Overview
- Hunting regulators approved a package of deer rule changes that sets a one-buck limit in the Lower Peninsula starting in the 2027 season, with the Upper Peninsula exempt.
- The commission kept combination licenses at two deer per hunter, but only one may be antlered as officials seek to shift harvests toward antlerless deer.
- Separate updates for 2026 shorten muzzleloader season to three days and end the Limited Firearms Deer Zone in the Lower Peninsula so all legal firearms are allowed.
- Commissioners also backed a request for a pilot that would let Lower Peninsula hunters take a second buck only after harvesting an antlerless deer, with a four-point restriction and a framework due at a future meeting.
- Wildlife staff cited years of hunters taking more bucks than does in southern Michigan, and a lengthy public hearing drew both support for herd management goals and warnings the limit could shorten seasons or send hunters out of state.