Showcasing the DNR

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Topics range from fishing and hunting to history and outdoor recreation. This is a weekly feature story sent on Thursday.

Recent stories

Meat processors key to Hunters Feeding Michigan’s efforts

The Hunters Feeding Michigan program processed 138,000 pounds, half a million servings, of venison in fiscal year 2026. Without the support of a network of participating meat processors around the state, who turn donated deer into the ground venison that Hunters Feeding Michigan distributes, the program simply wouldn’t be possible.

Meat processors key to Hunters Feeding Michigan’s efforts

A white-tailed buck walking through a grassy area with forest in background

Beauty on the bend: First-time backcountry camping at the Porkies

An account of a three-day beginner backpacking trek at Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in the western Upper Peninsula, part of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Outdoor Skills Academy.

Beauty on the bend: First-time backcountry camping at the Porkies

three backpackers stand on platform overlooking forest and lake at the Porkies

The fight to save Michigan's bats

Here’s the real scary part about bats: Their numbers were decimated by a fungal disease called white-nose syndrome more than a decade ago and, despite researchers’ ongoing efforts, have not yet recovered. That’s frightening because bats play an important role in our world.

The fight to save Michigan's bats

group of little brown bats hibernating in a mine

Using genetics to monitor walleye populations

A new method for tagging stocked walleye, called parentage-based tagging, is more effective and cost-efficient than traditional approaches and will help fisheries managers better understand how stocking is or isn’t affecting the walleye populations in key lakes. It’s kind of like Ancestry.com or 23andMe for fish.

Using genetics to monitor walleye populations