LANSING, Mich. (AP) — This year’s final elk hunt in northern Michigan has come to a close.
The state Department of Natural Resources says 50 elk licenses were issued for this month’s late season, and 46 elk were killed.
Licenses were awarded to hunters based on a random, weighted lottery. More than 31,000 applied this year. An additional 50 got licenses during the early season.
The hunt was open in all elk hunt units in the northern Lower Peninsula. Each hunter attended a mandatory orientation program in Johannesburg to learn about hunting elk, regulations, biology and the history of elk in Michigan.
DNR wildlife biologist Shelby Hiestand says the late hunt was successful despite unusually mild weather. There’s usually snow on the ground, making it easier to track elk.
