Online harvest reporting is a requirement every successful deer or turkey hunter must complete through our website or mobile app. The system will allow us a near real-time estimate of harvest as it occurs.
Since the 1950s, we have used mail surveys that were sent to randomly selected hunters to estimate harvest. Estimates were accurate if the hunters responding to surveys were representative of all hunters. This assumption generally is easier to make when most hunters in the sample respond to the survey. Unfortunately, the proportion of hunters returning mail surveys has declined from an average of more than 70% in the early 2000s to 33% in 2021. Low response rates can lead to inaccurate estimates. Because declining response rates are not likely to reverse, another approach to estimating harvest was needed.
All successful deer and turkey hunters with a state issued deer license (including those with Deer Management Assistance Permits) are required to report their harvest.
Report through eLicense
Visit Michigan.gov/DNRHarvestReport on a computer or mobile device to go directly to the reporting page. Enter your kill tag license number and date of birth to begin the report.
If you don’t have your hunting license/kill tag number, you can 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 already have an account, you will have the chance to create one to enter your report.
Report using the new Hunt Fish App
The Michigan DNR Hunt Fish app is available for Apple and Android devices in the app stores:
(scan or tap to download)
Once the app is downloaded, and you’ve signed in or created an account, you can enter the harvest report information.
Once your harvest report is completed, you will be given a confirmation number and the option to receive a copy by email.
Yes. Even if you process the animal yourself, it still needs to be reported via the harvest reporting system.
Hunters will need to report their harvest within 72 hours of recovering their animal and prior to transferring possession of it to someone else, like a meat processor.
Currently, over two-thirds of states in the US have mandatory reporting requirements. Among the 15 states that had high harvest reporting compliance, 12 states required harvest reporting within 24 hours. Among, the three states with poor compliance, one required a harvest report within two days, one required the report within seven days, and one required it within 10 days. Ultimately, 72-hours was chosen in an attempt to strike a balance between maintaining higher compliance, while still giving hunters ample time to report.
Harvest reporting falls under MCL 324.43539 in the Wildlife Conservation Order: The penalty for failing to report a deer or turkey harvest or retention of a harvest confirmation number is a civil infraction including a civil fine of not more than $150.
Hunters can report their harvest online at Michigan.gov/DNRHarvestReport, or on our mobile app, available in the Google Play store (for Android devices) and the Apple App Store.
The reporting system allows for a family member, friend or hunting buddy to easily report a harvest for you.
If you have questions about reporting your harvest or need assistance, please call 517-284-9453 or your local DNR customer service center during normal business hours.
You can also email DNR-Wildlife@Michigan.gov.
Call the DNR licensing and customer service center at 517-284-6057 during normal business hours.
Normal business hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
All successful hunters will be asked to report the unique kill tag license number that was used, the hunter’s date of birth, the township (selected from map grid), biological information and date of kill. In addition, some hunters will be asked an additional management-related question such as what type of hunting device was used. Most hunters should be able to complete the process in about three minutes.
The successful hunter is required to report their harvest before transferring possession of their animal (e.g., before taking it to a processor or giving the animal to a friend or taxidermist). When transferring the possession of a harvested animal, the hunter should provide the harvest confirmation to the person accepting it. The person that accepts the animal should record the confirmation number. This confirmation number is proof that the hunter has legally reported their harvest.
Locating a confirmation number through eLicense
Hunters can login to eLicense on a computer or mobile device (using their driver’s license and birthdate, or user ID and password). Once logged in, select the Harvest Report tab near the top of the page. Next, select the completed reports tab. The confirmation number will be associated to the correct kill tag license number.
Locating a confirmation number through the new Hunt Fish App
There is now a mobile app available in the app stores:
Once the app is downloaded, and you’ve signed in or created an account, select the licenses tile on the main page. Next, select the view button for the correct kill tag license number within current licenses. The confirmation number will be located on the chosen license page.
If you need assistance with locating your confirmation number, please call the DNR Licensing and Customer Service at 517-284-6057, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Please provide a complete and accurate report of your harvest. Data that identifies you or the specific location of your harvest will not be disclosed except where specifically required by law. The DNR will utilize harvest data to better understand animal populations and hunter activities for management purposes.
The system will provide real-time summaries of the number and types of animals harvested by county and management units.
After a hunter has successfully reported their harvested animal, the hunter will be issued a harvest confirmation number. This confirmation number will serve as proof that the hunter has legally reported their harvest.
By linking every harvested deer or turkey to a unique kill tag license number, the department can track all harvested animals reported by a hunter and investigate potential problems. Conservation officers can verify the confirmation number through their laptop computer or mobile device app.
Hunters have up to three days to report their harvest. If they cannot report their harvest due to lack of internet service, they can call a family member or friend and provide them with their kill tag license number, date of birth and harvest location, to report on their behalf.
The hunter can also call one of the DNR offices from this list of locations providing technical assistance to report their harvest over the phone.
If the hunter is looking for local internet access, there are some resources that may be useful in finding the closest location to report a harvest.
A hunter does not have to be in immediate physical possession of the deer or turkey when they report their harvest, but it may be helpful to answer some of the questions. Hunters will have to report their harvest before giving their animal to a processor or taxidermist.
Michigan has had a long history of estimating harvests through a post-season harvest survey, so we are actually one of the later states to adopt this technology. With declining response rates for our harvest surveys, it makes sense to switch to a new way to collect harvest data.
The DNR will continue to do its traditional post-season harvest surveys for a few years so we can compare harvest estimates from both the old and new systems, but eventually the traditional mail survey will be reduced in scale and frequency.
