Wildlife
The animals you meet, and what to do.
Most wildlife encounters need less intervention than they first appear to. Leave healthy young animals where they are, keep your distance, remove attractants, and use the reporting or rehabilitation path only when the situation calls for it.
Start here
Begin with the orientation, then check the current-season note before making plans.
- OrientationThe animals you meet: Michigan wildlife rules and who to callThe fawn in the yard, the raccoon in the attic, the deer at the feeder — the rules for every wildlife encounter, and exactly who to call.
- 2026 updateWhat changed in Michigan wildlife rules for 2026Wildlife rules barely move — the live items are the feeding-ban bill in the Senate, evolving avian-flu guidance, and the seasonal beats: fawn season every May, feeders down in bear country.
- Found an animalFound a baby animal? Read this firstThat fawn is not abandoned. The species-by-species guide to baby wildlife, the real emergency signs, and the legal way to help when help is actually needed.
Choose the situation
Wildlife near home, feeding, large animals, keeping wildlife, and sick or dead animals.
- House & yardWildlife in your house and yard: the landowner's rulesSince 2023, Michigan landowners may remove 13 common species doing damage — year-round, no permit. The list, the fine print, and the playbooks for attic and deck classics.
- FeedingFeeding wildlife in Michigan: what's legal, what's wiseBirds: legal, with real fine print. Deer and elk in the Lower Peninsula: illegal. The honest map of Michigan's feeding rules, bread-at-the-duck-pond included.
- Large animalsBears, coyotes, wolves, and cougars: the encounter pageWhat to actually do about Michigan's big animals — bear attractants, coyote hazing, wolf law, and the real (calm) story on cougars. Written to lower heart rates.
- Keeping & collectingKeeping and collecting: pets, turtles, feathers, and shedsCan you keep it? Almost always no — with the narrow legal lanes mapped: the exotic-animal bans, the herp rules on a fishing license, the feather surprise, and the one found treasure that's yours.
- Sick or dead wildlifeRoadkill, sick, and dead wildlife: the practical pageHit a deer? You can keep it — free instant permit. Plus the cannot-salvage list, the don't-touch guidance for dead birds, and how reporting helps the DNR see disease moving.
Official sources
Confirm the current rule before you go
Michigan Porch explains the first step; the Michigan DNR controls wildlife law, permits, reporting, and the licensed rehabilitation system. Call 911 for an immediate threat to human life.
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