Turkey hunting in Michigan: spring drawings, guaranteed licenses, and fall birds

These are the 2026 rules. Season structures and hunt numbers change every year — confirm in the official DNR spring or fall turkey summary before you hunt.

The short version

Michigan’s turkey comeback is one of conservation’s great success stories — from nearly zero birds a century ago to huntable flocks in every county. There are two seasons: spring (the classic gobbler hunt — one bearded turkey) and fall (either sex, quieter, sold over the counter).

Spring turkey (the one most people mean)

• Apply January 1 – February 1 ($5) for the drawing; results post in early March. Residents and nonresidents have equal odds — unusual among states.
• New for 2026: just three turkey management units. Unit M (Upper Peninsula), NN (northern Lower Peninsula), and ZZ (southern Lower Peninsula). The old patchwork of unit maps is gone.
• Didn’t get drawn — or didn’t apply? You can still hunt. Two guaranteed licenses with unlimited quotas were sold over the counter in 2026: Hunt 0234 (May 2–31), the broad guaranteed license, and Hunt 0301 (April 18 – May 31), valid on private land in southern Michigan’s Unit ZZ. Check the current summary for exactly where each is valid — the fine print on public versus private land is the part to read twice.
• One spring license per hunter per year, one bearded turkey per license.

Fall turkey

No drawing anymore — fall licenses are sold over the counter (the U.P. unit carries a first-come quota). One license per year, bird of either sex.

Rules and quirks

• Turkeys may not be shot while roosted in a tree.
• Electronic, mechanical, or live decoys are prohibited; ordinary foam and plastic decoys are fine.
• No hunter orange is required — you’re camouflaged head to toe on purpose — but if your hunt overlaps a firearm season, wear orange when you’re moving.
• Youth 10–16 can buy a spring youth license without entering the drawing, valid statewide all season.
• Harvest reporting is mandatory, and eHarvest digital tagging now covers turkeys.

The signpost

Rules change every year. Application dates, leftover licenses, and unit maps live at Michigan.gov/Turkey — and when a printed summary and the DNR’s website disagree, the website wins.

New to hunting, or returning after years away? Start with Hunting in Michigan, explained and the rules of the woods.