Get all your fishing information here, including rules and regulations, license info, the weekly fishing report and much more. Use the link above to visit the fishing home page, or go directly to your area of interest below:
Get all your hunting information here, including hunting season dates, rules and regulations, and much more. Use the button above to visit the hunting home page, or go directly to your area of interest below:
Information on DNR shooting and archery ranges, rules and regulations, resources to get started and more. Use the button above to visit the target shooing and archery home page, or go directly to one of the pages below:
Find snowmobile trail permit info, maps, rules and regulations and more. USE THE BUTTON ABOVE TO VISIT THE SNOWMOBILE HOMEPAGE or go directly to you area of interest below:
Want to find tasty morel mushrooms in the forest? Click the box above for tips and tricks to fill your basket.
Find cross-country ski, ice fishing , snowmobiling info and much more.
Find facility info, overnight info, an event calendar and much more.
Find a great trail experience near you - whether you want to hike, bike, snowmobile or ride an ORV. From long, paved linear trails to rugged forest terrain, Michigan offers trail opportunities for all abilities and interests.
Visitor Centers across the state provide education programs, field trips, archery, fishing, trails and much more. Click the box above to see all our locations, or click the individual location below.
We administer grants that enable our local partners to promote the lifestyles we all enjoy by providing recreational opportunities, enhancing wildlife habitat and ensuring public safety. Visit the grants home page by clicking on the button above, or view a specific area of interest below:
Recreational Safety and Hunter Education
Learn about Michigan's diverse range of fish, plants, trees, reptiles, amphibians, insects and mammals. Click the box above to see all species, or click the species group below.
DNR educators across the state provide fun, educational activities, programs and workshops year-round for adults, families and kids. Click the box above to see all our offerings, or click the program below.
DNR educators provide classroom lessons, field trip opportunities, professional development and experiential programs to teachers around the state. Click the box above to see all our offerings, or click the program below.
DNR forest resources professionals maintain healthy forests, manage wildfire, maintain responsible harvesting certifications and improve wildlife habitat. Click the box above to learn more about Michigan's state forests.
All DNR-related boards, committees, and advisory groups
Find seasonal, part-time and full-time job openings with the DNR
Search is currently unavailable. Please try again later.
The web Browser you are currently using is unsupported, and some features of this site may not work as intended. Please update to a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox or Edge to experience all features Michigan.gov has to offer.
October 16, 2025
Michigan Department of Natural Resources officials will sign and issue a permit Friday morning allowing a partially sight-impaired wild fawn to be placed at a facility where native, live animals are kept for educational purposes.
Thursday afternoon, the facility submitted an official request to the DNR required to keep an injured or otherwise impaired animal, that because of its condition, is unable to be released back into the wild.
The name of the facility is not being released by the DNR to give the fawn time to acclimate to its new surroundings. The deer was brought to the facility by the Detroit Animal Welfare Group.
Typically, fawns aided by animal rehabbers in the spring must be released into the wild by Oct. 1 to give them time to reacquaint themselves with food resource locations before winter arrives.
“Fawns and other white-tailed deer are native species of wild animals that belong in the wild. They aren’t meant to be pets,” said John Pepin, DNR deputy public information officer. “If they remain in rehab facilities beyond early October and are later released, they won’t be able to survive in the wild over the wintertime.”
Therefore, fawns kept in facilities past the October deadline are typically euthanized as a humane outcome. In rare cases, such as this one, fawns are permitted to be possessed under a Live Animal Programs permit, which authorizes facilities to keep animals for educational purposes.
The permits are not granted without prior approval from the DNR’s Wildlife Division permit specialist. Animals are also examined by a veterinarian to determine their viability for an educational setting.
A veterinarian conducted an examination of the fawn, and the final report was received by the DNR Thursday afternoon.
With the vet report and the formal request from the facility in hand, DNR officials reviewing the matter agreed late Thursday afternoon to grant the permit.
All live animals possessed need to be permanently injured or otherwise non-releasable animals that have been legally held and donated by a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. These animals must have acceptable outside facilities available.
Meanwhile, the DNR remains in litigation before an administrative law judge with the Detroit Animal Welfare Group. Those cases, including one involving a coyote possessed by the group, are pending. Given that status, the DNR won’t have any additional comment on those cases until they are concluded.
“The plight of this wild fawn has generated tremendous bipartisan support from legislators and people across Michigan and beyond,” Pepin said. “It is encouraging to see so much goodwill directed toward Michigan’s wild animals. This is likely to help ensure support for wildlife conservation and sound wildlife management heading into the future.”
Find out more about DNR wildlife rehabilitator permitting.
Learn more about deer management in Michigan.
