The Department of Natural Resources lists Menominee’s harvest at 2,491 antlered deer, four more than in downstate Montcalm County.

Other Upper Peninsula leaders in bucks taken per county were Delta, 1,715; Marquette, 1,413; Iron, 1,032; and Dickinson, 974.

For the first time, the Department of Natural Resources made harvest reporting mandatory within 72 hours of a kill.

In recent interviews, Chad Stewart, DNR deer, elk and moose management specialist, estimated a 75% reporting rate by hunters.

Dylan Tirschel harvested an 8-pointer Nov. 25 in Dickinson County.

In past years, the state sent voluntary postseason surveys to about 60,000 of the state’s half-a-million hunters to estimate harvest totals. Last year, just 33% of recipients responded.

The DNR, for this year, plans to again send out the printed survey.

With a penalty on the books that makes failing to report a harvest a misdemeanor punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a $500 fine, DNR officials took an “education over enforcement” approach with hunters this year, Stewart told Bridge Michigan.

An attempt by the Michigan Legislature to remove the DNR’s authority to make reporting mandatory was vetoed this fall by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. However, there is support for downgrading the penalty to a civil infraction, and the issue may be revisited in the next legislative session.

Deer harvest data can be found at https://www.mdnr-elicense.com/HarvestReportSummary.

Fishing pressure was lighter this week, but a few walleye and bluegill catches were reported.

Anglers were finding 6 to 8 inches of ice in most areas, said Fay Whisler at Whisler Outdoors in Florence, Wis. However, this week’s storm has “created a layer of slush and water on top of the ice,” she said.

Tri-County Snowmobile Club planned to open trails this weekend, urging caution due to downed tree limbs and the possible presence of rocks.

No local Wisconsin trails were listed as open by travelwisconsin.com.

A new season of “Wardens” — the Outdoor Channel’s TV show chronicling the lives of conservation officers –starts Dec. 30. This year’s episodes will include a walleye survey on the U.P.’s Lake Gogebic.

The Michigan DNR first partnered with the Outdoor Channel on production of the series in 2016. It continues to be available on WLUC FOX UP Sunday morning at 9:30 a.m. Eastern time.