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Keweenaw students and artisans of all ages are being asked to take part in Michigan hunting history.
The Department of Natural Resources is preparing for the upcoming white tail deer season and seeking a design for its annual collectors patch.
“The Deer Cooperator Patch has been in existence since 1972 and it’s become quite a collectable,” said Chad Stewart, who is the Deer Management Specialist for the Michigan DNR.
As the agency is updating its Deer Management Cooperator Patch, the DNR is holding an artwork contest, and with an abundance of active artists in the Keweenaw, judges should have plenty of entries to choose from.
“We were really pleased with some of the artist submissions that we received for an elk poster since this is the 100th year anniversary of elk in Michigan and we were just blown away at some of those submissions, and we thought how else can we apply this in what we do in our year to year stuff and the idea of the deer patch came up,” Stewart said.
The patch is a friendly token of the DNR’s appreciation to hunters who bring their animal to a deer check station after the hunt. At the check station, the department collects information about the deer—things like size, gender, age, nourishment and were it was taken from. This information helps the agency to maintain a sustainable deer population to support future hunting seasons.
Stewart said, “So we give those patches to them as sort of a thank you for going out of their way and providing that level of detail and data for us.”
Statewide recognition of the Keweenaw’s creative is not uncommon. Last month, two Finlandia students were selected to produce a piece that would represent all Upper Peninsula artists in Art Prize 10, to take place in Grand Rapids in early fall.
“So anybody can take their concept or design and submit it and have a chance for it to be turned into a deer patch next year,” said Stewart.
The DNR welcomes people of all ages to place an entry that must include three specific phrases, a representation of a white tail deer, and Michigan hunting or habitat, and it must also contain a copy of the agency’s official logo.
More information on contest rules and requirements can be found at michign.gov/dnr.
