Firearm deer season kicks off Tuesday in Michigan, and this is the first season where all hunters who successfully take a deer need to report the kill online.
Firearm deer season is open from Nov. 15 until Nov. 30. Online harvest reporting is required for all hunters who take a deer. Hunters have up to 72 hours after taking a deer to report the kill.
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Click here to learn more about how to report a harvest.
Read: Michigan deer hunters now have to report their harvest online: Here are answers to common questions
Help is available for anyone who is having trouble reporting a harvest. You can visit any of these locations across the state, or call 517-284-9453 during normal business hours and on Nov. 19 and 20 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where to buy a deer license
You can buy deer licenses anywhere DNR licenses are sold, click here to find an agent near you.
Kill tags purchased online take seven to 14 business days to arrive in the mail. You must have kill tags in your possession before hunting. To save time, buy the license from a local agent.
Disease monitoring and testing
If you are in a disease monitoring zone, you will see a message on the harvest report confirmation page asking you to submit your deer head for testing.
Submission is not required, but the DNR is encouraging everyone to help them meet their disease monitoring goals. You can click here to find a list of disease sample submission sites.
Check stations will be in places where the DNR needs to gather physical samples for bovine tuberculosis and chronic wasting disease.
CWD monitoring and testing
Hunters who harvest a deer in Clinton, Dickinson, Eaton, Gratiot, Ingham, Ionia, Jackson, Kent and Montcalm counties can submit deer heads for testing via a drop box or submit lymph nodes with a free lymph node shipping kit. That’s because CWD has been detected in those counties.
Hunters in the other two counties where CWD has been detected, Isabella and Hillsdale counties, can have deer tested at an area disease sample submission site.
Testing for a fee
In the rest of the state, hunters who want deer heads tested for CWD can submit them to a participating U.S. Department of Agriculture-approved lab for testing. There will be a fee, click here to learn more.
Read: View the 2022 Michigan hunting digest to learn about small game, waterfowl, deer and turkey hunting
2022 Michigan Hunting Digest
The DNR has information on what hunters can expect for this year’s deer hunting seasons including harvest reporting, disease monitoring and regional forecasts.
View the 2022 Michigan Hunting Digest below.
Have a question? You can contact the DNR Wildlife Division by calling 517-284-9453 or emailing them at dnr-wildlife@michigan.gov.