State Rep. Jennifer Wortz today championed the passage of her plan to lift the ban on deer baiting during open hunting seasons in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula and roll back other excessive restrictions on feeding deer – a move to address skyrocketing deer populations, road safety concerns, and crop damage.

“Will this bill solve deer overpopulation by itself? No. But it’s a necessary first step to encourage hunting, improve harvest success, and protect Michigan families and farmers,” said Wortz, R-Quincy. “Deer will gather whether in a field or near a bait pile – we can’t change nature; state regulators need to stop pretending they can.”

Michigan’s Natural Resources Commission (NRC), at the advice of environmentalists, imposed a baiting ban in 2019 across the entirety of the Lower Peninsula. Regulators argue that bait piles encourage deer to congregate, perpetuating the spread of diseases like bovine tuberculosis and chronic wasting disease. However, there is little explanation from those same experts on the purpose of regulations when deer already naturally congregate in fields or orchards.

“Deer are herd animals,” Wortz said. “They will congregate, share food and water, and interact closely – regardless of what a state regulation pretends otherwise. The baiting ban has not stopped disease. What it has done is fuel overpopulation, increase crop damage, and make our roads more dangerous.”

Wortz’s House Bill 4445 lifts the baiting ban and rolls back other excessive deer and elk feeding restrictions, restoring common-sense wildlife management tools for hunters and landowners.

A 2024 report estimates 55,000 deer-vehicle collisions annually in Michigan. During the November rut alone, more than 300 deer-related crashes occur every day. Wortz said just this week, on a drive into Hillsdale, she and her husband counted more than 30 deer feeding together in a single field.

Michigan now ranks second in the nation, with roughly 2 million deer — or about one deer for every five people in the state. In addition to increased traffic accidents, the significant ballooning of deer population also threatens farmers’ livelihoods.

“Deer cause millions of dollars in crop damage each year, making them the most expensive farm pest in Michigan,” Wortz said. “Some farmers lose up to 10 percent of their crops annually.”

The legislation now moves to the Senate for further consideration.

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