Plan the permit.
Then plan the hunt.

A base license and the appropriate unused deer kill tag are normally needed. Nonresidents use Michigan licenses and must meet education and identification rules; do not assume another state’s tag is valid. Electronic tags must be presentable in the field. Online paper kill tags can take 10–15 business days to arrive; a receipt does not replace a required kill tag.

Buying a universal-antlerless license does not require an application. Reserved deer access and special island/public hunts can require an additional drawing, permit or reservation; these never replace the hunting license. North Manitou, St. Clair Flats and Shiawassee require managing-agency confirmation. South Fox has a distinct Oct. 1–28 archery / Oct. 29–Nov. 26 firearm schedule and is closed Nov. 27–Jan. 1.

• 2026 reserved deer access drawing

  July 15 – Aug. 15, 2026. Application window has passed. Check DNR for leftover access permits and exact area conditions; a permit never replaces the appropriate deer license.

• 2027 Pure Michigan Hunt drawing applications

  Jan. 1 – Dec. 31, 2026. Drawing entry, not a guaranteed deer tag or reservation. 2027 hunting regulations will control any awarded opportunity; elk eligibility is restricted to residents.

We do not infer the next reserved-drawing application window or any 2027 deer hunt dates. Applications and hunt dates are separate; this calendar downloads verified hunt dates only.

Source: Michigan DNR: current 2026 deer regulations ↗; Michigan DNR: reserved deer drawing and access requirements ↗; Michigan DNR: Pure Michigan Hunt drawing ↗; Wildlife Conservation Order Chapter III: species seasons, limits and licenses ↗

One deer per unused valid kill tag. A single deer license has one tag; a combo has two, one regular and one restricted. You cannot buy a single and a combo to add tags together. The antlered limit is two across seasons, except one in DMU 117 (Drummond Island). An antlerless-only entry never authorizes a buck.

DMU antler-point restrictions depend on tag type. Combo restricted bucks normally need four qualifying points on one side. The finder lists the single and combo regular rules for the selected DMU. Youth 16 and younger, mentored and base-apprentice holders have APR exceptions, but those do not automatically make ordinary UP single/combo tags valid for antlerless deer during firearm seasons.

Universal-antlerless tags can be purchased without a drawing. At most 10 universal/discounted DMU-487 licenses may be purchased statewide, and each unit or county has a separate use limit. This is not an automatic ten-deer allowance everywhere.

Upper Peninsula: universal tags are valid in DMU 022 (use limit 1), 121/122/155/255 (2 each), and 055 (5). Ordinary universal tags are not valid in the other UP units. Special standing-vehicle and DMA permits have their own conditions.

Lower Peninsula universal-tag use limits by county:

• 3 per hunter: Antrim, Benzie, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Crawford, Emmet, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Lake, Leelanau, Monroe, Otsego, Roscommon, Wexford.
• 4 per hunter: Clare, Gladwin, Oceana.
• 5 per hunter: Allegan, Arenac, Barry, Bay, Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Clinton, Eaton, Genesee, Gratiot, Hillsdale, Huron, Ingham, Iosco, Isabella, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Lapeer, Lenawee, Livingston, Macomb, Manistee, Mason, Midland, Missaukee, Muskegon, Oakland, Ogemaw, Osceola, Ottawa, Saginaw, Sanilac, Shiawassee, St. Clair, St. Joseph, Tuscola, Van Buren, Washtenaw, Wayne.
• 10 per hunter: Alcona, Alpena, Ionia, Kent, Mecosta, Montcalm, Montmorency, Newaygo, Oscoda, Presque Isle.

DMU 487 discounted antlerless tags are limited to the northeast area: Alcona, Alpena, Iosco, Montmorency, Oscoda and Presque Isle. Special island and reserved-area tags are managed locally.

Source: Michigan DNR: current 2026 deer regulations ↗; Michigan DNR: 2026 deer guide and unit maps (PDF) ↗; Wildlife Conservation Order Chapter III: species seasons, limits and licenses ↗