Michigan antlerless deer license applications on sale now
The Department of Natural Resources reminds hunters that applications for antlerless deer licenses are on sale now through Wednesday, Aug. 15 at all license agents or online at www.michigan.gov/huntdrawings.
Hunters should note that private-land licenses for southern Michigan and the northeastern Lower Peninsula (Deer Management Units 486 and 487) may be purchased without an application and are available over-the-counter beginning Monday, Sept. 10 at 10 a.m.
Applications are $4. Hunters may apply for just one antlerless license – public land or private land. After the drawing, remaining antlerless licenses may be purchased beginning Monday, Sept. 10 at 10 a.m. Licenses will be sold until the quotas are met. The season purchase limit for private-land antlerless deer licenses is five statewide, except for DMU 486 and DMU 487, which will have a season limit of 10 licenses.
Young hunters, ages 9 to 16, may purchase one junior antlerless deer license over-the-counter from July 15-Aug. 15; however, a 9-year-old must be 10 by Saturday, Sept. 15 to purchase this license. No application fee or drawing is required for junion antlerless deer licenses.
In all, 708,650 antlerless deer licenses will be available in 2012, a decrease from the 756,200 available last year. However, hunters will find more antlerless licenses available in the Upper Peninsula. In 2012, 11 U.P. DMUs will have antlerless deer licenses available, compared to seven DMUs in 2011.
In the northern Lower Peninsula, antlerless permits have decreased somewhat, largely due to fewer licenses available on public and private land. All northern Lower Peninsula DMUs will offer antlerless permits, compared to six DMUs that did not offer antlerless licenses in 2011. All private-land licenses for DMU 487 – which includes Alpena, Alcona, Iosco, Montmorency, Oscoda and Presque Isle counties – may be used throughout the DMU. As another option for taking antlerless deer only within DMU 487, hunters in the unit may use a firearm or combination license for antlerless deer within the Nov. 15-30 firearm season or the Dec. 14-23 muzzleloader season.
In southern Michigan, the number of available antlerless licenses has been decreased. All private-land licenses for DMU 486 – which includes all but five DMUs in southern Michigan – will be good throughout the DMU.
Baiting is prohibited year-round in Alcona, Alpena, Montmorency and Oscoda counties, and within the townships of Oscoda, Plainfield, Wilber, AuSable and Baldwin in Iosco County due to the presence of bovine tuberculosis among deer in that region.
Baiting is allowed outside of the counties and townships listed above from Oct. 1 to Jan. 1. Hunters may place no more than two gallons of bait scattered across a minimum 10-foot by 10-foot area. The DNR requests that hunters not place bait repeatedly at the same point on the ground and only place bait out when actively hunting. This may minimize the chance of direct and indirect exposure of deer to any diseases that may be present.
Learn more about deer hunting in Michigan and see the list of antlerless license quotas by DMU online at www.michigan.gov/deer.
