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:
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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:
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Want to find tasty morel mushrooms in the forest? Click the box above for tips and tricks to fill your basket.
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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.
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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.
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The hunting regulations summaries are a condensed summaries of the full regulations and legal descriptions found in this Wildlife Conservation Order, issued by the Natural Resources Commission.
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.
Apprentice hunter — a person 10 years old or older without a hunter safety certificate who is licensed under the Apprentice Hunting Program.
Bait — a substance composed of grains, fruits, vegetables or other food placed to lure or entice migratory birds. This does not apply to standing farm crops (normal agricultural practices) or other naturally growing grains, fruits or vegetables.
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.
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.
Daily bag limit — the maximum number of game birds or animals of a single species or combination of species permitted to be taken by one person in any one day during the open season.
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 to a higher position.
Firearm — any weapon which will, is designed to, or may readily be converted to expel a projectile by action of an explosive.
Fixed shotgun shell — a self-contained shotgun shell consisting of the case, primer, propellant charge, and projective or projectiles.
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, sharp-tailed 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.
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.
Mechanical decoy — any device that, by design or construction, uses motion as a visual stimulus to attract a migratory bird.
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.
Migratory bird — any bird listed in the Code of Federal Regulations under Title 50 Part 10.13.
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.
Possession limit — the maximum number of game birds or animals of a single species or combination of species, permitted to be possessed by any one person when lawfully taken in Michigan.
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 a vacation, a tree blind, a tent, a recreational 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; 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.
Shotgun — a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder that uses the energy of the explosive in a fixed shotgun shell to fire through a smooth bore either a number of ball shot or a single projectile for each single function of the trigger.
Sinkbox — a low, floating device with a depression, affording the hunter a means of concealment beneath the surface of the water.
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 when electronic systems. The ball and powder can remain in the barrel.
Waterfowl — ducks, geese, gallinules and mergansers.
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.
