Early elk hunting season update

Bookmark and Share
Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.
Alethea Mshar, with family, and cow elk she took

Early elk hunting season update

Michigan’s early elk hunting season – which occurs between Aug. 28-31, Sept. 14-17 and Sept. 28-Oct. 1 – saw 69 state hunters, three Pure Michigan Hunt winners and three tribal hunters all take elk.

This year more than 40,000 Michigan hunters applied for an elk license. Two hundred applicants were successful in the drawing – 100 for the early season and 100 for the December season.

Weather had an impact on the hunt. Severe storms, including tornadoes, occurred the first few days of the season, and temperatures were in the 80s during the mid-September dates. During the last days of the hunt, there were cooler temperatures and elk were in the rut.

The success rate for state hunters was 69 percent, which is just under the 70- to 80-percent success rate typically seen.

Those interested in elk hunting in 2019 can apply between May 1 and June 1, 2019. To view hunt unit maps and license information, including a video about the elk lottery, visit michigan.gov/elk

There also is still time to apply for the Pure Michigan Hunt. The application period ends Dec. 31, 2018. Three applicants will win an elk license for the 2019 hunting season, along with many other hunting licenses and equipment.

elk license plate with elk driving Jeep

Have a birthday coming up? Don’t forget to grab an elk license plate for your car or truck while it is still available!  Visit the plate store on the Secretary of State website. All funding received from the sale of the wildlife habitat plate goes to the nongame fish and wildlife fund.

This year marks 100 years of elk in Michigan! To learn about the reintroduction of this impressive animal, visit michigan.gov/elk.


/Note to editors: Contact – Katie Keen, 989-385-0336. An accompanying photo is available below for download. Caption information follows.

Mshar: Alethea Mshar took a cow elk in Montmorency County during the 2018 early elk season./


The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state’s natural and cultural resources for current and future generations. For more information, go to www.michigan.gov/dnr.