Firearm deer hunting information

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White-tailed Deer Buck Near A Field

Firearm deer hunting begins Nov. 15

Join in the time-honored tradition of deer hunting in Michigan. Bring your friends and family along for a terrific time in Michigan's beautiful forests and fields. Firearm deer season is open Nov. 15-30. 


Review latest regulations in 2019 Hunting Digest

Before you head into the field, be sure to check the latest hunting regulations in your area by looking at the 2019 Hunting Digest. The sections below refer to specific pages of the digest for more information on these topics.


Important reminders: baiting/feeding and antler point restrictions

Baiting and feeding is banned in the entire Lower Peninsula and the core CWD surveillance area in the Upper Peninsula. 

Antler point restrictions (APR)

  • Montcalm, Mecosta and Ionia counties have new APRs.
  • Be sure to check the APR chart before heading out this year:
    • Lower Peninsula APR chart, see pages 42-43 of the 2019 Hunting Digest.
    • Upper Peninsula APR chart, see pages 48-49 of the 2019 Hunting Digest.

Transporting deer outside the CWD core/management area in the Lower Peninsula

To limit the spread of chronic wasting disease in Michigan, hunters who harvest deer from the CWD core area and the CWD management area are asked to present their deer at a DNR check station or drop box within 24 hours of harvest.

Can’t make it to a check station before it closes? Try one of our convenient drop boxes. For instructions, check out this video on how to use a drop box.

For information about transporting a carcass outside the CWD core or CWD management area, watch this whole carcass transportation video.

Did you harvest a trophy deer that you wish to have mounted, but still want to have the deer tested for CWD? No problem! Check out this document with steps to take to keep the deer head intact.


Harvest a doe: antlerless deer licenses available

If you’re hunting in an area with high deer numbers or a disease-prevalent area, consider taking a doe this year to help manage Michigan’s deer herd.

Harvesting does, the drivers of the deer population, is a key element in deer management. So it's important to consider increasing doe harvest in areas with stable or overpopulated deer numbers to ensure that deer numbers stay within healthy population ranges. This is especially crucial in known disease areas, where deer numbers often need to be lowered to help minimize the future spread of the disease. Ideally, buck and doe harvest should be relatively equal in disease areas.

Leftover antlerless licenses

All remaining antlerless deer licenses will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis until license quotas are met in each deer management unit. See current leftover license availability at Michigan.gov/Deer.


Deer check stations and TB/CWD testing

Don’t forget to bring your deer head to a DNR deer check station or drop box to be tested for CWD, especially if you hunt in Jackson, Isabella or Gratiot counties. The DNR needs samples from these three counties to meet surveillance goals, which will help biologists understand the scale of infection in the local deer herd.

If you hunt in Alcona, Alpena, Cheboygan, Crawford, Iosco, Montmorency, Ogemaw, Otsego, Oscoda, Presque Isle or Roscommon counties, please bring your deer heads to a check station or drop box for bovine tuberculosis testing.

Keep track of whether we still need samples from your area on our CWD testing results page or our TB testing results page.

Hunters should be prepared to wait about a month for TB and CWD test results, especially during the firearm deer season, when sample volume is high. 

Watch this CWD testing video to see the deer testing process from check station to final results!

Deer check stations ►

Go to Michigan.gov/DeerCheck to find check station locations and hours.

  CWD information ►

Get the latest updates and information on chronic wasting disease in Michigan.


Questions? Contact DNR Wildlife Division, 517-284-WILD (9453).