Antlerless deer license applications on sale until Aug. 15

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug. 12, 2014 

Contact: Holly Vaughn, 313-396-6863 or Brent Rudolph, 517-641-4903


Antlerless deer license applications on sale until Aug. 15

The Department of Natural Resources reminds hunters that the application period for antlerless deer licenses ends Aug. 15. Hunters may apply for one license in any open Deer Management Unit statewide; a nonrefundable $5 fee is charged at the time of application. Drawing results and leftover license availability may be viewed at www.michigan.gov/huntdrawings beginning Sept. 4.

Hunters may apply for one private-land or public-land license online at E-License, or at any authorized license agent or DNR Customer Service Center.

Those purchasing antlerless deer applications and licenses will notice some differences in the way hunt choices are listed this year, due to system changes that came with Michigan's new license structure. Applications for all antlerless deer hunts are now listed on the same page – with public-land hunts listed first (item numbers begin with a 1), followed by private-land hunts (item numbers begin with a 2). Those viewing the list of available hunt choices should scroll down until they find the correct number for the hunt they wish to apply for.

Young hunters, ages 9-16, can also purchase one junior antlerless deer license over the counter July 15 - Aug. 15. No application is required. A 9-year-old must be 10 by Sept. 15 to purchase this license.

Antlerless deer quotas have been reduced to about 494,000 licenses statewide, down from about 550,000 for 2013. In the Upper Peninsula, licenses are available only in DMUs 122, 055 and 155, and have been eliminated in other Upper Peninsula DMUs due to the severe winter of 2013-2014 and the resulting losses in the deer herd.

License quotas for each DMU can be found at www.michigan.gov/deer.

Any leftover antlerless deer licenses not issued in the drawing will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis beginning Sept. 11 at 10 a.m. EDT until license quotas are met. Leftover licenses may be unavailable or sell out quickly in high-demand hunt units. While there is no requirement to apply, hunters who are concerned about getting a license are encouraged to apply for the private- or public-land hunt of their choice.

PLEASE NOTE: In the printed 2014 Antlerless Deer Digest, DMU 115 is listed as open during the early and late antlerless firearm deer seasons. This is an error. DMU 115 is open only during the Liberty, Independence, archery, regular firearm and muzzleloader seasons.

Hunters also are reminded to apply for the Pure Michigan Hunt for $5 as many times as they would like. Three winners each will receive a prize package valued at over $4,000, including a rifle and crossbow plus licenses for elk, bear and antlerless deer hunting. Visit www.michigan.gov/puremichiganhunt for more information. To purchase Pure Michigan Hunt applications, visit E-License.

For more information, see the 2014 Antlerless Deer Hunting Digest, which can be found at local license agents or online at www.michigan.gov/dnrdigests.