Hunters decline but businesses that rely on them remain stable

By ALEX MITCHELL
Capital News Service
LANSING—Despite declining deer hunting numbers in Michigan over the past few years, Michigan meat processors say their businesses have not been affected. In 2010, Michigan hunters harvested almost 418,000 deer, a decline of 6 percent from 2009, according to a report compiled by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. About 656,500 people hunted deer last year, a decline of 4 percent from the previous year. There were an estimated 1.7 million deer in the herd last year. But according to Rod Dejonge, owner of Blue Star Meats in Holland, after a dip six years ago, things have been business as usual for the past few seasons.