There are ample opportunities to head into the field this month to enjoy the crisp air and fall foliage while taking part in the state's time-honored tradition of hunting.
Grab your base license and head out for some small game hunting! Season dates, bag limits and small game hunting regulations are available in mobile-friendly and desktop PDF versions and at Michigan.gov/SmallGame.
- Cottontail rabbit and snowshoe hare: Sept. 15 - March 31.
- Fox and gray squirrels (black phase included): Sept. 15 - March 31.
- Quail: Oct. 20 - Nov. 14.
- Ruffed grouse: Sept. 15 - Nov. 14 and Dec. 1 - Jan. 1.
- Sharp-tailed grouse: Oct. 10-31, select portions of Zone 1.
- Woodcock: Sept. 15 - Oct. 29.
- All woodcock hunters need a free woodcock stamp, which includes registration with the federal Migratory Bird Harvest Information Program (HIP).
- Pheasant (male only)
- Zone 1: Oct. 10-31 (see Small Game Hunting Regulations Summary for map of open portions).
- Zone 2 and 3: Oct. 20 - Nov. 14.
- Zone 3: Dec.1 - Jan.1.
- A $25 pheasant license is required for all hunters 18 and older to hunt pheasants on any public land in the Lower Peninsula or on lands enrolled in the Hunting Access Program. See the 2024 Small Game Hunting Regulations Summary for exceptions.
- Pheasant releases: This year, pheasants will be released on 13 state game/wildlife areas throughout southern Michigan. Fall releases will occur from Oct. 20 to Nov. 14. Some locations will have additional releases in December.
Duck and goose seasons are open throughout the state this month. Visit one of Michigan's Wetland Wonders for exceptional waterfowl hunting opportunities.
Waterfowl hunting information is available in the mobile friendly and desktop PDF versions of the Waterfowl Hunting Regulations Summary at Michigan.gov/Waterfowl.
North Zone
- Duck seasons: Sept. 28 - Nov. 24 and Nov 30. - Dec 1.
- Goose season open through Dec. 16.
Middle Zone
- Duck seasons: Oct. 5 – Dec. 1 and Dec. 14-15.
- Goose season open Oct. 7 - Dec. 20.
South Zone
- Duck seasons: Oct. 14 - Dec. 10 and Dec. 30-31.
- Goose season open Oct. 12 - Dec. 8, Dec. 28 - Jan. 5 and Feb. 1-10, 2025, excluding some GMUs (see South Zone – local goose management units section of regulations summary).
Deer hunting season dates, regulations and more are available in the mobile friendly and desktop PDF versions of the Deer Hunting Regulations Summary, available at Michigan.gov/Deer.
Archery deer: Oct. 1 - Nov. 14 and Dec. 1 - Jan. 1
- Statewide on public or private lands.
- Archery deer hunters in the Lower Peninsula have the option to harvest antlerless deer with their deer or deer combo license.
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Antlerless deer hunting access permits
Fewer hunters in Deer Management Unit 352 are now eligible to obtain an antlerless deer hunting access permit in addition to a universal antlerless deer license. This change, which applies to areas including DMUs 027, 036, 152 and 252, is aimed at moderating antlerless harvest in specific units while still allowing for minimal harvest opportunity. The permit system is designed to ensure that antlerless harvest is managed in a way that aligns with management goals without overharvesting. Conversely, DMU 351, including DMUs 017, 021, 117, 149, 249 and 349, will be closed to antlerless hunting with a universal antlerless deer license in 2024. This regulation reflects an effort to restrict antlerless harvest in areas where densities are currently low.
- Check the 2024 Deer Hunting Regulations Summary for deer hunting regulations, including information on the types of deer that may be harvested in each season and any antler point restrictions that may be in place.
Independence Hunt: Oct. 19-22
- Open to hunters with qualifying disabilities.
- Statewide on private lands and some public lands requiring an access permit.
Important! Report your deer harvest online
Report your deer within 72 hours of harvest or before you transfer possession. The easiest way to report a harvest is by downloading the Michigan DNR Hunt Fish app.
Once the app is downloaded and you’ve signed in or created an account, you can enter the harvest report information.
Find more information on the harvest reporting webpage. If you need assistance, you can call your local DNR customer service center or the main Wildlife Division line at 517-284-WILD (9453) during normal business hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
While additional antlerless deer harvest is needed across much of the Lower Peninsula, there are localized areas across southwest Michigan that are experiencing an outbreak of EHD in 2024. This viral disease can have a large impact on local populations where it is on the landscape for several weeks. High mortality rates can be seen in some of these areas, but the effects are often localized, with some sections of a county or township experiencing high mortality rates while just a few miles away, no impacts are seen. This is due to local environmental conditions in some areas being more favorable to this virus and its vector, the Culicoides midge fly. Once a hard frost occurs, the flies die off and virus transmission will stop. Until then, we will continue to see additional reports across parts of southern Michigan. However, since impacts tend to be localized, most hunters will not need to adjust their harvest strategies and should still target antlerless deer where appropriate.
The disease poses no threat to human health. There is no evidence that humans can contract the virus from the midge, infected deer or venison. Pets and other wildlife are also not at risk.
If you suspect you have found a deer that has contracted or died from EHD, please submit the observation through the online reporting system, Eyes in the Field. In most cases, deer will be found in or near water. Once confirmed in a county, it is not necessary to continue testing for the virus, but we do encourage you to continue reporting suspected cases online to track the full extent of the outbreak. Carcasses can be left to decompose naturally, be buried, or be removed and disposed of in an approved landfill.
This year, chronic wasting disease testing will still be focused in some areas of the northern Lower Peninsula as well as the Upper Peninsula. The counties for CWD testing in 2024 include Antrim, Arenac, Baraga, Benzie, Cheboygan, Chippewa, Clare, Dickinson, Gladwin, Grand Traverse, Houghton, Iosco, Kalkaska, Keweenaw, Leelanau, Luce, Mackinac, Manistee, Ogemaw, Ontonagon, Otsego and Schoolcraft.
In these counties, a variety of sites will be popping up with at least one of the following depending on the county: drop boxes, staffed submission sites, and partner processors and taxidermists to assist with collection efforts. To find out about available sites near where you hunt, see the CWD testing page.
Historically, testing has occurred in and around areas where CWD has been detected to date.
Starting in 2021, the DNR began a rotational approach to testing for CWD around the state. With this approach, a group of counties is selected each year, with a desire to eventually test sufficient numbers of deer in every county across the state. This has led to detection of CWD in 13 of Michigan’s 83 counties, with Ogemaw being the latest in the fall of 2023.
The goal of this approach is early disease detection, as management has the potential to be most effective when the disease is caught early. Most of these areas have not had a CWD detection or have not previously been part of intensive testing efforts, so little is known about disease status in these locations. To date, we have collected enough baseline information in 61 of our 83 counties and are conducting surveillance in the remaining 22 counites to meet the baseline information needs in these areas.
For more on where CWD has been found, see the County-level CWD detection information page.
Fur harvesting regulations, bag limits and season dates are available in the Furbearer Harvest Regulations Summary, available at Michigan.gov/Trapping.
Hunting seasons
- Coyote hunting: July 15 - April 15.
- Fox (gray and red) hunting: Oct. 15 - March 1.
- Raccoon hunting: Oct. 1 - March. 31.
Trapping seasons
- Coyote and fox (gray and red) trapping: Oct. 15 - March 1.
- Raccoon trapping: Oct. 1 - March 31.
- Badger, beaver, muskrat, mink and otter trapping opportunities are open in October for some areas; see the Furbearer Harvest Regulations Summary for open units, season dates and bag limits.
Reminder: Bobcat kill tags are only available through Oct. 31, 2024.
Fall turkey hunting is open through Nov. 14.
Check out which hunt units have leftover licenses. Buy your turkey license over the counter at a DNR license retailer, online at Michigan.gov/Turkey or in the Michigan DNR Hunt Fish app.
You can buy one fall turkey license a day until quotas are met.
Find season regulations and bag limits in the mobile friendly and desktop PDF versions of the Fall Turkey Hunting Regulations Summary, available at Michigan.gov/Turkey.
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