Michigan Hunting Cheatsheet - Fall 2022
Expedition Detroit's breakdown of the species, dates, equipment, and special regulations for this year's hunting season.
Each year, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (the “DNR”) releases its annual fishing guide and hunting digests to educate anglers and hunters on the state’s fishing and hunting regulations. These digests are invaluable resources for prospective hunters regarding recent changes to DNR regulations, restrictions, and procedures, such as the new mandatory deer harvest reporting requirements. Regardless if you’re a veteran woodsman or as green as hunters come, reading through the 2022 Hunting Digest would be a worthwhile investment of your time prior to heading out to your stand.
My only critique of the digests are that they tend to be over-broad, especially for hunters who will spend the vast majority of the season hunting one or two species in a specific geographic area (the inundation of ads aren’t particularly reader-friendly either, although we understand their role). Enter this cheatsheet, which we curated as a five-minute informational download specifically for hunters that will hunt primarily in the Detroit region.
Here's our a breakdown of hunting specifications for each season:
Whitetail Deer
When: October 1st - November 14th and December 1st - January 1st for archery, November 15th - 30th for regular firearm, and December 2nd - 11th for muzzleloader.
There is a late antler-less firearm season open on private lands only from December 12, 2022 - January 1, 2023.
An extended archery season exists until January 31st for Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne counties.
Hunting Equipment: Compound or crossbow all season; limited firearms and muzzleloaders during various phases of season.
“Limited firearms” include a shotgun, a handgun that is .35-caliber or larger with straight-walled cartridges, a .35-caliber or larger rifle with straight-walled cartridges with a minimum case length of 1.16 inches and a maximum case length of 1.80 inches, and a .35-caliber or larger air rifle or pistol charged only from an external, high compression power source.
Where: Private or public lands within Southeastern Michigan.
Bag Limits: 1 per kill tag.
Licenses Required: Base License and either Deer License or Deer Combo License.
Waterfowl (Ducks, Coots, Mergansers, and Geese)
When: September 1st - 30th, October 15th - December 11th, December 31st - January 8th, and February 4th - 13th (geese); October 15th - December 11th and December 31st - January 1st (ducks, coots, and mergansers).
Hunting Equipment: Shotgun.
Where: Private or public lands within Southeastern Michigan.
Bag Limits:
Ducks: Daily limit is 6, season-long possession is 18.
Coots: Daily limit is 15, season-long possession is 45.
Mergansers: Daily limit is 5, season-long possession is 15.
Dark Geese (Canada, brant and white-fronted): Daily limit is 5, season-long possession is 15.
Light Geese (snow, blue and Ross’s): Daily limit is 20, season-long possession is 60.
Licenses Required: Base License and Waterfowl Hunting License.
More information: 2022 Waterfowl Digest
Turkey
When: September 15th - November 14th.
Hunting Equipment: Shotgun, crossbow, or compound bow.
Where: Private or public lands within Washtenaw and Livingston Counties; only on private land within Oakland, Macomb, and St. Clair Counties.
Bag Limit: One per kill tag.
Licenses Required: Base License and Fall Turkey License.
More information: 2022 Fall Turkey Digest
Pheasant (male only)
When: October 20th - November 14th and December 1st - January 1st.