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Gear up for some early Michigan deer hunting opportunities.
Before you head into the field, be sure to check the latest hunting regulations in your area by looking at the 2021 Hunting Digest. The sections below refer to specific pages of the digest for more information on these topics.
Questions? Contact the Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Division, 517-284-9453.
Baiting and feeding is banned in the entire Lower Peninsula and the Core CWD Surveillance Area in the Upper Peninsula.
- Exception: Hunters with disabilities who meet specific requirements may use bait, five days before and during the Liberty and Independence hunts only, in areas where baiting is banned. See pages 43-44.
- Note: Youth hunters may not use bait in areas where baiting is banned during the Liberty Hunt.
- See page 56 for additional information about the baiting and feeding bans.
Universal antlerless license
- New this year: Universal antlerless deer licenses may be used on public or private land in any deer management unit open to antlerless hunting. Some hunters in the Upper Peninsula (DMU 351 and 352) will need to have an access permit along with a universal antlerless deer license to hunt antlerless deer. See pages 47-48.
Antler point restrictions (APR)
- Mainland Lower Peninsula hunters may harvest an antlered or antlerless deer on their deer or deer combo licenses during archery, firearm and muzzleloader seasons.
- Be sure to check the APR chart before heading out this year:
- Lower Peninsula APR chart, see pages 53-55.
- Upper Peninsula APR chart, see pages 58-59.
This firearm deer hunt will take place Sept. 11-12 statewide on private and public lands open to firearm deer hunting. Individuals with qualifying disabilities may participate in this hunt in addition to youth 16 years of age and younger.
Youth hunting in areas with a baiting ban in place may not use bait during the Liberty Hunt. Antler point restrictions do not apply for the Liberty Hunt. Youth and hunters with disabilities may harvest either an antlered or antlerless deer on a deer or deer combo license. Youth age 16 and under may hunt with a firearm on public land. All hunters participating in this season must wear hunter orange.
See pages 37 and 43 for details.
Early antlerless firearm season is open on private lands only in all mainland Lower Peninsula deer management units. See page 52 for open DMUs.
During this season, hunters may harvest antlerless deer with a universal antlerless license or with a deer or deer combo license. All hunters participating in this season must wear hunter orange.
Archery deer hunting is open statewide Oct. 1 - Nov. 14 and Dec. 1 - Jan. 1.
This firearm deer hunt will take place on private lands, and some public lands requiring an access permit, Oct. 14-17.
During this hunt, a deer or deer combo license may be used for an antlered or antlerless deer. Antler point restrictions do not apply. A universal antlerless deer license or deer management assistance permit may be used to take one antlerless deer only, if issued for the area/land being hunted on. The bag limit for this season is one deer. All hunters participating in this season must wear hunter orange.
Additional details can be found on page 44.
If you’re hunting in an area with high deer numbers or a disease-prevalent area, consider taking a doe this year to do your part in managing Michigan’s deer herd.
Harvesting does, the drivers of the deer population, is a key element in deer management. It is 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.
DNR deer check station hours, days of operation and locations will be limited in 2021. To find a deer check station near you, visit Michigan.gov/DeerCheck.
The DNR is beginning a five-year process of focused chronic wasting disease surveillance – in the form of testing deer heads – around the state. In 2021, surveillance will be occurring mainly in the lower third of the state. Over the next four years, the rest of the state will be sampled to determine if CWD is present in other parts of the state where it has not yet been identified.
In 2021, we will be accepting CWD samples from Allegan, Barry, Branch, Calhoun, Eaton, Gratiot, southern Isabella, Hillsdale, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Lenawee, Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Joseph, Washtenaw and Wayne counties, and also from the core CWD surveillance area in the Upper Peninsula (portions of Dickinson, Menominee and Delta counties) for CWD testing. Deer heads from these counties can be submitted at any open DNR deer check station or drop box from October through January.
Deer harvested in Clinton, Dickinson, Ingham, Ionia, Kent and Montcalm counties can be tested for CWD through the DNR for free from Nov. 15-18 only. Participating USDA-approved lab testing is available in these areas at any time for a fee.
Hunters in the remainder of the state who want their deer heads tested must submit them to a participating USDA-approved lab at any time for testing. Hunters will be charged a fee to have deer heads tested. Visit Michigan.gov/CWD and click on ‘For Hunters’ for more information about participating USDA-approved lab testing.
Deer heads will continue to be collected for annual bovine tuberculosis surveillance in DMU 487 (Alpena, Alcona, Iosco, Montmorency, Oscoda, and Presque Isle counties). Additionally, TB tests will also be conducted in Cheboygan, Crawford, Ogemaw, Otsego and Roscommon counties as well as parts of Allegan, Emmet and Saginaw counties.
Entire carcasses from deer displaying symptoms of CWD and/or TB will be collected and tested throughout the deer season, regardless of where they were harvested.
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