Rifle Season Hunting Regulations
November 15, while a normal day for the average Joe, is no laughing matter for deer hunters in Michigan. Starting that day, rifle season officially begins, meaning hunters will no longer have to rely solely on archery until the end of the 2025 deer hunting season. With a new season comes a few minor adjustments to the way deer hunting works.
While all firearms are legal for use in hunting after this date, the regular firearm season sees the highest demand for hunting leases. Hunters are encouraged to secure agreements well before November if they plan to participate. Similar to last season, baiting in the Lower Peninsula remains banned. Although there have been several legislative proposals to reverse this and allow baiting, the issue has not been discussed recently, and nothing has been signed into law as of November 2025. However, in the Upper Peninsula, baiting is legal between the dates of September 15, 2025 and January 1, 2026.
In both peninsulas, hunters are permitted to use scent lures as long as deer cannot make direct contact with them, to help prevent the spread of disease within the species. All harvested deer must be reported online through the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) website or the official Michigan DNR Hunt Fish app within 72 hours. Throughout the entire rifle season, hunters must wear hunter orange, also known as blaze orange, to ensure visibility and safety in the field.
In an interview with a DNR committee member, she shared her perspective on seasonal rule changes:
“When I’ve talked to people about potential things that should be changed, people always seem to think we want to make changes to ruin the fun of hunting, but that’s not it at all. At the end of the day, we just need people to be safe. I hunt regularly, and I can confirm it would be a lot less fun if I had to worry about stepping in a deer trap or getting mistaken for a deer and getting shot. In an average hunting season I hear about at least 70 fatal accidents, and that's not even the beginning of all the injuries I hear about. Personally, I think if you're not willing to follow the rules made to protect you and the ones around you, you shouldn't be hunting at all.”