(WXYZ) — Michigan's much-anticipated bow hunting deer season officially kicks off on Wednesday, Oct. 1, and thousands of hunters will be heading into the woods to take part in the age-old tradition.
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The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is expecting a strong bow-hunting deer season this year, and those who I spoke to say they're excited to get out and hunt.
"I am totally excited. I have been looking forward to this all year," Jim Yaxley said.
"It's a great time of the year to be in the woods. The colors are starting to change," James Hack added.
Hack has been hunting for over 40 years and plans to head north soon to his property in Northern Michigan, but he's waiting for the weather to cool down.
"It's a little too warm for me, and I haven't had too many deer on my trail cam, so I am going to wait another week," Hack said.
But for others, like Carlous Kern, plan to be ready in the blind the moment bow season opens on Wednesday morning.
"I'll be up there for five weeks," Kern said.
I asked him what he enjoys most about the season.
"Just the serenity of it. The peacefulness and being up close with nature itself. And then, of course, if you're fortunate enough and be blessed enough to get a harvest. That adds to it as well," he said.
Chad Stewart, with the Michigan DNR, said, "We're expecting our archers to have a really great year."
The DNR said the season starts Oct. 1 and goes through Nov. 14, and then resumes on Dec. 1 through Jan. 1, 2026.
But, the DNR is warning hunters to be on the lookout for white-tail deer who may suffer from a viral and often deadly disease called epizootic hemorrhagic disease. The DNR said Jackson and Washtenaw counties are seeing the brunt of it.
"They might start to come across deer that are either dead or dying and and we ask them to report those deer through what's alled our eyes in the field program on our website," Stewart said.
The DNR said hunters should get their meat tested even though there is no evidence that humans can contract the virus. However, the viral disease is not deterring hunters from heading into the woods.
"I've seen a lot of good signs out there this year and I am really stoked about it," Yaxley said.
