Huge Buck Harvest, Tiny Doe Count: Michigan’s Opening Weekend Numbers

Michigan's firearm deer season opening weekend — the first opening Saturday in 11 years — put a serious dent in the state's deer population. According to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Deer Harvesting Reporting Tool, in two days, from 11:22 a.m. on November 15 to 11:22 a.m. on November 17, 2025, Michigan hunters harvested 42,965 deer. That's nearly a third of all of 2024's regular season firearm season total (136,524).

Buck Fever: Why Antlered Deer Dominated

Of the over 40,000 deer harvested, the vast majority were antlered. Michigan's chronic case of "Buck Fever" continued, with 31,694 taken. Despite the Department of Natural Resources pleading with hunters to take a doe, only 11,271 were tagged.

Michigan's Top Counties For Deer Harvested in 2025 Opening Weekend

As for where the deer were taken, six Michigan counties each brought in over 1,000 deer:

• Tuscola County
  • Antlerless Harvest: 261
  • Antlered Harvest: 749
  • Total Opening Weekend Harvest: 1,010
• Montcalm County
  • Antlerless Harvest: 264
  • Antlered Harvest: 781
  • Total Opening Weekend Harvest: 1,045
• Gratiot County
  • Antlerless Harvest: 271
  • Antlered Harvest: 817
• Saginaw County
  • Antlerless Harvest: 291
  • Antlered Harvest: 841
• Hillsdale County
  • Antlerless Harvest: 376
  • Antlered Harvest: 841
• Sanilac County
  • Antlerless Harvest: 436
  • Antlered Harvest: 1,110

Keep in mind, these numbers change rapidly, but this time window of self-reported harvests gives us a reasonably good indication of what Saturday, Sunday, and Monday morning tracking meant for Michigan weekend whitetail tagging.

One thing that remains crystal clear is that the DNR has a doe problem. With Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) now confirmed in 17 counties, reports of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) in 14, and testing for Bovine Tuberculosis in 10, the health of the estimated 2 million-plus deer herd depends on thinning the doe population.

RELATED: Michigan DNR Pleads: Harvest a Doe, Save a Fender

Economic Barriers to Taking Does

Hunters, weighing in on social media, clap back at the DNR, saying if they want more antlerless harvested, they should lower the price of doe tags. Meat processing fees also factor into the decision of whether to pull the trigger, with the price per pound not really making economic sense for those who could fill the chest freezer with hamburger at the same cost or less.