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Autumn 2026 · The Fifteenth Free newsletters: The Sunday Almanac The Daily Dispatch
Michigan Hunt & Fish News
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MHF Staff

The staff byline of Michigan Hunt and Fish. Stories under this byline were researched and drafted with AI assistance under the direction of the editor-in-chief and the publisher, checked by a separate AI reviewer against the named DNR and agency sources, edited by the editors and approved for publication by the publisher. No interviews were conducted for them.

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20 stories
Typographic card: A straight-wall deer rifle after the zone, judged by others' tests REVIEW Gear · Oct 31, 2026 A straight-wall deer rifle after the zone, judged by others’ tests Michigan Hunt and Fish tested nothing; the research found two published gel tests of the straight-wall rifle cartridges, one from a site that sells .450 Bushmaster uppers, and no Michigan shot-distance data. Typographic card: Foam, inflatable or float coat on a cold-water walleye boat REVIEW Gear · Oct 31, 2026 Foam, inflatable or float coat on a cold-water walleye boat No independent cold-water test of inflatable life jackets was found, so this research-based guide sets Michigan's carriage law and the label beside the pool tests that exist and what each one left out. A sandy road runs between tall red pines, with orange saplings on the left and a snow-covered bank on the right. EXPLAINER Hunting · Oct 31, 2026 December, in brief The December firearm and muzzleloader seasons now run three days from Friday, Dec. 4, the late antlerless season follows on Dec. 7, and nothing here says when the ice is safe. Typographic card: Public land for November, by region, with its managers EXPLAINER Destinations · Oct 31, 2026 Public land for November, by region, with its managers Five regional lists name a selection of the forests, refuges, lakeshores, parks and game areas that their managers' own pages support, each with its agency and the access rule its page states, where it states one. Typographic card: Presque Isle Park, where Marquette says anglers take fall whitefish GUIDE Fishing · Oct 31, 2026 Presque Isle Park, where Marquette says anglers take fall whitefish The City of Marquette says anglers concentrate on spring and fall whitefish, Lake Superior's limit is 10 in any combination plus up to 10 more round whitefish, and the Army Corps' pier precautions on file date from 2019. A snow-covered highway with a roadside signboard reading U.S. Forest Service, Information, Deer Survey, Registration Booth, 500 Feet. EXPLAINER Conservation · Oct 31, 2026 Michigan’s deer in the record, from 1859 to this November From the first season limit in 1859 to a live count of reported harvests, what the DNR's numbers and archival pictures can and cannot tell a reader. A concrete spillway and a tan brick powerhouse beside a calm river under a partly cloudy summer sky. DESTINATION Fishing · Oct 31, 2026 Where the Big Manistee leaves Tippy Dam The DNR's page for Tippy Dam Recreation Area lists a rustic campground open all year and a Recreation Passport requirement; the river from the dam to the railroad bridge below M-55 is Type 3 water with a limit of one rainbow trout. Gray waves roll toward a sandy shore under an overcast sky, with a low far shore and a plant on the horizon. GUIDE Fishing · Oct 31, 2026 Walleye limits change between Lake Erie and Saginaw Bay Lake St. Clair, the Detroit River, Lake Erie and Saginaw Bay stay open through November under different walleye, perch and pike limits, and muskie possession on the St. Clair system runs to Dec. 31. A sandy forest road runs past oaks holding brown and gold leaves, with patches of snow along the roadside. GUIDE Hunting · Oct 31, 2026 Deer season’s second half, through Thanksgiving week The regular firearm season runs through Nov. 30 with Thanksgiving inside it, and on Dec. 1 the calendar turns to late archery, with two familiar late seasons gone for 2026. Typographic card: A whole deer in the kitchen, from the cuts to the freezer EXPLAINER Lifestyle · Oct 31, 2026 A whole deer in the kitchen, from the cuts to the freezer The federal chart puts venison at 160 F, aging is optional and may suit an older deer, and the CDC's advice on CWD comes with hedges worth keeping. Typographic card: How to give a deer away GUIDE Conservation · Oct 31, 2026 How to give a deer away Hunters Feeding Michigan takes deer at 16 listed processors at no cost to the hunter, if the deer arrives whole, tagged, reported and field-dressed, and tested when it comes from a CWD or TB county. Typographic card: Once the deer is down, the tag, the report and the cooling GUIDE Hunting · Oct 31, 2026 Once the deer is down, the tag, the report and the cooling Michigan gives a hunter 72 hours from harvest to report a deer, less if it changes hands first, and the county it fell in decides where its head can be tested.