Michigan's DNR wants everyone to be alert for any suspicious activity during elk season.

The hunt is officially on for firearm deer hunters, or for rifle hunters up north.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is now offering interactive hunter education and boater safety courses online.

Four-point antler point restriction on the restricted tag of the deer-combo license was reinstated for 19 Michigan counties.

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been found in both the Upper and Lower peninsulas of Michigan.

The DNR answered some frequently asked questions about the new reporting system for deer hunting in Michigan.

Firearm deer season kicks off Tuesday and this is the first season where all hunters who successfully take a deer need to report the kill online.

Deer hunting regulations in Michigan have become less restrictive over the last few years.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Division created a quiz to help people learn how to tell when a deer is sick.

The mythos of Bigfoot is alive and well in Michigan.

Michigan hunters are expected to report a successful hunt within 72 hours of harvesting a deer.

This year celebrates 50 years of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ deer management cooperation patch.

Many of Michigan’s hunting seasons kick off in September.

Deer hunters in Michigan are now required to report a successful harvest within 72 hours or before transferring possession of the deer.

Turkey hunting license applications for the 2022 fall season are available now through Aug. 1.

A southwestern Michigan man faces prison time and can no longer hunt in the state after pleading guilty to charges stemming from illegal deer poaching, authorities said.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has vetoed a bill that would have eased restrictions on feeding birds in areas where deer and elk roam.

OKLAHOMA CITY – A mythical, ape-like creature that has captured the imagination of adventurers for decades has now become the target of a state lawmaker in Oklahoma. A Republican House member has introduced a bill that would create a Bigfoot hunting season. He says issuing a state hunting license and tag could help boost tourism. “Establishing an actual hunting season and issuing licenses for people who want to hunt Bigfoot will just draw more people to our already beautiful part of the state," Humphrey said in a statement. Micah Holmes, a spokesman for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, which oversees hunting in Oklahoma, told television station KOCO that the agency uses science-driven research and doesn’t recognize Bigfoot.

DETROIT – Sunday is an unofficial holiday in Michigan -- it’s the opening day of firearm deer hunting season. The DNR reported technical issues Saturday that prevented many hunters from buying a base license and deer kill tags. The temporary tag should include the same information normally found on a kill tag:Identification of the hunter. Customers who have purchased a license on the DNR website are asked to use this temporary kill tag until their legal tag arrives in the mail. Officials say evidence suggests that Clark’s Marsh is highly contaminated with PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances).

LANSING, Mich. – Michigan wildlife officials won’t be able to check as many deer for chronic wasting disease during the upcoming hunting season. Deer heads from Clinton, Dickinson, Eaton, Gratiot, Ingham, Ionia, Jackson, Kent and Montcalm counties will be accepted for state testing only from Nov. 15-18. The archery season starts Thursday. The traditional firearm deer season starts Nov. 15. Related: Michigan hunters should expect changes to deer check stations this fall due to COVID-19

LANSING, Mich. – Deer hunters should expect changes to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources deer check stations this fall. Hunters will be required to wear masks and following social distancing guidelines at DNR deer check stations. At many check stations, hunters will be required to stay in their vehicles while their deer is checked. Hunters who want disease testing are asked to bring only deer heads to check stations by removing them ahead of time. Hours and locations of deer check stations will be available by clicking here.

CLAY TOWNSHIP, Mich. – An 11-year-old boy has died from his injuries after he was shot by his stepfather in an apparent hunting accident in Clay Township, officials said. “Like most of these, it could have been preventable,” Clay Township police Chief Michael Koach said. Sunset was at 7:40 p.m. and they were out looking for the deer they shot, according to authorities. Koach said the stepfather fired a shot that struck the 11-year-old boy. DNR officials are also investigating whether the family followed all the safety laws and rules, including that hunters must wear blaze orange.

11-year-old killed in hunting incident in Clay TownshipIf you need help with the Public File, call (313) 222-0566.

CLAY TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Two people were rushed to the hospital Sunday after being shot during a youth deer hunting event in in Clay Township. Police said it happened as they were out searching for a deer off Benoit Road in St. Clair County. According to authorities, the first person was shot in the woods on private property and another person was shot trying to unload the gun. Police did not reveal the ages of the victims or their conditions. The chief of police said the event is for young people to hunt, but they must be accompanied by an adult.

2 shot at youth deer hunting event in Macomb CountyPublished: September 13, 2020, 11:37 pmPolice said it happened as they were out searching for a deer off Benoit Road in eastern Macomb County.

CASEVILLE, Mich. – A 14-year-old deer hunter who possibly fell asleep in a farm field was killed when he was run over by a corn harvester in Michigan’s Thumb region, police said. Emergency workers were called about 9 a.m. Saturday to the cornfield in a rural area near the Huron County city of Caseville after a farm worker spotted the boy soon after accidentally driving over him, according to the county sheriff’s office. The boy from the nearby city of Elkton had been dropped off earlier for deer hunting at the field and might have fallen asleep, the sheriff’s office said. The farm worker wasn’t aware that anyone was in the field. The boy’s identity wasn’t immediately released by authorities and an autopsy was expected to be performed in the coming days.

WOLVERINE, Mich. A man has been arrested in connection with the poaching of a cow elk in a northern Michigan state forest. Jakob Gagnon, 21, was arraigned Aug. 28 in Cheboygan County District Court on misdemeanor taking an elk without a license and possessing stolen property charges, according to the state's Natural Resources department. Gagnon is accused of shooting and later processing the elk. Gagnon and Turbin live in Cheboygan Countys Wolverine, northwest of the state forest. Authorities continue to investigate the poaching of five elk in late 2019.

DETROIT A study of more than 30 years of data on bald eagles in Michigan shows the leading causes of death for the iconic national bird are being hit by cars and lead poisoning. Fish and Wildlife Service, Michigan State University and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. James Sikarskie, a retired professor from Michigan State Universitys College of Veterinary Medicine, was a co-author of the study. Lead poisoning causes damage to the liver and kidneys, and the treatment to draw the toxin out, chelation, is also traumatic on them.Michigan officials said they encourage non-lead ammunition. DNR spokesman Ed Golder said its a hunter preference partly because non-lead ammunition is more expensive.

LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Department of Natural Resources will launch a new license sales system Feb. 18. It will move to a “more technologically advanced system” for fishing and hunting licenses, snowmobile permits, hunting applications and off-road vehicles. The transition to the new system will begin Feb. 15 until noon Feb. 18. “We spent more than two years planning and developing a modern license sales system that offers up-to-date, convenient and cost-effective services for our customers and retail partners.”Customers are advised to purchase licenses and permits before Feb. 15. Features of the new license sales system include:A barcode scanner wand at retailer locations, which will allow license agents to speed up the sales process by quickly scanning customer driver’s licenses – including nonresidents – rather than typing in customer information.

BELLAIRE, Mich. (AP) – A Michigan hunter convicted of killing another hunter on the first day of the 2018 deer season was sentenced Monday to at least five years in prison. David Barber of Gaylord was sentenced for involuntary manslaughter and a gun offense, about a month after a jury convicted him in Antrim County. Investigators said Barber believed he had shot a deer but instead struck Justin Beutel who was found slumped over a deer, 55 yards (50.2 meters) away. Beutel, 38, of Midland County had sent a photo of himself and his buck to family just before his death. Barber, 46, will be eligible for parole after five years in prison.