Michigan DNR proposes longer elk hunts and better timing

Michigan elk hunters could see longer hunting periods in 2026-27 under draft proposals from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

The proposals would extend both elk hunting periods in the northern Lower Peninsula, where Michigan’s elk herd resides, according to an announcement from the DNR.

Hunt Period 1 would run from the second Saturday in September through the second Sunday in October, a 30-day continuous period. Currently, Hunt Period 1 is broken into three four-day hunts across August and September, totaling 12 hunting days.

Hunt Period 2 would run from Dec. 1 through Dec. 15, a 15-day period. Currently, Hunt Period 2 runs from Dec. 13 through Dec. 21, a nine-day period.

Combined, the two hunting periods would provide 45 days of harvest time, more than double the current