When Is Opening Day of Bow Season in Michigan?

Opening day of bow season in Michigan is October 1 every year. For the 2026 season, archery deer hunting runs October 1 through November 14, then picks back up December 1 through January 1, 2027. The October 1 opener applies statewide, and crossbows are legal alongside compound bows, recurves, and longbows throughout both segments.¹

Season Dates and Structure

The early archery segment runs October 1 through November 14, covering the pre-rut and rut when deer movement peaks. The late segment reopens December 1 and closes January 1, overlapping the late firearm and muzzleloader seasons in some parts of the state. Both segments are open to compound bows, recurves, longbows, and crossbows.¹

Dates are consistent statewide, but antlerless rules are not. Several northern Upper Peninsula deer management units are closed to antlerless harvest entirely, and others require special access permits. During the archery segments, hunters in DMU 351 and DMU 352 can use a single deer license or combo license to take an antlerless deer without an additional access permit, an exception that does not apply during firearm seasons.²

Licenses You Need Before October 1

Every hunter needs a base license before purchasing a deer license. The most popular deer option is the combo license, which includes two tags: a regular tag and a restricted tag. The restricted tag carries antler point restrictions that vary by region.³

Resident deer combo: $40 ($20 regular + $20 restricted)
Nonresident deer combo: $190 ($20 regular + $170 restricted)
Senior deer combo, residents 65 and older: $28 ($8 regular + $20 restricted)
Single deer license, resident or nonresident: $20

Licenses are available through the DNR’s eLicense system at Michigan.gov, the Michigan DNR Hunt Fish mobile app, DNR customer service centers, and authorized retailers.

Hunter Education Requirement

If you were born on or after January 1, 1960, you must complete a hunter safety course before you can buy a base license. The only workaround is an apprentice license, which lets you hunt under the direct supervision of a licensed mentor while you work toward certification.⁴

Michigan offers traditional classroom instruction, online coursework paired with an in-person field day, and fully interactive online programs. If you already hold a hunter education certificate from another state, Michigan honors it through interstate reciprocity.

Equipment Rules for the Opener

Traditional bows, including recurves, longbows, and compounds, have no minimum draw weight in Michigan. Crossbows must have a draw weight of at least 100 pounds. All arrows, bolts, and quarrels must be at least 14 inches long and tipped with a broadhead at least 7/8 inch wide. The regulations do not specify a minimum number of cutting blades, but the width threshold is firm.²

Bag Limits and Antler Rules

Michigan allows two antlered deer per hunter per year across all seasons combined. The exception is DMU 117 in the Upper Peninsula, where the limit is one antlered deer. A legal buck has at least one antler extending three inches or more above the skull.²

Beyond that baseline, antler point restrictions vary by region and tag. On a combo license, the regular tag and the restricted tag carry different point requirements depending on your deer management unit. In parts of the Lower Peninsula, the restricted tag requires a buck with four or more points on one side.⁵

Antlerless opportunities also differ by region. In the Lower Peninsula, a combo or single deer license can generally be used for antlerless deer. The Upper Peninsula is more restrictive, with some northern units closed to antlerless harvest and others requiring a universal antlerless deer license or access permit.²

Baiting Rules

Baiting and feeding deer are completely banned in the Lower Peninsula. You cannot place grains, minerals, salt, fruits, vegetables, or other food materials to attract deer. Scent products are allowed only if positioned so deer cannot consume them or make physical contact with them. Urine-based scent products used for mock scrapes and drag ropes are the one exception.⁶

In the Upper Peninsula, baiting is allowed from September 15 through January 1, capped at two gallons per hunting site, scattered on the ground over an area at least 10 feet by 10 feet. Mechanical spin-cast feeders are permitted as long as they do not exceed the two-gallon cap. Recreational feeding follows similar volume limits in the UP and must occur within 100 yards of a residence on land you own or control.⁶

Blaze Orange During Archery Season

Michigan law exempts bow and crossbow hunters from the blaze orange requirement during archery deer season. If you are taking deer with a bow or crossbow during the archery season, you are not required to wear orange.⁷

The late archery segment overlaps the muzzleloader and late firearm seasons in December. The statute does not require archers to wear orange during that overlap, but firearm hunters will be in the woods, and visible blaze orange costs nothing.

Reporting a Harvest

Every successful deer harvest must be reported to the DNR within 72 hours of recovering the animal, or before transferring it to another person, a processor, or a taxidermist, whichever comes first. You can report online through the eLicense system or the Michigan DNR Hunt Fish mobile app.⁸

After reporting, you receive a confirmation number. Keep it. Anyone in possession of a deer after the reporting window has closed should be able to present that number if checked by a conservation officer. Failing to report a harvest can result in a fine of up to $150.⁹

1
Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Deer
2
Michigan Department of Natural Resources. 2025 Deer Hunting Regulations Summary
3
Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Fishing and Hunting License Information
4
Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Recreational Safety and Hunter Education
5
Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Hunters: What You Need To Know for Firearm Deer Season
6
Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Baiting and Feeding Regulations
7
Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 324.40116
8
Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Harvest Reporting
9
Michigan Legislature. Failure to Report Harvest – Civil Infraction