Michigan Crossbow Laws: Seasons, Licenses and Penalties

Michigan crossbow laws allow crossbow hunting during every firearm deer season statewide and during archery seasons throughout the Lower Peninsula, but the Upper Peninsula bans crossbows during the late archery segment and the UP muzzleloader season unless you hold a disability permit. The state treats crossbows separately from both firearms and vertical bows under the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, and the rules around equipment, licensing, transport, and safety zones all reflect that separate status.¹

Where and When You Can Hunt With a Crossbow

Season rules split along two lines: the type of season and which peninsula you’re in.

Firearm Seasons, Statewide

A crossbow is legal anywhere in Michigan during any season that permits firearms. That includes the regular firearm season, muzzleloader season in Zones 1, 2, and 3, the late antlerless firearm season, and the extended late antlerless season.² No peninsula restrictions apply.

Archery Seasons in the Lower Peninsula

Crossbows are legal throughout both archery segments in the Lower Peninsula: the early segment running October 1 through November 14, and the late segment running December 1 through January 1.³

Archery Seasons in the Upper Peninsula

This is where hunters get caught. In the UP, crossbows are allowed during the early archery segment (October 1 through November 14) but banned during the late archery segment (December 1 through January 1) and during the UP muzzleloader season, unless you hold a disability permit.³ If you’re planning a late-season UP hunt without a permit, you’ll need a vertical bow.

Equipment Rules

Michigan defines a crossbow as a bow mounted on a stock or frame that fires a bolt using a mechanically or electrically triggered string release, with a draw weight of at least 100 pounds.¹ Anything below that draw weight doesn’t legally qualify as a crossbow for hunting.

Your crossbow also needs a working safety to prevent accidental firing. Bolts must be at least 14 inches long and tipped with a broadhead measuring at least 7/8 inch wide.³ Using an undersized broadhead puts you in violation regardless of everything else.

Licenses You Need

Every hunter needs a base hunting license before buying game-specific tags. The base license costs $11 for residents and $151 for nonresidents.⁴ On top of that, you need deer licenses matching the season, zone, and antlered or antlerless class you plan to hunt.

Michigan no longer requires a separate crossbow stamp. That requirement was eliminated when the state opened archery season to crossbow hunters of all ages, so a current base license plus the right deer license is all you need to head out.

Hunter Education

Hunters born on or after January 1, 1960 generally need to complete a hunter safety course before buying a license, and Michigan honors certificates from other states through nationwide reciprocity. Kids under 10 can hunt with a crossbow under direct adult supervision through the Mentored Hunting Program. Hunters aged 10 to 16 who haven’t finished hunter education can hunt under an apprentice license as long as the accompanying adult is at least 21.³

Disability Permit

Now that crossbows are legal for all hunters during most seasons, the disability permit matters in narrower circumstances. It’s what lets you use a crossbow during the Upper Peninsula late archery season and during the bear archery-only season.⁵ The same permit allows certain modifications to a compound bow, such as an overdraw lock device, as long as the modification doesn’t turn the bow into a crossbow.

A physician can automatically certify hunters who have an amputation affecting the extremities needed for conventional archery, a spinal cord injury resulting in permanent nonambulatory status, or permanent wheelchair restriction. For other conditions, certification runs through a functional draw test, a manual muscle test, or a range-of-motion test administered by the physician.⁵

Transporting a Crossbow

When you’re driving on public land, roads, or highways, your crossbow must meet at least one of three conditions: uncocked and unloaded, enclosed in a case, or stored in the trunk.⁶ “Uncocked” means the string is relaxed, and “unloaded” means no bolt sits in the flight groove. A cocked crossbow with no bolt still violates the rule.

You can carry a crossbow without a hunting license as long as it’s uncocked and unloaded, cased, or kept somewhere in the vehicle that isn’t readily accessible to occupants.⁷ That covers trips to the range or moving equipment outside of hunting season.

Safety Zones and Where You Can’t Hunt

Under NREPA, hunting with a firearm is prohibited within 150 yards of any occupied home, cabin, residence, or farm building without written permission from the owner or occupant.⁶ That 450-foot buffer is the statutory rule for firearms. Michigan’s Wildlife Conservation Orders set separate safety zone distances for archery equipment, so check the current DNR regulations for the zone that applies to your weapon before setting up near any structure.

State parks and state recreation areas follow opposite default rules. State recreation areas are open to hunting unless specifically closed, while state parks are closed to hunting unless specifically opened.⁸ Assume a state park is off-limits unless the DNR’s list of open parks says otherwise.

On National Forest land, federal rules add another layer. You cannot discharge any weapon, including a crossbow, within 150 yards of a developed recreation site or any area where people are likely to gather, and shooting across Forest Service roads or bodies of water is prohibited.⁹

Penalties for Violations

Michigan structures hunting penalties by the type of game involved, and the escalation is steeper than most hunters expect.

General violations, such as hunting without a license or using illegal equipment not tied to a specific species: misdemeanor, up to 90 days in jail, and fines from $50 to $500.¹⁰
Taking most game illegally (species other than deer, bear, turkey, wolf, waterfowl, moose, or elk): misdemeanor, up to 90 days in jail, and fines from $100 to $1,000.¹⁰
Deer, bear, turkey, or wolf violations: misdemeanor, up to 90 days in jail, mandatory fines from $200 to $1,000, plus prosecution costs.¹⁰
Elk violations: up to 180 days in jail and fines from $500 to $2,000.¹⁰
Moose violations: up to one year in jail and mandatory fines from $1,000 to $5,000.¹⁰

Any permit issued by the DNR must be revoked on conviction. The court can also order restitution and suspend hunting privileges, so a violation tied to one species can end your season across the board.

Taking Game Across State Lines

If your harvest violated Michigan law, don’t move the animal across a state line. The federal Lacey Act makes it a federal offense to transport wildlife taken in violation of state law across state borders, even for personal purposes like a taxidermy appointment or bringing venison home to a neighboring state.¹¹ Federal penalties scale with intent and value and can reach five years in prison, $250,000 in fines, and forfeiture of vehicles and equipment used in the violation.¹²

1
Michigan Legislature. Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act (Excerpt) – Part 401 Wildlife Conservation
2
Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Hunting Season Calendar
3
Michigan Department of Natural Resources. 2025 Deer Hunting Regulations Summary
4
Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Fishing and Hunting License Information
5
Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Bow Permits for Hunters With Disabilities
6
Michigan Legislature. MCL – Section 324.40111
7
Michigan Legislature. MCL – Section 324.43513
8
Department of Natural Resources. Rules for Parks, Harbors, Camping and Reservations
9
US Forest Service. Hunting
10
Michigan Legislature. MCL – Section 324.40118
11
Congress.gov. Criminal Lacey Act Offenses: An Overview of Selected Issues
12
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 16 U.S. Code 3374 – Forfeiture