Michigan Hunting Wildlife & Habitat Alliance

05/14/2026

Straight from the source...

At its May 13, 2026 meeting, the Michigan Natural Resources Commission (NRC) approved several deer regulation changes for the 2026 and 2027 hunting seasons following extensive public input. The seven-member public body whose members are appointed by the governor, acted on and amended recommendations developed by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to support healthy deer populations while balancing hunter opportunity and public feedback. The department presented the recommendations to the NRC on April 8, 2026. Under Michigan law, the NRC has the exclusive authority to regulate the taking of game and establish hunting regulations.

Changes approved for the 2026 deer seasons:
🔶 Elimination of the antlerless deer hunting access drawing in the Upper Peninsula. There will not be an antlerless deer hunting access drawing in the Upper Peninsula. DMUs 351 and 352 have been rescinded. Hunters in the Upper Peninsula will only be able to use universal antlerless deer licenses in DMUs 022, 122, 155, 255, 121, and 055 during the 2026 season.

🔶 Reduction of the statewide muzzleloader deer season from 10 days to three days. The shortened season will begin on the first Friday in December. In the Lower Peninsula, any legal firearm may be used during this season, which will now be called the December Firearm Deer Season.

🔶 Opening the Late Antlerless Firearm Deer Season earlier, beginning on the Monday following the December Firearm Deer Season and continuing through Jan. 1. The season will be open across the Lower Peninsula except in Deer Management Units 245 (South Fox island) and 145 (North Manitou island). Deer Management Unit 115 (Beaver and Garden Islands) are now open for both early and late antlerless firearm deer seasons.

🔶 Elimination of the Limited Fi****ms Deer Zone in the Lower Peninsula, allowing the use of all legal fi****ms, including bottleneck cartridges, throughout the Lower Peninsula. Fi****ms larger than .22 rimfire are now permitted statewide.

🔶 Authorization for residents with a valid senior deer license, senior deer combination license, or senior antlerless deer license to use a crossbow during the late archery deer season in the Upper Peninsula.

🔶 Elimination of the extended late antlerless firearm deer season and the January archery deer seasons, concluding all deer hunting seasons after Jan. 1.

🔶 Scheduling the early antlerless firearm deer season to run concurrently with the Liberty Hunt during the second weekend in September. The Liberty Hunt and Early Antlerless Firearm Deer seasons will be on September 12-13 this year.

🔶 Authorization for the department to establish universal antlerless deer license use limits in consultation with the NRC. The universal antlerless deer license use limits will be reviewed and published annually. This change applies limits on the number of universal antlerless licenses that hunters may use within individual Deer Management Units or counties.

In addition, the NRC approved several administrative changes for 2026, including:
🔶 Allowing case-by-case exceptions to authorize wildlife rehabilitators to possess fawns for rehabilitation.

🔶 Resolving a gap between Deer Management Units 027 and 036. This gap existed in the Wildlife Conservation Order only.

Changes approved for the 2027 deer seasons:
🔶 Limiting harvest to one buck per hunter in the Lower Peninsula.

Under the new regulations:
🔶 A single deer license in the Lower Peninsula will be valid for one deer with at least three antler points on one side or for one antlerless deer.

🔶 A deer combination license will allow hunters to take one antlered deer and one antlerless deer, or two antlerless deer.

🔶 Existing DMU-specific antler point restrictions will remain in place.

🔶 Upper Peninsula deer regulations will remain unchanged.

The NRC also approved a pilot “earn a second buck” program in the southern Lower Peninsula (Zone 3). Under the pilot program, hunters must first harvest an antlerless deer before becoming eligible to harvest a second buck with a four-point antler point restriction. The department will determine participating counties at a later date and will bring forward a Wildlife Conservation Order amendment in July outlining the program parameters.

In addition, the NRC expanded exceptions authorizing deer management assistance permits for the take of antlered deer causing horticultural damage because of the new one-buck limit in the Lower Peninsula. These exceptions will require approval from wildlife and law enforcement supervisors.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is currently preparing the 2026 deer hunting regulations summary, which will include complete season regulations and hunting information. Digital versions will be available first through the Michigan DNR Hunt Fish app and on the DNR website, followed by printed copies distributed to license retailers and DNR offices statewide.

05/14/2026

What a long crazy day! The needle moves towards better management ever so slightly.

05/11/2026

Michigan deer hunters need to pay close attention to what is happening before the May 13 NRC meeting.

After months of public discussion around one-buck, APRs, county-based antlerless management, and real deer management reform, a new “earn-a-second-buck” idea is now being floated at the last minute.

This was not part of the Deer Advisory Team discussion.
It was not part of the January NRC goals.
It was not part of the DNR’s original public proposal.
It was not part of the NRC Wildlife Committee amendments.

Now, at the 11th hour, hunters are being asked to accept a major new tag structure that was never properly vetted in public.

And biologically, it makes no sense.

If every hunter was successful under an earn-a-second-buck system, Michigan would be encouraging the harvest of two bucks and one doe. That is not fixing our deer management problem. That is doubling down on the same antlered-deer harvest culture that has helped create poor age structure, poor s*x ratios, and declining hunter satisfaction.

This proposal should concern everyone — even hunters who opposed the one-buck rule.

If you wanted to keep a two-buck system, this may actually be worse. Instead of simply buying your buck tags, you may now be pushed into a more expensive tag structure and forced into a doe harvest requirement that may not make sense where you hunt.

That is especially concerning for public-land hunters and areas of the Lower Peninsula where increased antlerless pressure is not needed. Antlerless harvest should be targeted by county and local deer density, not forced broadly as a political tradeoff to preserve second-buck opportunity.

We also need to talk about cost. Hunters may be looking at roughly $60 for three tags they may or may not be able to use, instead of a simpler and more direct structure like a single buck tag and antlerless option.

Michigan does need change. The current system is not working. But replacing it with a last-minute earn-a-second-buck compromise is not reform. It is politics.

The NRC should stay focused on the original goals:

improve buck age structure
improve s*x ratios
manage antlerless harvest where it is actually needed
improve hunter satisfaction
recruit and retain younger hunters
make biologically sound changes in 2026, not delay action

Do not let this process get hijacked at the last minute.

Contact the NRC before the May 13 meeting:
[email protected]

04/24/2026

3 weeks to change culture of Michigan deer hunting! One buck tag with APRs. County level antlerless management. 2026!!!

04/16/2026

Long post! So many people are uninformed and not fully understanding of the process, or the proposals, and who made them. Before you have an opinion - I challenge you to first read and comprehend the information.

🟩 WHAT THE DNR PROPOSED (BASE PLAN)
🦌 Late Season Structure
Shorten muzzleloader (LP + UP) to 3 days (Dec 4–6)
LP becomes “December Firearm Season” (all legal fi****ms)
Late antlerless starts immediately after (Dec 7 – Jan 1)

🔫 Firearm Zone
NO CHANGE proposed
Limited Firearm Zone (southern Michigan) stays in place

🏷 Antlerless Tags
Keep 10 tag limit statewide
Consider (but NOT implement):
County/DMU-based usage limits
➡️Only 20% of hunter taking a single doe

🦌 Buck Regulations (BIG ONE)
Move to a One-Buck structure
Lower Peninsula:
Single tag → antlerless only
Combo → 1 buck + 1 doe
➡️ This could protect upwards of 32,000 antlered deer. Or give 32,000 other hunters an opportunity.
Upper Peninsula:
Keeps current structure mostly intact

⚠️ Important:
DNR timeline = START IN 2027 (not 2026)
➡️Always slow to make changes

📅 Other Changes
Early antlerless season moved earlier (Sept)
Expanded late antlerless in some counties
➡️ Has never been an effective antlerless mechanism.
Beaver Island additional antlerless opportunity

🟧 WHAT THE NRC CHANGED (AMENDMENTS)
(These are the changes added ON TOP of the DNR plan)

🔥 1. Remove Rifle Restriction (Zone 3 / SLP)
Eliminates Limited Firearm Zone
Rifles legal statewide
➡️ Major policy shift NOT proposed by DNR - Bolsters support for higher efficiency of harvest, especially for antlerless deer.

🦌 2. Antlerless Tag Changes
Reduce from 10 → 5 tags
Add county/DMU-based limits
➡️ DNR did NOT recommend either of these - This is huge for long term population control and gives the public a better idea of the areas that NEED it.

🦌 3. Buck Regulation Rewrite (OBR + APR Combo)
Statewide OBR (One Buck Rule structure)

Combo license becomes:
1 Buck (APR restricted) & 1 Antlerless

APR by zone:
Zone 2: 3 points on one side
Zone 3: 4 points on one side

Upper peninsula To be voted on separately from Lower Peninsula....
Upper Peninsula: 3 point on one side

-or-

Upper Peninsula: Preserve Hunter Choice.
Choice 1 - Combo both tags restricted (1) 3 points on a side (2) 4 points on a side.
Choice 2 - Single Antlered Deer Tag. No restriction.
➡️ More aggressive and structured than DNR version - Incentivizes antlerless harvest - Gives Public Land hunters better age structure potential.

📅 4. Season Structure Changes
Zone 1 - Upper Peninsula Gun Season:
Starts Nov 15, 2026
Shortened to 9 days
7-day quiet period before
Zone 2&3 - Lower Peninsula Gun Season:
Opens Saturday before Thanksgiving November 21, 2026
9 days
7-day quiet period before.
➡️ Shorter, more controlled firearm season

❄️ 5. December Firearm Season Changes
Lower Peninsula:
Renamed "December Firearm Season"
3 days (scheduled 3 days surrounding the second Saturday in Dec) December 11-13th, 2026
UP:
"Muzzleloader Only" stays (Dec 4–6, 2026)
➡️ Slight timing shift vs DNR plan

🦌 6. Late Antlerless Season
Starts after December firearm season
Runs to January 1 in Lower Peninsula only.

🛑 7. Hard Season End
ALL deer hunting ends January 1

🧭 8. DMU Changes (UP)
Eliminate DMU 351 & 352 system
Fold into broader management structure

🏹 9. Senior Crossbow Use (UP)
Seniors allowed crossbow during archery

⚡ 10. TIMELINE CHANGE (CRITICAL)
NRC Amendment: START IN 2026
➡️ This is a major acceleration - Much needed!

04/16/2026

Michigan hunters & landowners — we need to show up.
https://forms.gle/TqnLoRqSXW8mn5WeA
There’s a lot of noise…
But not enough organized support.

So I built a simple form to show the NRC exactly where people stand on the proposed deer regulation changes.

👉 Takes 30 seconds
👉 Names will be compiled and shared as an informal petition

If you support better deer management in Michigan — this is how you make it count.

👇 Add your name:
Michigan hunters & landowners — we need to show up.

There’s a lot of noise…
But not enough organized support.

So I built a simple form to show the NRC exactly where people stand on the proposed deer regulation changes.

👉 Takes 30 seconds
👉 Names will be compiled and shared as an informal petition

If you support better deer management in Michigan — this is how you make it count.

👇 Add your name:
Michigan hunters & landowners — we need to show up.

There’s a lot of noise…
But not enough organized support.

So I built a simple form to show the NRC exactly where people stand on the proposed deer regulation changes.

👉 Takes 30 seconds
👉 Names will be compiled and shared as an informal petition

If you support better deer management in Michigan — this is how you make it count.

👇 Add your name:
https://forms.gle/TqnLoRqSXW8mn5WeA

04/16/2026

Great side by side comparison of the only state to top our hunter density.

04/10/2026

04/09/2026

NRC Meeting Update on deer regulation proposals... more in the comments!

04/08/2026

Wow! Into the 10th hour for today's NRC meeting! I believe around 60 people spoke. If you all are interested I'd be willing to give a live update on my drive home of the meeting Just give me a like or comment. I'll share my overall thoughts on the opinions shared.