The Michigan DNR is out with its forecast for the archery deer hunting season, which starts October 1st and runs through November 14th.
The following is ths summary for the Upper Peninsula. Information about other regions in the state are posted on the DNR web page.
The total number of Upper Peninsula hunters in 2024 was similar to the prior year, but buck harvest increased compared to 2023.
Hunters benefited from an extremely mild 2023-2024 winter that saw the number and condition of deer entering the season rebound following harsh conditions in the previous two years. This rebound might be slowed down in some areas this year.
The 2024-2025 winter included periods of deep snow that lasted nearly long enough to be considered a severe year, though U.P. deer encountered considerably worse conditions in six out of the prior 10 years. Fortunately, deer had favorable conditions in the U.P. during the summer of 2025. Overall, deer numbers and condition of deer in the higher snowfall zone areas might decline somewhat compared to the 2024 season. As is typically the case, the highest deer numbers in the U.P. are expected in the south-central portion, where winters are generally milder and agriculture is most prevalent.
Hunters pursuing an antlered buck in the U.P. with a single deer or combo deer license should familiarize themselves with antler point restrictions (APRs) in the region. Consult the Upper Peninsula APRs section of the 2025 Deer Hunting Regulations Summary, available through the Michigan DNR Hunt Fish app or in digital versions accessible through links on our Deer page. Review the APR requirements based on the options you have for licenses to purchase and the seasons in which you’ll be hunting.
U.P. hunters also have the option of using a single deer or combo deer license (both the regular and restricted tags) to harvest an antlerless deer during the archery season. No antlerless license is necessary to use this option. New for this year, this option is available throughout the late segment of the archery season – through Jan. 1 – in all areas of the U.P.
Hunters in the U.P. are allowed to use bait now through – Jan. 1. Bait cannot exceed 2 gallons of volume at a hunting site and must be spread over a minimum 10-foot-by-10-foot area. To minimize exposure of deer to diseases that may be present, the DNR recommends not placing bait repeatedly at the same point on the ground and only baiting when actively hunting. Review additional rules in the Baiting section of 2025 Deer Hunting Regulations Summary in the Michigan DNR Hunt Fish app or in digital versions available through links on our Deer page.
In 2025, the DNR is conducting focused collection for CWD testing in the U.P., including deer harvested in Baraga, Chippewa, Dickinson, Houghton, Keweenaw, Luce, Mackinac, Ontonagon and Schoolcraft counties. Despite no additional cases of chronic wasting disease being detected in Dickinson County since 2018, the DNR encourages hunters to submit samples for testing in these continues to continue our baseline CWD surveillance. CWD testing is free for deer harvested in these counties.
More information on testing and a link to find DNR drop boxes and staffed sample submission sites are available on the CWD testing page. All heads tested for CWD are also screened for bovine tuberculosis. Results are posted to the DNR lab results webpage.
Hunters in all other counties are eligible for free CWD testing by using a free lymph node extraction kit that includes overnight shipping. Kits can be picked up from the locations listed on the CWD testing page. Kits include instructions for hunters to extract lymph nodes themselves and submit them to Michigan State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory for CWD testing. Results from deer submitted to MSU will be sent directly to the hunter and will not appear on the DNR lab results webpage.
Comments