 Hunters, get ready – firearm deer season kicks off tomorrow, Nov. 15. We hope this email clarifies the most common questions we are hearing and points to additional information online. Also, check out the season outlook from DNR deer specialist Chad Stewart. Lastly, we have provided links for finding public land to hunt and improving your own land for deer. Good luck!
Statewide
- You can download the Hunting Digest to your phone.
- Baiting and feeding restrictions are in place for certain locations within the state (see page 50).
- Approved urine and lure attractants can be found at michigan.gov/cwd (additional details on pages 48 and 49).
- Find hunting season hours on page 13. Remember to adjust time based on your location in the state.
- Antler point restrictions are in place in some areas of the state (see pages 36, 37 and 38).
- Archery equipment can be used during the firearm season. Don’t forget to wear hunter orange.
- If you hunt outside of Michigan, you can bring back only allowed cervid parts (see page 53).
- Find deer check locations at michigan.gov/deercheck.
Upper Peninsula
- A single deer tag can be used in the U.P. to take an antlered deer with at least one antler 3 inches or longer, except in DMU 122 and DMU 117 (see pages 36-37).
- A combination deer license includes a regular tag and a restricted tag. The regular tag can be used to take an antlered deer with three or more points on one side. The restricted tag can be used to harvest an antlered deer with four or more points on one side.
- Hunters may not use a crossbow or a modified bow in the U.P. during the Dec. 1 to Jan. 1 late archery deer season and December muzzleloader deer season, unless the hunter is disabled and has a crossbow permit or special permit to take game with a modified bow (see page 28).
- There are no deer carcass transportation restrictions (unless bringing in a deer from another state).
Lower Peninsula
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Doe harvest is critical. If you are hunting in an area with high deer numbers or a disease-prevalent area, consider taking a doe. Harvesting does, the drivers of the deer population, is a key element in deer management.
- Bovine tuberculosis is still a concern in the northeast area. If hunting in DMU 487, make every effort to have your deer tested. Learn more at michigan.gov/bovinetb.
Be sure to know the difference between elk and deer before you shoot! If you are hunting near the elk range (northern Lower Peninsula), remember that wild elk cannot be hunted without an elk hunting license. An elk calf can be mistaken for an antlerless deer. Learn more at michigan.gov/elk.
 Designated CWD areas
- The Core CWD Area is Ionia, Kent, Mecosta, Montcalm and Newaygo counties (Lower Peninsula).
- The CWD Management Zone is Calhoun, Clinton, Eaton, Gratiot, Hillsdale, Ingham, Isabella, Jackson, Muskegon, Ottawa and Shiawassee counties (Lower Peninsula).
- In the Upper Peninsula, there is a CWD surveillance area and an expanded surveillance area.
- A map of all CWD areas, along with additional CWD materials and frequently asked questions, can be found at michigan.gov/cwd.
Deer check: voluntary or mandatory
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Deer check is voluntary unless moving deer out of CWD areas. There is no longer mandatory check anywhere in the state unless you plan on moving your deer from the Core CWD Area or the CWD Management Zone.
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To do so, check the deer within 24 hours at any DNR check station, drop box, partnering taxidermist or meat processor in the state. Alternatively, you can move deboned meat, quarters or other parts of the deer that do not have any part of the spinal column or head attached, antlers attached to a skull cap cleaned of all brain and muscle tissue, hides, antlers, upper canine teeth or finished taxidermy products. Watch video to learn more.
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Drop boxes are self-serve. Plan to leave your deer head in the box unless you are doing a European or shoulder deer mount. Watch video to learn more.
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CWD test results may take up to 14 business days. Visit michigan.gov/dnrlab to check your results.
- There are statewide testing goals for both CWD and bovine tuberculosis. Once the DNR reaches testing goals, testing is at the discretion of the hunter. Any hunter may ask to have their deer tested for CWD or TB. Testing goals may be found at michigan.gov/cwd.
CWD licenses and regulations
- There is a purchase limit of 10 private-land antlerless licenses per hunter in the CWD Management Zone.
- In the CWD Management Zone, all deer licenses may be used to harvest antlered deer with at least one antler 3 inches or longer. There is no longer a 4- point antler point restriction on the restricted tag of the combination license.
- Deer management units have changed within CWD areas, and hunters who want to purchase an antlerless license need to know the DMU of the county they are hunting in (see page 36 of the Hunting Digest).
Carcass disposal
- You should handle and dispose of your carcass in a responsible manner – dispose of leftover carcass parts through your garbage service, a landfill, incineration or deep burial at the harvest location. You also may dispose of your deer carcass at main DNR offices that check deer.
If you see a sick deer
While you are out hunting, keep an eye out for deer exhibiting signs of CWD. Deer with the disease can be thin and show abnormal behavior such as loss of fear of humans, lowered head or excessive drooling. Report sick deer to the DNR at 1-800-292-7800 or online at michigan.gov/eyesinthefield.
There are new properties available to hunt through the Hunting Access Program. Locations include properties in Ionia, Kent, Montcalm, Newaygo and Mecosta counties. Find a complete list of private lands available to hunt at michigan.gov/hap. The HAP webpage includes details about enrolled properties, including types of hunting allowed and aerial photos of the properties.
To find HAP properties and other places to hunt, use the DNR’s Mi-HUNT – a web-based, interactive mapping tool that shows approximate boundaries of lands (both public and private) that are open to public hunting. Get started at michigan.gov/mihunt.
Fall is the perfect time to inventory the habitat where you hunt. You may want to enhance edge quality, increase woody browse or prepare areas for planting a food plot. Learn more about deer habitat needs and habitat management with Managing Michigan’s Wildlife: A Landowner’s Guide, available at michigan.gov/landownersguide.
The options for where to begin with property enhancement can seem nearly endless, but a great place to start is with your local conservation district, where someone who knows your area can connect you with information and resources. You can find more about Michigan conservation districts and your local district office by visiting macd.org.
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