MICHIGAN – In spite of the brutal winter a few months ago, 1.7 million deer are in Michigan's woods and fields.
The human numbers are big at Gander Mountain in Shelby Township. Manager Russ Becker says business is phenomenal.
"People are in here today because of the thing they forgot. They forgot they needed blaze orange or they forgot they needed shells for the new weapon, or whatever it might be," he said.
According to The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the average hunter spends $885 on travel and equipment. The total hunting impact in Michigan is $2.3 billion. Among the items in demand are heaters.
"It's the old theory that you can shoot more deer when you're sitting in the blind than you can back in the truck trying to get the feeling back in your hands and feet," said Becker.
A license for a single deer costs $31 this year, compared to $15 dollars. That's pushed license sales down by 7 percent, but the DNR's Holly Vaughan says the extra revenue is being put to good use.
"To fund habitat projects throughout the state, to make opportunities better on state land for hunters, also we're working on getting more biologists, more technicians. We've got about 40 new recruits that are out in the woods this weekend," she said.
Many hunters grumble about the higher fees, but nothing will keep them home on Nov. 15.
"Opening day gun season, it just gives you that ... ah, it's hard to explain, it's just a felling. If you ain't a hunter you don't know," said Par Martus, of Roseville.