Michigan’s bobcat hunting season opens January 1 statewide and runs as late as March 1 in the Upper Peninsula, with earlier closing dates as you move south. Only Michigan residents can hunt bobcat, and each hunter needs a base hunting license, a fur harvester license, and at least one free kill tag requested from the Department of Natural Resources before the season starts. The statewide limit is two bobcats per licensed hunter, with restrictions on where the second one can come from.
Who Can Hunt Bobcat in Michigan
Nonresidents are shut out. A nonresident with a Michigan fur harvester license can take coyotes, foxes, raccoons, and several other furbearers, but bobcats, fishers, martens, otters, and badgers are off-limits.1State of Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Furbearer Harvest Regulations Summary If you are traveling to Michigan for other game, you cannot add a bobcat to the trip.
Residents need three things in hand: a base hunting license ($11), a fur harvester license ($15), and at least one bobcat kill tag.2State of Michigan. Fishing and Hunting License Information Hunters ages 12 through 16 pay half the fur harvester fee. The licenses themselves can be bought year-round, online or through any authorized agent.
The kill tags are the piece people miss. They are free, there is no lottery, and a resident fur harvester can request up to two. The request window opens May 1 and closes October 31.1State of Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Furbearer Harvest Regulations Summary Miss October 31 and you are locked out of the January season. Tags cannot be sold, loaned, or shared.3State of Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Wildlife Conservation Order Amendment No. 2 of 2026
Season Dates by Management Unit
Michigan splits bobcat habitat into six management units. Every unit opens January 1, but the closing date depends on where you are hunting. The Upper Peninsula gets the longest season; the farther south, the shorter the window.3State of Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Wildlife Conservation Order Amendment No. 2 of 2026
- Units A, B, and C: January 1 through March 1. Unit A is the Upper Peninsula excluding Drummond Island, Unit B is Drummond Island itself, and Unit C covers the northeastern Lower Peninsula (Alcona, Alpena, Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Emmet, Montmorency, Oscoda, Otsego, and Presque Isle counties).
- Unit D: January 1 through February 1. Covers Arenac, Clare, Crawford, Gladwin, Iosco, Kalkaska, Missaukee, Ogemaw, Osceola, Roscommon, and Wexford counties.
- Unit G: January 1 through January 20. Covers Bay, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Isabella, Lake, Leelanau, Manistee, Mason, Mecosta, Midland, Newaygo, and Oceana counties.
- Unit H: January 1 through January 11. Covers Clinton, Gratiot, Ionia, Kent, Montcalm, Muskegon, Ottawa, Saginaw, and Shiawassee counties.
Isle Royale is closed to all bobcat hunting and trapping.1State of Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Furbearer Harvest Regulations Summary
Bag Limits and the Second-Tag Rule
Each licensed hunter can take up to two bobcats, but the two tags are not interchangeable. The first tag is valid in any open unit. The second tag is valid only in Unit A, the Upper Peninsula minus Drummond Island. On top of that, no hunter can take more than one bobcat from Unit B, and no more than one combined from Units C, D, G, and H.3State of Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Wildlife Conservation Order Amendment No. 2 of 2026
In practice: if you fill your first tag anywhere in the Lower Peninsula, your remaining tag is only good in the Upper Peninsula.
Legal Methods, Hours, and Equipment
Centerfire rifles and handguns are legal during daytime hunting hours. Bow and crossbow hunters can hunt from elevated platforms during the day. Electronic and mouth-blown predator calls are allowed, as are electronic decoys. Dogs can be used to chase and locate bobcats during the open season, though dog-assisted hunting is prohibited between April 16 and July 7. Bait made from parts of lawfully taken game animals is permitted.1State of Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Furbearer Harvest Regulations Summary
Legal hours run from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset. Handgun hunters must be at least 18 and must carry the handgun in plain view in the field unless they hold a concealed pistol license.
Prohibited methods include snares, nets, pitfalls, deadfalls, spears, fully automatic firearms, tracer or explosive rounds, and any drugs, poisons, or gas. Bobcat hunters who are stationary are exempt from Michigan’s blaze orange clothing requirement, which can catch deer hunters off guard.1State of Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Furbearer Harvest Regulations Summary
Tagging and Registering Your Bobcat
You have to validate your kill tag immediately after the animal is down. Starting with the 2026 season, hunters can do this digitally through the Michigan DNR Hunt Fish app using the eHarvest system, or stick with the paper method of notching the required information on the physical tag and attaching it through the animal’s jaw.4State of Michigan. DNR Expands Digital Tagging for Michigan Hunters If you use eHarvest and stay with the animal, no physical tag is required. If you leave the carcass unattended, you have to attach a durable tag showing your license number in permanent ink.5State of Michigan. eHarvest Tags
Field tagging is only half the job. The skull and pelt have to be brought to a DNR registration station for examination, sealing, and registration. Deadlines are tied to when your unit’s season closes:
- Units A, B, and C: March 11
- Unit D: February 11
- Unit G: January 30
- Unit H: January 21
Missing a registration deadline is itself a violation, even if everything about the hunt was legal.1State of Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Furbearer Harvest Regulations Summary Plenty of hunters tag correctly in the field and then let the registration slide. Don’t.
Penalties for Breaking the Rules
Michigan treats bobcat violations seriously. The penalty structure sits in MCL 324.40118 and splits into two tiers.
A general Part 401 violation, such as hunting without the proper license, carries up to 90 days in jail, a fine between $50 and $500, and prosecution costs.6Michigan Legislature. Michigan Code 324 – MCL Section 324.40118
Violations that involve actually taking or possessing a bobcat illegally, including hunting outside the season, exceeding the bag limit, or hunting without a kill tag, carry up to 90 days in jail and a fine between $100 and $1,000, plus prosecution costs.6Michigan Legislature. Michigan Code 324 – MCL Section 324.40118
The fine and jail time are not the end of it. A conviction under MCL 324.40118 triggers a mandatory loss of all hunting privileges for the remainder of the year plus three additional calendar years.7Michigan Courts. DNR Penalties That revocation covers every kind of hunting in Michigan, not just furbearers. One bobcat violation in January can cost you four deer seasons.