The Ultimate Michigan Hunting Cheatsheet - Fall 2022 Edition

Fall means primetime in Detroit's outdoors - especially for the Michigan hunting community ready for crisp mornings and cool evenings in the woods! Here is 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 Michigan 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 Michigan 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.

Hunting Equipment: Shotgun.

Where: Private or public lands within Southeastern Michigan.

Bag Limits: Daily limit is 2, season-long possession is 4.

Licenses Required: Base License and Pheasant License (required only for hunters 18 years of age and older hunting on public lands).

Quail

When: October 20th - November 14th.

Hunting Equipment: Shotgun.

Where: Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, Washtenaw, and Wayne counties on private or public land.

Bag Limits: Daily limit is 5, season-long possession is 10.

Licenses Required: Base License.

Ruffed Grouse

When: September 15th - November 14th and December 1st - January 1st.

Hunting Equipment: Shotgun.

Where: Private or public lands within Southeastern Michigan.

Bag Limits: Daily limit is 3, season-long possession is 6.

Licenses Required: Base License.

Fox and Gray Squirrel

When: September 15th - March 31st.

Hunting Equipment: Rifle (.22-caliber), limited firearm, compound bow, crossbow, or air gun.

Where: Statewide on private or public land.

Bag Limits: Daily limit is 5, season-long possession is 10.

Licenses Required: Base License.

Predator (Coyote, Russian Boar, Raccoon, Skunk, Weasel, Fox)

When: October 1st - March 31st (raccoon); October 15th - March 31st (fox); year-round (coyote, Russian boar, skunk, and weasel).

Hunting Equipment: Rifle (.22-caliber), limited firearm, compound bow, crossbow, or air gun.

Where: Statewide on public and private lands.

Bag Limits: No limit.

Licenses Required: Base License.

• Coyote, raccoon, and skunk may be taken by a property owner or designee without a license if doing or about to do damage on private property.

More Information: 2022 Fur Harvester Digest

Small Game (Rabbit, Red and Ground Squirrel, Woodchuck, Opossum, Porcupine)

When: September 15th - March 31st (rabbit); year-round (red and ground squirrel, woodchuck, opossum, and porcupine).

Hunting Equipment: Rifle (.22-caliber), limited firearm, compound bow, crossbow, or air gun.

Where: Statewide on private or public land.

Bag Limits: Daily limit is 5, season-long possession is 10 for rabbit; no limit for red and ground squirrel, woodchuck, opossum, and porcupine.

Licenses Required: Base License.

• Woodchuck may be taken by a property owner or designee without a license if doing or about to do damage on private property.

Small Birds (Feral Pigeons, Starling, and House Sparrows)

When: Year-round

Hunting Equipment: Shotgun or air gun.

Where: Statewide on private or public land.

Bag Limits: No limit.

Licenses Required: Base License.

• Starlings and House Sparrows may be taken by a property owner or designee without a license if doing or about to do damage on private property.

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Please note that this cheatsheet is only a high-level and supplemental reference to the Michigan Hunting Digest. The digests linked to above include a broad range of very helpful and instructive information, such as legal shooting hours, species-specific limitations (e.g., ducks and other waterfowl), information on lawful stands and baiting practices, and penalties for violations. Any further inquiries regarding applicable rules and regulations should be directed to the Michigan Hunting Digest or DNR at 517-284-WILD.

You can CLICK HERE to purchase any of the requisite licenses listed above.

Best of luck this season!