Imagine, if you can, that you were fortunate enough to be selected for every limited-access hunting opportunity in Michigan in the same year -- elk, bear, spring and fall wild turkey, antlerless deer and even opening day at a managed waterfowl area.

Nobody's that lucky, right?

Wrong. Beginning in 2010, three individuals will be precisely that lucky as the Department of Natural Resources unveils a new hunting opportunity: the Pure Michigan Hunt.

For a $4 application fee, hunters will earn the right to participate in all of the limited-access hunts Michigan has to offer.

The idea sprung from the fertile mind of Russ Mason, the DNR's Wildlife Division chief.

"I'd love to be able to say I was creative enough to come up with this on my own, but the truth is, most Western states are doing something like it," Mason said. "Arizona has a hunt, Utah has a hunt, Idaho has a hunt. Why shouldn't we, too?"

The purpose of the Pure Michigan Hunt is two-fold: It
not only highlights the diverse hunting opportunities available to Michigan hunters, but it also raises some much-needed revenue for the state's Game and Fish Protection Fund, the pot of money used to manage fish and wildlife resources in Michigan.

How much money will it raise? Well, the sky's the limit.

Unlike the other hunting license lotteries, which limit applications to one per person, hunters will be allowed to purchase as many chances at the Pure Michigan Hunt jackpot as they desire. And the lucky folks whose names are drawn out of the hat will not be subject to many of the restrictions of individual species drawings.

For instance, if you are drawn for the Pure Michigan Hunt, you will be able to purchase an elk license -- good for a bull or an antlerless animal -- even if you are restricted from the elk drawing because of previous success. And winning the Pure Michigan Hunt lottery will not affect your weighted chances for being drawn in future elk hunts.

It gets even better. Drawing winners will not be restricted to particular hunt periods and geographic areas as they are in other limited-access hunts. Those who are drawn in the Pure Michigan Hunt will be allowed to hunt for the species anywhere and anytime it's open. (There's one minor caveat; Pure Michigan Hunt bear licenses will not be valid on Drummond Island, which is severely restricted because of concerns about the bear population there.) The results will not impact a would-be bear hunter's preference points for future bear drawings, either.

So let's say, for the sake of argument, you go out on the early elk hunt in September and fail to fill your tag. No problem, you can go right back to hunting elk when the season reopens in December. And you have the option of moving from hunting area to hunting area if you don't like what you're seeing.

"This is a chance to keep hunting until you fill your tag or the season runs out, whichever comes first," Mason said.

Same goes for antlerless deer -- you will be able to buy a license that allows you to pursue the game in any Deer Management Unit that is open to antlerless hunting. The same tag will be valid at a southern Michigan farm or an Upper Peninsula forest.

Although no one is projecting exactly how many applications the Pure Michigan Hunt will generate, it could be huge. If just the hunters who participate in the antlerless deer, elk, bear, turkey and managed waterfowl area hunts apply one time, it will total more than 100,000. Add in the folks who want a second or third chance at any of those opportunities and the numbers could skyrocket, all at a time when the Game and Fish Protection Fund -- like all state budgets -- is under stress.

"If we sell 500,000 applications, that's $2 million in revenue we don't have right now," Mason said.

There are other incentives as well. Lucky Pure Michigan Hunt winners who choose to participate in a reserved waterfowl hunt will get the first choice of hunting zones at the managed area. And Michigan's archery industry has stepped up to the plate and offered to outfit the winners with new archery gear.

Just about anyone -- resident or nonresident -- can apply, though nonresidents cannot currently purchase an elk license. Applicants must be at least 12 years old and have completed hunter safety training. But individuals who have a court-ordered restriction prohibiting them from buying a hunting license may not participate. License rights are not transferable -- if you win, you'll be the one entitled to a license.

"We think this is going to be huge," Mason said. "Imagine hunting elk in August, bears in September, and ducks and turkey in October -- Pure Michigan license holders will be able hunt just about every day in the fall and early winter until they fill their tags."

Pure Michigan Hunt applications will go on sale July 27 at 11 a.m. at all retail license agents and through the electronic license system at www.michigan.gov/dnr. They'll be on sale for the 2010 hunting season until Dec. 31. Winners will be announced in January.

So go ahead and take a chance. Buy one. Or several. Or a bunch. It's a new way to enjoy the Pure Michigan experience.