Deer Season Picking Up, After Crossbow Laws

The road to the woods will be filled with pickups and campers for hunters getting a head start on the November 15 opener for firearms deer season in Michigan. With new crossbow laws in place, hunting has become a feasible option again for many families struggling in the economy.WWJ's Ron Dewey spoke to the owner of Gander Mountain store in Taylor, Chris Breeder, who has been encouraged by the number of hunters walking through his doors.

"It's shown across the board, which is great. We're seeing more customers, and more families being introduced, and obviously younger kids being introduced, and people who weren't able to get in the woods before for archery season because of whatever challenges they had, now they're able to get a crossbow and be able to get out in the woods and do what they love," he said.

DNRE officials expected more deer to be taken than last year, especially in southern Michigan. With more crops harvested, hunters will have an easier time tracking their quarry.

Brader said that in one of his favorite hunting spots, Roscommon woods, things are getting crowded.

"There's a lot of people up there. I've hunted up there for 25 years probably within last 10, you can't go out there without seeing orange," he said.

This year some of the more popular areas may also be crowded, State officials expect nearly 700,000 hunters to take to the woods of Michigan for the start of firearms deer season.