Hannah Jester put her tag on this 12-foot, 4-inch alligator that weighed 448 lbs. at Millwood Lake on Saturday night during her first season as an Arkansas alligator hunter. Photo courtesy Hannah Jester.

The first weekend of the Arkansas alligator hunting season, Sept. 18-21, yielded 150 gators across the state’s three alligator management zones. The second chunk of the hunt is set for sunset Sept. 25-sunrise 28.

Most hunting takes place on private property; hunters apply for permits to hunt public land during July.

Alligator management zone 3, which covers a piece of southeastern Arkansas along the Mississippi River from Louisiana to Monroe County, accounted for 90 alligators, nine with permits on public land and 81 on private property.

Zone 1, wedged into the southwestern corner of the state and the smallest of the three zones, produced 56 gators, 14 on public land and 42 on private land.

Four alligators were harvested on private land in zone 2, the largest zone, which reaches from the Louisiana state line to Pope County; none were taken on public land.

A new quota for public hunting at Millwood Lake in zone 1 was reached during the first weekend, which means that area is closed to hunting during the second weekend of the season. The area historically has had a lower harvest than permits allowed for, so the AGFC instituted a quota in 2025 to encourage hunters to take their alligator as soon as they could instead of holding out for a larger specimen.

“We did not meet that quota last year, but Millwood Lake hunters took advantage of their first weekend this year and filled the quota during the first two nights of this year’s hunt,” AGFC Herpetologist Amanda Bryant said. “That will be the only area closed to hunting at the start of the last weekend of the hunt.” Check current alligator harvest remaining for each management zone at www.agfc.com/hunting/more-game/alligator/season-dates.

This year’s alligator season is well on its way to perhaps setting another record. Hunters set the mark with 205 alligators in 2025, which broke the record of 202 set in 2023.

Roger Alexander got this impressive alligator at Millwood Lake on Saturday night. The alligator measured 11 feet, 2 inches, but Alexander later checked his tape measure and said it may have been a few inches longer than that. Read more

Get out and explore Michigan’s managed waterfowl areas this fall! You’ll hear from local staff about hunting conditions, tour the areas, and see what each unique location has to offer for the upcoming waterfowl seasons. All open houses begin at 6 p.m. at each area’s headquarters.

• Nayanquing Point State Wildlife Area, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 6 p.m. at 1570 N. Tower Beach Road, Pinconning, MI 48650.
• Fish Point State Wildlife Area, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 6 p.m. at 7750 Ringle Road, Unionville, MI, 48767.
• Shiawassee River State Game Area, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 6 p.m. at 225 East Spruce Street, St. Charles, MI, 48655.
• Harsens Island at St. Clair Flats State Wildlife Area, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 6 p.m. at 3857 Columbine Road, Harsens Island, MI, 48028.
• Pointe Mouillee State Game Area, Thursday, Oct. 15, 6 p.m. at 37205 Mouillee Road, Route 2, Rockwood, MI, 48173.

Read more

Michigan’s highly coveted elk hunt gets underway Wednesday in the northern Lower Peninsula with some key changes in store for hunters this year.

• The first hunt period is Sept. 23 – Oct. 4. Previously, the first hunt period was broken up into three, four-day sessions beginning in August. The new contiguous period and later start date are geared toward hunter convenience and avoiding hot weather conditions frequently encountered on August hunting dates, all with the intent to improve opportunities to harvest an iconic elk.
• The second hunt period, Dec. 1 – 15, totals 15 days, which equates to an extra six days of hunting compared to last year.
• Successful hunters must report their take on the day of harvest but now have 72 hours to present the elk head or entire animal for registration as directed by Michigan Department of Natural Resources personnel. Previously, hunters were required to present the entire elk for registration within 24 hours of harvest.

The state is issuing 200 elk licenses this year – 100 for each of the two hunt periods – through an annual drawing that uses a weighted chance system. The elk hunt is open only to Michigan residents. Read more

An American woodcock in the forest
As grouse and woodcock hunting ramp up in Michigan, hunters are encouraged to submit their field experiences to an online dashboard that aims to improve the hunt for everyone.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources launched the Michigan Ruffed Grouse and Woodcock Dashboard in 2025, replacing a longtime paper survey. Hunters made more than 1,100 submissions about hunter effort and flush rates in the first year of the digital tool.

The publicly accessible dashboard provides near real-time data summaries allowing hunters to compare their hunting experiences and identify places to hunt grouse and woodcock. Hunting season for both upland birds opened Sept. 15.

“We a had a strong response in our first year of the program and hope for even more participation this year,” said Adam Bump, DNR upland game bird specialist. “The more hunters who participate, the better the information and the more useful the dashboard becomes.”

Michigan hunters have a long history of collaborating with the DNR to share information on their ruffed grouse and woodcock season experiences. Flush rates offer hunters a standard way to evaluate activity in different areas. By submitting observations, hunters can see how their experiences compare with others in their favorite counties for hunting and across Michigan.

Participation is voluntary, and the survey is designed to be quick and easy to use. Many grouse and woodcock hunters already keep track of flush rates, so reporting requires little extra effort.

How to report

1. Open the Michigan Ruffed Grouse and Woodcock Dashboard.
2. Select Submit a Report to begin a report.
3. Enter hunt details: Add the date, county, hours hunted, information on use of dogs or accompanying hunters, and the number of flushes you observed for each species.
4. Check your entries, then tap Submit.
5. Use the dashboard to view totals by county and compare flushes per hour across Michigan. See grouse, woodcock or both species’ flush rates. Compare with hunters who use dogs, or with those who don’t. This standardized metric helps hunters compare their own experiences with those of others.

Open the dashboard ?

Season details

In 2026, ruffed grouse hunting in Michigan is open Sept. 15 – Nov. 14 and Dec. 1 – Jan. 1. Woodcock hunting is open Sept. 15 – Oct. 29. Find bag limits, hunting regulations and more in the 2026 Michigan Small Game Hunting Regulations Summary.

The Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF) is proud to announce a $150,000 grant from the Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund in support of WSF’s Grant-In-Aid Program for fiscal year 2026–27.

For the past eight years, the Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund has been a steadfast partner in WSF’s mission to Put and Keep Wild Sheep on the Mountain®, contributing a total of $926,000 to advance critical conservation initiatives throughout North America.

“The Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund has been one of the most impactful conservation funding partners the Wild Sheep Foundation has ever had,” said Gray N. Thornton, president and CEO of the Wild Sheep Foundation. “Their commitment over the past eight years has helped us address some of the most pressing challenges facing wild sheep while creating lasting conservation benefits across the continent. Their investment is making a measurable difference today and will continue to do so for generations to come.” Read more

MILES CITY – Habitat conditions in much of southeastern Montana are considerably better than a couple years ago, when the landscape was severely impacted by drought. However, there was very little snow this past winter, which resulted in low winter mortality for many wildlife species but conversely results in very little moisture going into the spring. Much of the region received early summer rainfall this year, which improved habitat conditions across much of the region. But July was extremely hot and dry, which has deteriorated habitat conditions.

Elk

The two core elk populations in the region remain in hunting district (HD) 700 and the Southeastern Montana Elk Management Unit (HDs 702, 704, 705). Access remains challenging, especially in HD 702, where most of the elk occur on private land. Outside of these areas (in HDs 701 and 703), elk numbers are generally low, but numbers have been increasing at a moderate rate, accompanied by a gradual expansion of elk into previously unoccupied habitat.

FWP biologists have observed strong elk numbers and calf recruitment in the Southeastern Montana Elk Management Unit and the bull:cow ratio is at objective (30:-45) as well. In HD 700 the total amount of elk observed during recent surveys decreased and there was a dip in the calf recruitment, too. In HD 700, both the ratio of 25 bulls:100 cows and total observed elk are below objective.

Elk hunters should get familiar with the regulations as they vary across HDs within the region.

Mule deer

Mule deer numbers improved by 15 percent from 2025 and are currently approximately 17 percent below the long-term average across Region 7. The region-wide adult:fawn ratio was 55 fawns per 100 adults, indicating favorable recruitment. Limited winter snowfall resulted in relatively low winter mortality, although the lack of snowpack provided little moisture going into spring. Warm and dry spring conditions limited early-season forage, but early-summer rainfall substantially improved forage conditions across much of the region during the fawning period. Extremely hot and dry conditions in July reduced these benefits and caused forage conditions to decline through the latter part of the summer. Overall, favorable winter survival, improved forage conditions during the fawning period and good recruitment contributed to continued improvement in mule deer numbers across the region. While overall mule deer numbers remain below the long-term average in Region 7, some areas are showing continued signs of recovery.

Antlerless mule deer license quotas remained unchanged from 2025, however hunters are strongly encouraged to review all current regulations prior to hunting this season.

White-tailed deer Read more

Deer seasons are getting underway in Michigan, and whether you hunt the Upper Peninsula, northern Lower Peninsula or southern Lower Peninsula, conditions can look very different from one part of the state to another.

Department of Natural Resources deer staffers have pulled together the latest information on deer populations and habitat conditions across the state, along with important things hunters should know this year. The preview includes:

• What last winter and this year’s weather and food conditions could mean for deer and hunting this fall.
• Regional observations on fawn recruitment, antler development and deer numbers.
• Important 2026 regulation changes, including changes to antlerless hunting opportunities and December firearm seasons.
• Chronic wasting disease and bovine tuberculosis testing information.
• Resources to help you find a place to hunt and plan your season.

Conditions and hunting opportunities vary considerably across Michigan, so check out the information for the part of the state where you hunt.

Deer hunting preview ?

Sept. 10, 2026
Contact: Eric Hilliard, 517-281-5607

GW:  If you are a Michigan outdoors person, this interactive mapping can be very helpful.

Build-your-own approach puts hunters in control of what shows up on the map

Michigan hunters planning a fall trip have a rebuilt tool to work with. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has launched a new version of MiHunt, the state’s interactive map of lands open to public hunting, available at Michigan.gov/MiHunt.

The map is live just in time for the fall hunting seasons.

“We wanted hunters to build their own adventure rather than be handed a finished one,” said Sarah Mayhew, a data specialist for the DNR Wildlife Division. “The map opens with lands open to public hunting and nothing else. Everything beyond that is up to you.”

This approach does more than clean up the mapping process. Because hunters turn on each layer themselves, they know exactly what they are looking at and why it is there. Nothing appears on the map that the hunter did not ask for.

Some layers hunters can switch on include:

• Species management unit boundaries.
• Cover type layers showing forest makeup.
• Land management agencies.
• Special hunting areas, including Hunting Access Program properties, Turkey Tracts and Grouse Enhanced Management Sites.

Hunters can also bring their own information to the map. MiHunt now accepts imported spatial data, so a hunter can add a property boundary, a set of waypoints or last season’s tracks and view it alongside DNR-provided layers. Imported data is visible only to the person who adds it. Read more

Courtesy of the Boone and Crockett Club.

MISSOULA, Mont. — The Boone and Crockett Club announced today that the Sam Aiuppa/James Martin typical whitetail deer has officially been verified at a score of 207 7/8 inches, making it the largest typical whitetail ever taken in the United States.

The score surpasses the famous Jordan buck by 1 6/8 inches and ranks second worldwide behind Milo Hanson’s 213 5/8-inch world record.

Sam Aiuppa killed the buck in late November 1991 during a pheasant hunting trip to LaSalle County, Illinois. He mounted the antlers on a plaque and stored them in his basement, where they remained for 32 years until an electrician noticed their extraordinary dimensions, most notably eye-guards more than a foot long.

Antler collector James Martin later acquired the antlers and had them measured by a Boone and Crockett Club Official Measurer. After the initial score was submitted, the antlers were independently re-measured by two additional official measurers to verify the score. The completed score charts were reviewed by Dr. Jon McRoberts, chairman of the Club’s Records of North American Big Game Committee, who confirmed the official score of 207 7/8 inches.

“This is a monumental addition to North American big game records,” said Kyle Lehr, Boone and Crockett Club director of Big Game Records. “We are thrilled to officially welcome the Aiuppa buck into the Boone and Crockett records. It took more than three decades for this remarkable deer to be recognized, but its place in the record books is well deserved.” Read more