LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Nov. 15 marks an unofficial holiday in Michigan: opening day of firearm deer season.
The 16-day season runs through Nov. 30, between Michigan’s early and late archery seasons. In 2025, it accounted for about 44% of the state’s reported deer harvest.
New season, new rules
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This year, hunters have more rifle options. Michigan eliminated its southern limited firearms deer zone effective Sept. 12, allowing all otherwise legal deer-hunting firearms throughout the Lower Peninsula. That includes rifles using bottleneck cartridges, which previously were restricted in the southern zone.
Another change is coming in 2027, when a one-buck limit approved by the Michigan Natural Resources Commission takes effect in the Lower Peninsula. However, an approved earn-a-second-buck pilot program will offer qualifying hunters an opportunity to take another buck.
Hunting by the numbers
One Michigan hunter who has been hunting deer for 35 years told Michigan News Source he expects the changes to affect this year’s hunt.
“I predict a record number of bucks taken due to these changes,” he said.
Michigan hunters reported taking 29,403 antlered deer and 8,726 antlerless deer on opening day in 2025, for a total of 38,129.
The entire 2025 regular firearm season produced 129,471 reported deer harvests, out of 295,847 reported across all deer seasons.
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Saginaw, Sanilac, Montcalm, Lapeer and Tuscola counties recorded the highest total reported harvests in 2025, according to DNR figures.
While hunters are notoriously secretive about their favorite spots, reporting a successful hunt is mandatory. Hunters must report their deer within 72 hours of harvest or before transferring possession, whichever comes first. That includes taking a deer to a processor or taxidermist.
Reports can be submitted through the Michigan DNR Hunt Fish app or the DNR’s website.
Mind your manners
The DNR also reminds hunters to respect private property boundaries and posted “no trespassing” signs. If a wounded deer crosses onto private property, hunters must obtain the landowner’s permission before pursuing or retrieving it.
Officials recommend contacting neighboring landowners before the hunt rather than waiting until tracking a wounded animal.
Scouting ahead of time can also help prevent disputes over hunting spots, particularly on public land, which is a shared resource.
Conservation officers are often called to resolve these conflicts. According to the DNR, “hunter confrontations over hunting spots are often due to last-minute hunters who randomly pick a spot.”
