Conservation groups, K-12 students and landowners across the Upper Peninsula will improve hundreds of acres of white-tailed deer habitat this year after receiving state grants generated from deer hunting license revenue.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is funding 14 projects totaling nearly $200,000 in grants in 2026. That’s double the per-year amount of funding from past years through the Deer Habitat Improvement Partnership Initiative.
Now in its 18th year, the U.P. initiative has awarded nearly $1.5 million across 176 grants, with partners contributing more than $1 million in matching funds or in-kind contributions.
“The initiative has created a collaborative approach to improving deer habitat on private lands across the Upper Peninsula,” said Bill Scullon, grant program coordinator and field operations manager for the DNR. “As we know, deer know no boundaries. Creating suitable habitat across both public and private lands is crucial to helping deer survive the often-challenging U.P. winters.”
Funding for the initiative comes from the Deer Range Improvement Program, or DRIP, a state appropriation created in 1971. Through DRIP, $1.50 from every deer hunting license goes toward improving deer habitat.
This year, $199,711 in habitat improvement projects were awarded in nine counties: Alger, Baraga, Chippewa, Delta, Dickinson, Gogebic, Iron, Mackinac and Marquette.
Grant-funded work includes mass plantings of trees, plants and grasses favored by deer, turning abandoned logging roads into hunter walking trails and several projects involving public school students.
Read more about this year’s projects in this summary:2026 Deer Habitat Improvement Partnership Initiative Grant Award Recipients and Project Descriptions (PDF)
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