Calendars: Classes & Workshops; Hunting and Fishing; Public Meetings; Volunteer Opportunities; State park, historic sites and visitor center events.
Find camping and overnight lodging options, reservation info, rules and regulations and more. USE THE BUTTON ABOVE TO VISIT THE CAMPING HOMEPAGE or go directly to you area of interest below:
Get all your fishing information here, including rules and regulations, license info, the weekly fishing report and much more. Use the button 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:
Find ORV license and permit info, maps, rules and regulations and more. USE THE BUTTON ABOVE TO VISIT THE ORV HOMEPAGE or go directly to you 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. USE THE BUTTON ABOVE TO VISIT THE WINTER FUN HOMEPAGE or go directly to you area of interest below:
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.
law enforcement, legislation, rules and regulations
All DNR-related boards, committees, and advisory groups
Find seasonal, part-time and full-time job openings with the DNR
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New to hunting? Or interested in learning how to hunt but not sure where to start? Check out the range of helpful resources we've put together for new hunters or those who may want to give hunting a try, including:
Scroll through to explore each section below, and if you have any questions while learning about hunting, give your local DNR Customer Service Center a call or email DNR-Wildlife@michigan.gov – we’d love to help!
These are in-depth classes are designed for adults, youth ages 16 and older, and children over 10 who are accompanied by an adult. Outdoor Skills Academy classes have a cost associated with them, which varies by class.
Safe hunting begins with hunter education, which has had a dramatic impact on reducing hunting incidents in Michigan. Hunting is safe and getting safer!
Hunter education is required if you were born after Jan. 1, 1960, and you want to purchase any Michigan hunting license, or if you are planning an out-of-state hunting trip.
There are several options, including online courses, a traditional classroom course or home study.
We have programs to help you get out in the field for the first time.
The Mentored Youth Hunting program is designed to introduce youth under the age of 10 to hunting and fishing, offering a "package" license for just $7.50
Anyone ages 10 and older can be a part of the hunting experience by purchasing a base apprentice (APC) license. The base apprentice license, which can be purchased for two license years before needing to successfully complete a hunter safety course, allows you to hunt small game and purchase licenses to hunt other species like deer and turkey.
Learn more about the mentored youth and apprentice hunting programs.
Safe hunting begins with hunter education, which has had a dramatic impact on reducing hunting incidents in Michigan. Hunting is safe and getting safer!
Hunter education is required if you were born after Jan. 1, 1960 and you want to purchase any Michigan hunting license, or if you are planning an out-of-state hunting trip.
There are several options, including online courses, a traditional classroom course or home study.
Find the season dates for hunting various species in our hunting season calendar.
The DNR publishes hunting digests, condensed collections of rules and regulations for hunters' convenience, each year - the Michigan Hunting Digest as well as several species-specific digests.
You can keep hunting regulations with you as you into the field. These videos explain how to conveniently access hunting digests on your smartphone or mobile device, and take them with you wherever you go:
Learn more about antler point restrictions in Michigan and get answers to your questions in Antler point restriction FAQs - "The APR Corner."
The Department of Natural Resources' eight staffed shooting ranges in southern Michigan - in Clinton, Ingham, Jackson, Lapeer, Livingston, and Oakland counties - offer a fun, safe shooting environment for you and your friends and family. Staffed by customer-friendly and highly trained employees, the DNR's shooting ranges feature amenities like handgun, rifle, shotgun and archery ranges and restroom facilities.
If you don't have a DNR range nearby, check out our map of shooting ranges around the state.
Don't forget to print targets to bring to the range before you go.
Check out the following checklists to see some of the basic hunting gear you'll need:
No matter where you are in Michigan, you can find public hunting land, with millions of acres available to the public for hunting
Found on the DNR's Where to hunt webpage, the Mi-HUNT mapping application can help you navigate, with the most up-to-date information to help you plan your hunting trip.
On this page, you can also find information about:
You can buy a hunting license:
For more information about which license(s) you'll need and how much they cost, see our list of licenses for sale.
Additional information about licenses is available in the annual Hunting Digest and species-specific hunting digests:
Interested in “locavore” eating and sustainable living? Wild meat is one of the most organic and free-range food choices available.
Browse through some of the recipes here – or search for other recipes on your own – to explore the possibilities of cooking with these sustainable, local and delicious protein proteins.
Deer Processing: Quartering A White-tailed Deer:
Michigan Pheasants Forever is a nonprofit conservation organization dedicated to the protection and enhancement of pheasants and the upland bird populations in North America.
Pheasant hunting resources:
National Wild Turkey Federation Michigan focuses on conservation management on public and private lands through political advocacy and partnerships. NWTF Michigan works through partnerships to maintain and increase hunting access to public and private lands, and is actively working to increase hunter education and mentored hunting opportunities. Find NWTF Michigan on Facebook.
Turkey hunting resources:
