Joe Zupancic has been applying for the popular Michigan December elk hunt for the past 20 years. This year was his lucky year, he was one of the 77 out of 32,000 that got an elk tag through the elk hunt lottery.
Michigan's elk population is estimated between 800-900. They have two elk hunts annually, one in August/September and one in December. 63 hunters came home with an elk from the August/September hunt and another 62 hunters brought an elk home from the December hunt. The elk management plan may be getting an overhaul though, as more people move into the wooded areas, and elk lose their habitats and begin foraging on farms and having more run-ins with people, the 800-900 herd may be too large for sustainability.