Why are Michigan deer hunters dying?

Alarm bells were raised recently when three Michigan deer hunters died within 48 hours of each other from heart attacks during this year’s short, 16-day deer hunting season in the state.

In response, some state officials have urged hunters to see a doctor before they enter the wilderness. One Michigan medical examiner says a physical should be required with any hunting license application.

The three Michigan deer hunters who died this year were ages  57, 65, and 83, and at least two of the men died from heart failure while hauling away the heavy animals.

Although three deaths are just a fraction of the thousands who hunt for deer in Michigan each year, Michigan medical examiner Dr. William Morrone told MLive, “I’ve never seen three people die in 48 hours from heart attacks while deer hunting before. We need to reframe some of our activities to have these preventable deaths reduced.”

The men’s names, unrelated to one another, have not been reported in the press. All were in remote areas where emergency services were unavailable, MLive reported.

Morrone says that in his 20 years as a doctor, he has seen a distressing uptick in cardiac disease in people as young as 45, and that the sedentary lifestyle brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic made matters worse.

“Today, cardiovascular disease is greater than it’s ever been. We’re not flattening the curve in cardiovascular disease, not at all,” Morrone said.

Deer hunting is particularly risky for anyone with a preexisting condition

According to STAT News, rates of cardiovascular disease went down for years, but about ten years ago, the decline slowed. In the past five years, heart disease has increased in the United States and globally, linked to factors like obesity and high blood pressure.

Speaking with FOX News, cardiologist Dr. Bradley Serwer said the physical exertion of shooting, tracking, and recovering the heavy animals, which can weigh as much as 200 pounds, makes deer hunting risky for anyone with a preexisting heart condition, not to mention the surge of adrenaline when a deer is spotted or when a hunter makes a kill.

Meanwhile, cold temperatures can cause “abnormal heart rhythms, particularly ventricular arrhythmias” and “sudden cardiac arrest,” Serwer said.

For this reason, Michigan medical examiner Dr. Morrone recommends anyone get a physical before they head for a hunt, as well as embrace better diets and plenty of physical activity.

Conspiracy theories ran wild

Before the three men’s causes of death were confirmed, conspiracy theories ran wild about what might have killed the hunters in the Michigan wilderness. Some comments, such as “Vaxed and boosted,” linked the tragedies to the false belief that the COVID-19 vaccine causes heart problems, though the vaccines can cause minor heart inflammation in some populations, Healthline reports.

Michigan’s regular firearm deer hunting season is Nov. 15 through Nov. 30. Dr. Morrone says, as well as a doctor’s visit, hunters should walk daily for at least a month before they enter the wilderness, and even add some light weight-lifting. “This is strenuous activity for men who have been sitting around, especially if they’re retired,” Morrone added.

Morrone even suggests that the Michigan Department of Natural Resources — where a little more than 274,000 deer were hunted last year — requires proof of a physical before a hunting license application is approved.