No Reports of Coronavirus Found in Michigan Deer So Far

Firearm deer hunting season officially opened on Nov. 15 and goes until Nov. 30. Over half a million deer hunters will head to the woods between now and the end of the month.

As a deer hunter, how would you feel if you found out that the deer you killed had the coronavirus? Can that actually happen? Apparently so.

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Nothing has been confirmed so far here in Michigan, but there are other listed reports of deer in other states diagnosed with the coronavirus.

According to mlive.com:

A study lead by researchers from Penn State University found that upwards of 80% of the deer sampled in various counties in Iowa from December 2020 to January 2021 tested positive for COVID-19, while 33% of all deer included in the several month study tested positive.

Knowing all this recent information, if it were me, I would probably give up deer hunting until things got completely back to normal. (if that ever happens)

Let's say you kill a deer that's infected with coronavirus, would you feel comfortable about eating the meat. I certainly wouldn't feel good about it.

So what type of deer should hunters most likely avoid if they continue with their hunting adventures?

Mlive.com tells us:

"The findings suggest that white-tailed deer may be a reservoir for the virus to continually circulate and raise concerns about the emergence of new strains that may prove a threat to wildlife and, possibly, to humans," states a news release from Penn State.

With numbers going back up in a big way here in Michigan, it wouldn't surprise any of us to find out that there is the possibility of the coronavirus infecting some of our local deer population.

You almost get the feeling that you're not safe whether you're human or an animal. We've already heard of cats getting the virus along with other wild animals.

When will we get to that magical time where everyone is safe and the virus has completely gone away? Right now, we all have our doubts but hoping for the best.