What changed in Michigan hunting for 2026 (a lot)

Updated June 2026, after the Natural Resources Commission’s May meeting. This page is the annual anchor — we refresh it each year when the NRC sets regulations.

The headline changes for 2026

The NRC approved sweeping changes in May 2026 — the biggest single-year overhaul in decades:

• The Limited Firearm Deer Zone is gone. Rifles larger than .22 rimfire are now legal for deer statewide, including all of southern Michigan. The “rifle line” your grandfather hunted under no longer exists.
• Muzzleloader season shrank from 10 days to 3 and is now the December Firearm Deer Season, starting the first Friday in December — any legal firearm in the Lower Peninsula (muzzleloader rules still apply in the U.P.).
• All deer seasons now end January 1. The extended late antlerless season and the January urban archery season are eliminated.
• The Late Antlerless Season starts earlier — the Monday after the December Firearm Season — and runs through January 1.
• Liberty Hunt and the Early Antlerless Season now run together, the second weekend of September (Sept. 12–13 in 2026).
• The U.P. antlerless access drawing is eliminated; universal antlerless licenses are valid only in DMUs 022, 122, 155, 255, 121 and 055.
• Digital eHarvest tags expanded to deer, turkey, bear, bobcat, otter, fisher, and marten — optional, with paper still available.
• Spring turkey simplified to three management units: M (U.P.), NN (northern L.P.), ZZ (southern L.P.).

Already approved for 2027 (Lower Peninsula only)

• One buck per hunter per year.
• A single license = one buck with at least 3 points on a side, or one doe; a combo = one buck plus one doe, or two does.
• A pilot “earn a second buck” program in parts of southern Michigan: take a doe first, earn a second buck tag with a 4-point restriction. Counties to be announced.
• The U.P. keeps its current rules.

Two live situations to watch (not settled law)

• The Lower Peninsula baiting ban is still fully in effect. The state House passed HB 4445 in February 2026 to lift it; as of mid-2026 the bill sits in the Senate and the DNR opposes it. If it becomes law, we’ll update the same week.
• License fees: the governor’s FY2027 budget proposed the first fee restructuring since 2014 (for example, resident deer license $20 → $25), and fee bills have been moving in the Legislature. Until something is enacted, current prices apply — confirm at checkout.

The signpost

Rules change every year. The current official regulation summaries live at Michigan.gov/DNRDigests; season dates and licenses at Michigan.gov/DNRLicenses and the Hunt Fish app. Start with Hunting in Michigan, explained for the full orientation — and see the fishing side at What changed in Michigan fishing for 2026.