MARQUETTE, Mich. (AP) — State officials say the deer harvest apparently is down again in the Upper Peninsula midway through the firearms season, although many hunters are getting high-quality bucks.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources says the effects of three consecutive severe winters continue to be felt.

As of last Friday, the number of bucks taken to DNR check stations in the U.P. was down 4 percent from the same time last season.

The total was 48 percent below the 10-year average.

Some locations are bucking the trend. At the Marquette station, the number of deer checked is up 28 percent over last year.

DNR regional wildlife supervisor Terry Minzey says 42 percent of bucks killed this year were older than two years. Just 23 percent were older than two years in 2011.