biologist through The Wildlife Society. Chad has over 20 years researching and managing white-tailed deer, and has also worked on research projects in Malaysia and China.