Fall is fast approaching Michigan and with it comes open hunting season for many animals in the state.
Beginning September 10 with Liberty Hunt Weekend, Michigan residents will head to wooded areas across the state for various weekends throughout the rest of the year to hunt deer. This year, however, those hunters will be tracking their kills through an online phone app.
For the first year, deer hunters in Michigan will have to report their game harvest to the DNR through the DNR website or app rather than in person. Online reporting was available to hunters last year through the DNR website, but starting in 2022, catch reports became mandatory for hunters, either through the website or the newly introduced app. .
Through this new app, hunters and anglers can purchase hunting and fishing licenses and trail permits at any time, report deer or fish harvests, look up regulations and download guides and summaries, find their license history, view maps of hunting areas and receive notifications from the DNR.
The app also allows the DNR to collect actionable data on deer populations. With this data, they will be able to more easily track deer populations and diseases. Hunters using the app will be able to tell the DNR how many deer they have seen and in what areas, which will help when tracking population data.
“Another thing we’re going to look at in this app is hunting experience, hunters will be able to tell us how many days they were in the field, how was their experience in the field,” said Rachel Lightner, DNR wildlife outreach coordinator. “So it gives us insight into what kind of experience hunters have and how to improve that.”
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As September begins, so do many different hunting seasons in Michigan. Several animals are open for hunting beginning September 1, including common moorhen, Virginia rail, sora rail, Wilson’s snipe, goose and other waterfowl.
Small game hunting season begins on September 15, making it legal to hunt cottontails, snowshoe hares, foxes and gray squirrels (including black phase), grouse and woodcock.
Fur collection hunts for many species are available through April 2023, except that Wildcat Kill Tags are only available through October 31.
Opossum, porcupine, weasel, red squirrel, skunk, ground squirrel, marmot, Russian boar, wild pigeon, starling, and house sparrow can be hunted year-round with a hunting license valid.
Contact Brendan Wiesner: [email protected]