Where do I buy a Michigan hunting license?

Michigan hunting licenses and tags are sold by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources through its official licensing site. Buy direct from the agency rather than a reseller, and complete hunter education first if your birth year requires it.

When is Michigan hunting season?

Seasons differ by species, weapon and zone, and the Michigan season dates change every year. Our Michigan deer guide summarizes the 2025-26 deer season structure; for every other species, check the current Michigan Department of Natural Resources regulations before you plan a hunt.

What can you hunt in Michigan?

Besides white-tailed deer, our species guides single out Michigan for whitetail deer, black bear, ruffed grouse. Each species guide explains tags, seasons and tactics.

Where is public hunting land in Michigan?

Good starting points include Pigeon River Country State Forest, Huron-Manistee National Forests, Ottawa National Forest. Confirm access rules, closures and special regulations with the managing agency before you go.

Hunting · State by State

Michigan Hunting Guide

What to hunt in Michigan, what it costs, the laws that matter and where the public land is — with the official Michigan Department of Natural Resources links.

From Upper Peninsula wilderness to farmland giants downstate, Michigan offers some of the Midwest's most varied public-land whitetail hunting.

The southern Lower Peninsula is dense farmland and woodlots with high deer densities but heavy hunting pressure and mostly private land; the northern Lower Peninsula mixes state forest, hardwoods and hunt clubs; the Upper Peninsula is vast, lightly hunted conifer and hardwood wilderness with lower deer density but true solitude.

Agency: Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Region: Midwest
Deer rank: #9 of 50
Species guides: 4

Michigan hunting license and tag costs

Deer license and tag prices as last reviewed. Other species' permits are listed in the agency fee schedule.

License / tag	Price
Resident base license	$11 (required in addition to a deer license)
Resident deer license (single deer tag)	~$20
Nonresident base license	~$11
Nonresident deer license (single deer tag)	~$190
Antlerless deer license (per DMU, availability varies)	~$20 resident / ~$20-40 nonresident

Michigan hunting laws to know

Rules that catch hunters out most often. Not a substitute for the regulations book.

Topic	Rule
Blaze orange	Hunter orange (solid or camo-orange pattern, at least 50% orange) required for firearm and muzzleloader seasons; not required during archery-only season.
Baiting	Baiting and feeding are banned statewide except in the Upper Peninsula, where limited baiting is allowed with restrictions; rules have shifted due to CWD/TB concerns, so confirm current-year status.
Crossbows	Legal for all hunters during archery season, no permit required.
Sunday hunting	Allowed statewide.
Legal firearms	Shotgun and muzzleloader statewide; centerfire rifles are restricted or prohibited in much of the southern Lower Peninsula (pistol-caliber and straight-wall cartridges permitted there) but allowed in the northern Lower Peninsula and Upper Peninsula.
Tagging/reporting	Harvest reporting is mandatory statewide, done electronically or by phone within 72 hours.
CWD/TB carcass transport	Carcass movement restrictions apply out of CWD and bovine TB management zones; deboned meat, cleaned skull plates/antlers and hides may typically move — check the current county list.
Hunter education	Required for all first-time hunters born after Jan. 1, 1960, regardless of age.

Michigan deer season structure (2025-26)

Michigan's seasons and legal weapons vary significantly by Deer Management Unit and zone (Upper Peninsula, Northern Lower Peninsula, Southern Lower Peninsula); always confirm current dates and zone boundaries in the Michigan DNR Deer Hunting Regulations Summary before you hunt.

Season	Weapon	Typical window
Liberty Hunt (youth/disabled)	Varies	Sept. 13-14, 2025
Early antlerless firearm	Firearm	Sept. 2025 (select DMUs)
Archery	Bow / crossbow	Oct. 1, 2025 – Jan. 1, 2026
Regular firearm season	Rifle, shotgun, muzzleloader (zone-dependent)	Nov. 15–30, 2025
Muzzleloader season	Muzzleloader	Early-to-mid December 2025 (zone-dependent, ~10 days)
Late antlerless firearm	Firearm	Dec. 2025 – Jan. 11, 2026 (select counties)

What you can hunt in Michigan

Deer — White-tailed deer
Excellent · ranked #9 of 50 for deer.
Whitetail Deer
Big herds, huge public forest, and a classic November gun season
Access: Over-the-counter licenses for residents and nonresidents
Black Bear
The densest eastern populations; classic bait and hound hunting
Access: Maine is OTC-friendly; Wisconsin and Michigan are point-based draws
Ruffed Grouse
Vast public forest with strong grouse numbers on a healthy cycle year
Access: Over-the-counter small-game license

Public hunting land in Michigan

Michigan's best public-land opportunities are concentrated in the northern Lower Peninsula and Upper Peninsula, where state and national forest tracts offer huge, lightly pressured hunting grounds.

Pigeon River Country State Forest
State forest · Northern Lower Peninsula
Michigan's 'Big Wild,' over 100,000 acres of rolling hardwoods and elk range that also hold strong whitetail numbers.
Official page
Huron-Manistee National Forests
National forest · Northern Lower Peninsula
Nearly a million acres of mixed forest with dispersed camping and abundant public hunting access.
Ottawa National Forest
National forest · Western Upper Peninsula
Remote, heavily forested public land with low hunting pressure and a true wilderness feel.
Hiawatha National Forest
National forest · Eastern Upper Peninsula
Large blocks of public timber across two units, good for hunters willing to hike into cedar swamps and ridges.
Allegan State Game Area
State game area · Southwest Lower Peninsula
One of the largest public hunting tracts in the farmland-heavy southern Lower Peninsula, offering rare public access amid mostly private ground.

Official Michigan links

Last reviewed 2026-09.

Nearby state hunting guides

Questions

Frequently asked

Where do I buy a Michigan hunting license?: Michigan hunting licenses and tags are sold by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources through its official licensing site. Buy direct from the agency rather than a reseller, and complete hunter education first if your birth year requires it.
When is Michigan hunting season?: Seasons differ by species, weapon and zone, and the Michigan season dates change every year. Our Michigan deer guide summarizes the 2025-26 deer season structure; for every other species, check the current Michigan Department of Natural Resources regulations before you plan a hunt.
What can you hunt in Michigan?: Besides white-tailed deer, our species guides single out Michigan for whitetail deer, black bear, ruffed grouse. Each species guide explains tags, seasons and tactics.
Where is public hunting land in Michigan?: Good starting points include Pigeon River Country State Forest, Huron-Manistee National Forests, Ottawa National Forest. Confirm access rules, closures and special regulations with the managing agency before you go.