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
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Deer regs home page and glossary of terms
Purchasing licenses and kill tags
Antlerless deer drawing system
Accompany — to go along with another individual under circumstances that allow one to come to the immediate aid of the other individual while staying within a distance from the other individual that permits uninterrupted, unaided visual and auditory communication.
Antlered deer — a deer having at least one antler that extends 3 inches or more above the skull.
Antlerless deer — a deer without antlers, or with antlers extending less than 3 inches above the skull.
Antler point restriction — A tool used to protect an age class of bucks from being harvested in order to graduate them to the next age class by allowing hunters to harvest only bucks with a certain number of antler points on a side.
Apprentice hunter — a person 10 years old or older without a hunter safety certificate who is licensed under the apprentice program.
Bag limit — the number of animals that may be taken and possessed as determined by the DNR.
Bait — a substance intended for consumption by deer composed of grains, minerals, salts, fruits, vegetables, hay or any other food materials placed to lure or entice deer as an aid in hunting. This does not apply to standing farm crops (normal agricultural practices) or other naturally growing grains, fruits or vegetables.
Blind individual — an individual who has a visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with correction or has a limitation of his or her field of vision such that the widest diameter of the visual field subtends an angular distance not greater than 20 degrees, as determined by the Commission for the Blind.
Bow — a device for propelling an arrow from a string drawn, held and released by hand if the force used to hold the string in the drawn position is provided by the archer’s muscles.
Buck — a legal buck is a deer with one antler 3 inches or longer.
Buy/sell — an exchange or attempt or offer to exchange for money, barter or anything of value.
Chase — to follow animals with dogs or other wild or domestic animals trained for that purpose.
Crossbow — a weapon consisting of a bow, with a draw weight of 100 pounds or more, mounted transversely on a stock or frame and designed to fire an arrow, bolt or quarrel by the release of a bow string controlled by a mechanical or electric trigger with a working safety.
Deaf individual — an individual who is not able to process information aurally, with or without amplification, and whose primary means of communication is visual or by receiving spoken language through other sensory input, including, but not limited to, lipreading, sign language, finger spelling or reading.
Developmental disability — a severe, chronic condition as defined in section 100a of the mental health code, 16 1974 PA 258, MCL 330.1100a.
Elevated platform — any horizontal surface, constructed or manufactured by a person, that increases the field of vision of a person using it beyond the field of vision that normally would be attained by that person standing on the ground. Elevated platforms include scaffolds, raised platforms, ladders, steps and any other device that is used to assist in climbing a tree.
Feed — a substance composed of grains, minerals, salts, fruits, vegetables, hay or other food material that may attract deer or elk for any reason other than hunting.
Firearm — any weapon which will, is designed to or may readily be converted to expel a projectile by action of an explosive.
Game animal — any species of wildlife designated by the Legislature or the Natural Resources Commission as game under Section 40110 of the Michigan Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act and any of the following animals: badger, bear, beaver, bobcat, brant, coot, coyote, crow, deer, duck, elk, fisher, Florida gallinule, fox, goose, hare, Hungarian partridge, marten, mink, muskrat, opossum, otter, pheasant, quail, rabbit, raccoon, ruffed grouse, sharptailed grouse, skunk, snipe, sora rail, squirrel, Virginia rail, weasel, wild turkey, woodchuck and woodcock.
Ground blind— a structure, enclosure or any material, natural or manufactured, placed on the ground to assist in concealing or disguising a person for the purpose of harvesting an animal.
Hunter orange — the highly visible color commonly referred to as hunter orange that includes blaze orange, flame orange and fluorescent blaze orange.
Hunt or hunting — to pursue, capture, shoot, kill, chase, follow, harass, harm, rob or trap a wild animal, or to attempt to engage in such an activity.
Identification — a driver license issued by Michigan, another state or a Canadian province as accepted by the DNR, a State of Michigan identification card issued by the Secretary of State or a Sportcard issued by the DNR.
Kill tag — a license that is affixed to a harvested deer, turkey, bear, elk, otter, fisher, marten or bobcat.
License — a document or a tag, stamp, plastic card or other device that may include a stamp or a tag that authorizes the licensee to hunt, fish, trap or possess wild animals or aquatic species and other identification required by the DNR.
Mentor — a person at least 21 years old who has a valid license to hunt or previous hunting experience and is participating in the Mentored Hunting Program.
Nonresident — a person who is not a resident of Michigan.
Poaching — the illegal shooting, trapping or taking of game, fish or other natural resources from private or public property.
Protected wildlife — bear cubs, bear sows accompanied by cubs, cougars, eagles, flying squirrels, hawks, lynx, moose, nongame birds (except starlings, house sparrows and feral pigeons), owls, spruce grouse and wolverines. Protected wildlife cannot be taken at any time.
Residence — a permanent building serving as a temporary or permanent home. Residence may include a cottage, cabin or mobile home, but does not include a structure designed primarily for taking game, a tree blind, a tent, a recreational or other vehicle, or a camper.
Resident — a person who resides in a settled or permanent home or domicile within the boundaries of this state with the intention of remaining in this state; a student who is enrolled in a full-time course at a college or university within this state and who resides in the state during the school year; a person regularly enlisted or commissioned as an officer in the armed forces of the United States and officially stationed in this state; or a person regularly enlisted or commissioned as an officer in the armed forces of the United States who, at the time of enlistment, was a resident of this state and has maintained his or her residence in this state for purposes of obtaining a driver license or voter registration, or both.
Safety zone — all areas within 150 yards (450 feet) of an occupied building, dwelling, house, residence, cabin or any barn or other building used in a farm operation.
Season dates — the legal dates that may be hunted or trapped.
Take — to hunt with any weapon, dog, raptor or other wild or domestic animal trained for that purpose; kill; chase; follow; harass; harm; pursue; shoot; rob; trap; capture or collect animals, or to attempt to engage in such an activity.
Transport — to carry or ship animals within this state or to points outside this state.
Uncocked bow — a bow that is not in the drawn position.
Uncocked crossbow— a crossbow that is not in the cocked position.
Unloaded bow — a bow that does not have an arrow nocked.
Unloaded crossbow — a crossbow that does not have a bolt in the flight groove.
Unloaded firearm — a firearm that does not have ammunition in the barrel, chamber, cylinder, clip or magazine when the barrel, chamber, cylinder, clip or magazine is part of or attached to the firearm. Muzzleloading firearms are considered unloaded when the cap is removed or priming powder is removed from the pan, or when the battery is removed on electronic systems. The ball and powder can remain in the barrel.
Wild animal — a mammal, bird, fish, reptile, amphibian or crustacean of a wild nature indigenous to this state or introduced to this state by the DNR or a species determined by the DNR to be of public benefit.
