Did you know...?
Facts About Michigan Wildlife, and the DNR

Photograph courtesy of Department of Natural Resources.

Did you know...

• Deer are members of the order Artiodactyle, which means that they have hoofs with an even number of toes.

• Deer are the only animals that have antlers, the fastest growing tissue on earth.

• Deer are able to run 40 miles per hour and jump 10 feet high.

• Deer have been known to starve rather than leave their domain.

• Deer are ruminants (cud chewers) and have four-chambered stomachs that allow them to digest plant food. Other ruminants include cattle, goats, and antelope. Deer start eating in the morning. At first, they hardly chew their food before swallowing it, and it goes to the first stomach. While they rest, the food will move to the second stomach and form little balls. Then the food is regurgitated and chewed again. The chewed food then passes through the third and fourth stomachs.

• Deer require 10 to 12 pounds of food each day for most of the year.

• The life expectancy of a deer is 20 years.

• A deer's age can be determined by the condition of its teeth.

• Two deer, without predation, can produce a herd of up to 35 deer in just seven years.

• Well-nourished bucks begin sprouting new racks each April.

• Antlers can grow more than 0.5 inches per day.

• Michigan's two scenic peninsulas provide eight million acres of public hunting land, including 4.5 million acres managed by the state's Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

• The DNR manages the largest state forest system in the nation (3.9 million acres).

• The DNR leases nearly 20,000 acres of farmland in southern Michigan for public hunting and 2.2 million acres of private forest land in northern Michigan, enrolled as commercial forests, provide even more hunting access.

• The DNR manages 400,000 acres in more than 70 state wildlife areas, most in southern Michigan.

• The DNR manages and protects 400 species of animals.

• Hunters spend three million hunter-days afield in pursuit of the most popular small-game species, including the cottontail rabbit, fox squirrel, ruffed grouse, and ringnecked pheasant.

• More than 60% of Michigan's residents are actively involved in viewing and photographing wildlife.

Information from Michigan Department of Natural Resources.