Snowmobilers enjoy a ride along Trail No. 11 South in Gogebic County during a previous snow season. (Michigan Department of Natural Resources photo)

IRON MOUNTAIN — Deer harvest totals for the firearm deer season in Dickinson and Iron counties remain below numbers for the entire 2024 hunt, although two days of the season remain, along with several days before the reporting deadline hits.

As of Friday afternoon, Dickinson County’s harvest for the firearm hunt stood at 723 antlered and 174 antlerless, compared with 951 antlered and 323 antlerless for the entire 2024 season.

For Iron County, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ online harvest summary showed 660 antlered and 248 antlerless taken so far this season. The 2024 season numbers were 842 antlered and 342 antlerless.

The shortfall is similar in Delta and Menominee counties, traditionally the harvest leaders in the Upper Peninsula. Delta County was showing 1,279 antlered and 399 antlerless harvests so far, compared with 1,738 antlered and 560 antlerless for last year.

Menominee County’s antlered total so far was 2,038, compared with 2,526 for the 2024 season. The firearm antlerless this year to date numbered 716, compared with 1,050 in the 2024 hunt.

Menominee County ranks third in the state for total firearm harvests, trailing Sanilac and Saginaw counties.

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State-designated snowmobile trails are set to open Monday. Trail grooming, of course, occurs only when there is enough snow on the ground. Trail openings may also be delayed by other factors such as in-progress maintenance projects or landowners wanting solitude during the muzzleloading deer hunting season, which takes place Dec. 5-14.

With snow plentiful in some regions of the Upper Peninsula, Ron Yesney, U.P. trails coordinator for the DNR Parks and Recreation Division, thanked private landowners for allowing use of their property to create a trails network.

“We’re incredibly grateful to these property owners and their partnerships with their local snowmobile clubs,” he said. “It’s important for all of us to give thanks to these landowners and to remember to be respectful of the land, wherever we ride.”

The DNR issued these other reminders:

— A $52 snowmobile trail permit is valid for one year, which begins Oct. 1 and ends Sept. 30 of the following year. Buy permits online through eLicense – a sticker will be mailed within seven to 10 days — or the Michigan Snowmobile and ORV Association or in person at DNR license agents and dealers.

— Always Ride Right: Ride sober, ride at safe speeds and ride on the right side of the trail. Get more tips at Michigan.gov/RideRight.

— Residents must register snowmobiles with the Michigan Secretary of State, unless sleds are used solely on private property. Registration is good for three years, and those registration dollars support the purchase of easements, law enforcement on trails and safety education.

— The snowmobile program is 100% funded by trail permit and registration dollars that are directly reinvested into the program to benefit snowmobilers. The funds pay for grooming, signage, maintenance, bridge and culvert construction, purchase of new equipment, liability insurance, maintenance of trailhead amenities — signage, bathrooms, plowing of parking lots — and other snowmobile-related expenditures.

Tri-County Snowmobile Club will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Waucedah Township Hall in Loretto.