Mackinac Bridge Deer Check Station
Mackinac Bridge Deer Check Station
For the first time since 1972, the Department of Natural Resources will host a deer check station in St. Ignace near the Mackinac Bridge during the firearm deer hunting season. The station is in addition to three highway check stations near Alma, Big Rapids and Birch Run.
This station is being opened to specifically check deer taken in the Upper Peninsula. Many hunters travel to the U.P. each year as part of their deer hunting tradition. This location will give them a convenient opportunity to have their deer aged and checked as they return home.
The St. Ignace station will be open from Wednesday, November 17, 1999, through Sunday, November 21, 1999, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. It will be located adjacent to the State Police Post west of the Mackinac Bridge toll plaza.
From US-2, turn south on Boulevard Drive, just past the Howard Johnson’s, and continue to the bridge view area. If traveling southbound on I-75, take Exit 343 just before the toll booths and follow it to the bridge view area.
Hunters who stop at the check station should have their deer in an accessible location on the vehicle so that DNR staff can easily examine teeth and measure antler diameters. DNR staff will record where the deer was taken, the deer’s age, sex, total antler points and antler beam diameter. This information is important to help evaluate the health and condition of the deer herd for future management.
Before the season begins, hunters will be able to stop at the DNR firearm deer information center at the St. Ignace Welcome Center, November 13-14, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Conservation officers, wildlife biologists and operation services staff will be available to provide hunters with deer hunting literature and answer questions about deer concentrations, hunting prospects, regulations and places to hunt and camp.
complete schedule of field offices and deer check stations can be found on the DNR web site at www.dnr.state.mi.us. For more information on the St. Ignace station or hunting information for the eastern Upper Peninsula, contact Rex Ainslie at 906-635-6161 or Tom Weise, DNR Wildlife Supervisor, Newberry, at 906-293-5131.
