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Deer harvest reporting

Mandatory deer harvest reporting

Closeup of a person's hands using a cell phone in the outdoors.

Deer hunters are required to report a successful harvest within 72-hours or before transferring possession of the deer (to another person, a processer or taxidermist). Hunters must continue to attach a paper kill tag to a harvested deer. The kill tag should remain with the head if the head and body of the deer are separated. Anyone in possession of a deer after the harvest reporting timeframe expires should be able to present the confirmation number.

Report a harvestView reported harvest totals

New this year: Instead of reporting the exact harvest location, you will now report by selecting a township-sized square to indicate the general area of harvest.

How to report your harvest

It should only take about three to five minutes to complete the report, and there are two ways to do it:

  • Report online at Michigan.gov/DNRHarvestReport. Enter your kill tag license number and date of birth to begin the report. Or, log in to eLicense (using your driver’s license and birthdate, or user ID and password) then click on the Harvest Report tab to see the tags available to report. If you don't have an existing account, you can create one to enter your report.
  • Use our new mobile app: Michigan DNR Hunt Fish – an even faster option (demo video) – available in the Google Play store (for Android devices) and the Apple App Store.
Video

Need help?

Hunters are allowed to have their deer reported online by a family member or friend. The family member or friend will need the successful hunter’s kill tag license number, date of birth and information about the hunter’s harvest and hunting location.

If you have questions about reporting your harvest or need assistance, you can call your local DNR customer service center or the main Wildlife Division line at 517-284-WILD (9453) during normal business hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Additional information

Frequently asked questions

Get answers to your questions about harvest reporting

Disease sample submission sites

A list of locations to drop off samples for disease testing (deer check)