Concern over the well being of the entire state’s deer population could bring this time-honored tradition to an end beginning in 2019.

That is one of the recommendations the Michigan Natural Resources Commission will consider next week when it meets in Lansing. The action stems from regulations proposed by a group studying chronic wasting disease threats in the state. Its findings will be presented to NRC members at that meeting.

Two main diseases threaten Michigan’s deer herd today — bovine tuberculosis and chronic wasting disease. In both instances the risk of transmitting the diseases increases dramatically from close contact between deer. Biologists believe things like bait piles, which encourage close quarter feeding, increases the chance for transmission of the diseases.

As residents of Northeast Michigan are all too…