Hunters may be missing bullets for the upcoming gun deer season
GAYLORD — It might be easier to locate a trophy buck during the upcoming firearms deer season in Northern Michigan than it will be to bring it down with a shot.
That is because a nationwide shortage of shotgun shells and rifle cartridges have left the shelves bare in gun shops and sporting goods stores.
"I am getting very little shotgun ammo and next to nothing for any kind of ammunition that could be used for deer season," said Larry Drozdzewksi of Pat and Gary's Party Store in Indian River, which also sells sporting goods including ammunition.
Adele Horrigan, firearms manager for Jay's Sporting Goods in Gaylord, said all ammunition is in short supply currently.
"Shotgun shells for waterfowl and upland birds are almost non existent right now," she said.
Patrick Kline of Cedar Swamp Sporting Goods in Petoskey added that "People are struggling to get ammunition. I try to buy ammunition at a good price. But I will not buy ammunition to gouge my customers."
Mark Copeland, store director at Jay's, offers this advice to hunters: "If you can find it, buy it."
Copeland said there was a "perfect storm of events" in the last year or so that has led to the ammo shortage.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced shutdowns at the factories that manufacture ammunition which led to a drastic reduction in the supply. In 2020, Remington Outdoor Company, one of the country's largest manufacturers of ammo, went out of business.
Kline said gun sales rose dramatically as the pandemic took hold.
"When everyone bought guns they also bought two or three boxes of ammunition and that depleted the inventory," he said.
Copeland said even when the factories that make ammunition started up production after the initial lockdown for the virus, they were only operating at about 50% of capacity.
"They just couldn't get ahead of the demand," he added. "Hunters will not be able to find that 180 grain load that they have been using for years."
"Our sources are telling us that just to fill our shelves and the shelves of all the sporting good stores in the country, it may take 10 to 18 months to get back to where we were and for that to happen, demand has to drop a bit," added Copeland.
One positive development is that Remington has been purchased by Vista Outdoor Inc. and has started up production again, Copeland said.
Kline said some of the ships waiting to unload cargo off the coast of California may have the materials needed to make ammunition.
Even if you can find ammo be prepared to pay more for it.
"There has been a 10% increase every quarter since April 2020. The price has climbed significantly and that trend hasn't leveled off yet," Horrigan said.