In partnership with Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation, we are offering a Becoming an Outdoors Woman: archery deer hunting clinic on Oct. 2-5. The program is designed to introduce women to deer hunting basics and offers the opportunity to hunt with an experienced mentor who provides knowledge and guidance.

Hosted at Sharon Mills County Park in Manchester, participants will take part in educational sessions and hunting opportunity at WCPRC properties. 

This workshop is open to any properly licensed woman hunter, 18 years of age or older. A hunter safety course is not required to participate, and compound, crossbow and traditional equipment are all accepted. Much of the equipment will be provided, but participants are welcome to provide their personal archery equipment. Proper safety and hunting techniques will be taught and followed.

The event schedule is: 

• On Thursday, participants will gain knowledge of deer biology, hunting ethics and safety.
• On Friday, we will cover tree stand/blind safety and set up and scouting. Participants will then be paired with mentors and prepare for hunting.
• On Saturday, participants and mentors will hunt in the morning and evening and can hunt again on Sunday morning if they choose. Following a successful harvest, the participants will have the opportunity to participate in and learn to field dress and register your harvest.

To attend this event, you must 18 years or older and have a Michigan Base License and Deer or Universal Antlerless license, which is available as an apprentice option, and purchased prior to attending the workshop. This can be purchased at any license agent or online. 

Enrollment is limited to 10 participants on a first-come, first-served basis. The cancellation deadline is September 12, 2025. The cost of this event is $100.00 per participant. 

Lunch will be provided Thursday, Friday and Saturday, while other meals will be the participants’ responsibility. Cabins are reserved at Hayes State Park for participants and will require the DNR State Parks recreation passport sticker for entry. 

There will be a mandatory online orientation for registered participants prior to this event. Questions? Email us at DNRBOW@michigan.gov.

To register, go to Michigan.gov/DNRLicenses and click on the "Purchase a license" button. Sign in (using either a username and password or your ID and birthdate), and find the class under the Becoming an Outdoors Woman tab.

A Recreation Passport is required for vehicle entry into Michigan state parks. To make a camping reservation, visit MIDNRReservations.com or call 1-800-447-2757.

Subscribe to Inside Michigan's Great Outdoors newsletter