Hunters in the Eastern Upper Peninsula are complaining of fewer deer and poor hunting during this year's rifle season and some biologists from Michigan's Department of Natural Resources (DNR) agree, said biologist David Jentoft of the season in Chippewa and Eastern Mackinac counties.

"We did expect a lower population in the area this year," Mr. Jentoft said. "From hunters, we have heard that the deer numbers are down and they just haven't been seeing as many deer."

Two tough winters in a row haven't helped this downward trend in the Upper Peninsula deer population, he said, and hunting results could have also been impacted by the unseasonably warm weather the region experienced in November, lasting for most of deer hunting season.

"Hunters have commented that the deer are not moving very much," Mr. Jentoft said. The warm weather could affect these movements, he said. Lack of snow also makes it harder to monitor deer movement.

Mr. Jentoft and other DNR biologists base these determinations on earlier population studies and trends, combined with counts from DNR deer check stations and reports from individual hunters and organized groups like the Straits Area Sportsmen's Club, which submits deer camp reports from area camps.

"That is a very helpful survey that helps us find out what really is going on out there and what hunters are seeing and harvesting in our area," Mr. Jentoft said. "We appreciate people's interest in the survey. It's an important connection."

These surveys are compiled into a comprehensive deer camp report by the DNR, which Mr. Jentoft said would be completed near the end of January.

The Mackinac Bridge also tracks deer hunting success, each year posting the number of deer crossing the bridge going south, as well as the percentage change from the year before, for passing motorists to see.

In 2009, 3,936 deer total headed south on the bridge, 42% fewer than the 6,813 counted during the same time period in 2008. The bridge depends on either toll takers noticing a deer in a vehicle or the driver reporting the deer. These counts continue the whole of the firearm season, from November 15 to November 30.

Louis Colegrove, a St. Ignace hunter who collects some of the information the DNR uses to complete its regional deer camp report, said there were definitely fewer deer near his camp northeast of St. Ignace.

"It's been a really tough time this year," he said.

In his report from his own camp, Mr. Colegrove showed 24 deer observed, fewer than last year, and only three deer harvested by the 14 hunters in the sixsquare mile area where the group hunts.

Members of the group sighted 20 coyotes and three wolves, according to his report, which led Mr. Colegrove to suggest that the DNR restrict or stop hunting in that management area and allow for harvesting of coyotes.

Love Meats in Rudyard, which processes venison for hunters, reported that the number of deer they received this season is down about 40%. Many of those came in during the early part of the season.

"A lot of people said the deer they shot was the only one they saw," owner Bob Love said. "There were a lot bigger antlers than last year, a lot of sixes and eights" [points].

Employees at Blaskowski Meat Processing in Cheboygan reported they processed about half the number of deer the company did in 2008, many of them relatively small.

"We usually get 20 or so on opening day," employee Frank Milme said. "This year we didn't get any. It was not even close to last year."

The deer population will be impacted by a number of factors, Mr. Jentoft said, including the mildness or severity of winter weather in the next few months.

"We're starting out with a fairly mild start to the winter," he said. "If that trend continues, we may see an effect to the deer herd. The numbers could rebound. It all depends on what happens this winter."