Crossbows would be allowed during the late portion of the archery season in the Upper Peninsula under a new set of deer hunting regulations expected to be proposed Thursday to the Michigan Natural Resources Commission. And the antlerless license system would be updated so that each antlerless license may be used on public or private land anywhere in the Lower Peninsula or in portions of the south central Upper Peninsula with deer management units open for deer hunting. “They’ve been changing everything these last six months,” said Mike Sander, the president of Rocky’s Great Outdoors, a 50-year-old hunting outlet in Burton, adding that most customers seem to approve of them. “The outdoor industry since COVID has been booming.” Of course, Sander said, there are people who just don’t want change — any change. The  proposal for new, simpler rules  is aimed at boosting deer hunting, although it unclear whether it will actually do much to reverse a decades-long hunting slide in Michigan — and the nation. The proposal follows changes that were made this summer for the fall. Under those updates, there was a change specific to metro Detroit. Archery season was extended for another month   in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. It now runs through Jan. 31. The summer changes permitted more young and novice hunters to participate in the outdoor recreational activity by allowing these hunters to pursue antlerless  deer with a license.  New regulations this fall exempted mentored youth, age 9 and younger, and junior license holders, ages 10-16, and apprentice license holders from antler point restrictions in all seasons under all licenses. The proposed rules also bring changes to supplemental feeding, including no longer requiring a permit for supplemental feeding in the Upper Peninsula and defining dates during which supplemental feeding can occur — starting Jan. 1 and not extending beyond May 15. Hunting helps to control the deer population, which is about 1.7 million, up from an estimated 1.58 million deer five years ago, according to deerfriendly.com, a website that tracks hunting news nationwide. Licenses also help fund conservation efforts.  [full article]