Firearms deer season would start earlier and last ten days longer if lawmakers have their way.

House Bill 5244 would have the Michigan firearms deer season begin on November 5 and last until December 1 yearly. Currently the season lasts from November 15 until December 1.

The bill was introduced by Reps. Gary Eisen, Douglas Wosniak, Steven Johnson and Matt Maddock. It was referred to the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Committee.

The bill is hoping to jump start slagging sales of deer hunting licenses in the state. In the '70s through the '90s, hunting licenses averaged around 1.2 million a year. Currently, the number of licenses sold is a little over half of that at about 650,000.

Much of the Department of Natural Resources budget comes from licensing.

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