Mackinac Bridge Deer Check Station
Mackinac Bridge Deer Check Station
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 Iron Mountain, 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, and this location will give them a convenient opportunity to have their deer aged and checked as they return home.
The St. Ignace check station will be open November 16 to 19, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. It will be located at the Mackinac Bridge View Park west of the toll plaza. From US-2, turn south on Boulevard Drive, just past Howard Johnson’s, and continue to the Bridge View Park area.
Hunters who stop at the check station should have their deer in an accessible location on the vehicle so 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. These data are important to help evaluate the health and condition of the deer herd for future management.
Before the season begins, hunters again will be able to stop at the DNR firearm deer season information center at the St. Ignace Welcome Center, November 13-14, from 8 a.m. to 5 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.
A 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.
