Deer Harvest Reporting Required in Michigan

The upcoming deer firearm season, beginning November 15, will be the first since the Michigan Department of Natural Resources implemented mandatory harvest reporting.

Successful hunters will have 72 hours to report their harvest online or on the mobile app, and must report before transferring the deer to another person. According to the DNR, reporting was made mandatory after a significant decline in responses to annual surveys led to the risk of inaccurate estimates. All successful hunters with a state-issued deer license will be required to report online at michigan.gov/DNRharvestreport.

Deer stations around the state will be available to provide assistance to anyone having trouble with the process. Kill tags are still required. According to the DNR, while failure to comply could result in a 90-day misdimeanor with fines of $50 to $500, the focus during this first year will be on educating hunters about the new regulations instead of enforcement in most circumstances.