Michigan’s Natural Resources Commission on Wednesday approved a regulatory change that caps Lower Peninsula hunters at one antlered deer per year beginning with the upcoming season, a reduction from the current two-buck allowance. The decision followed more than nine hours of deliberation and public testimony, as commissioners rejected a broader statewide proposal from the Department of Natural Resources amid vocal resistance from hunting advocates.
The DNR recommendation would have eliminated a hunter’s ability to take an antlered deer with a single deer license in the Lower Peninsula, requiring a combination license instead, to drive higher antlerless harvests. NRC Chairperson Becky Humphries said that approach overstepped the commission’s authority. “By coupling some of the licenses in the combo license, we could effectively be doubling the price of a buck license and stepping into the arena that is legislative authority,” Humphries said before the vote. She explained she could not support the DNR’s recommendation because only the Legislature possesses the authority to raise license fees.
The policy that passed was introduced by Commissioner David Nyberg, a compromise designed to protect the current combination license in the Upper Peninsula, where he lives and hunts. “The Upper Peninsula, and even portions within the Upper Peninsula, are very different from each other, from the Lower Peninsula, in terms of habitat, food source, deer density, winter severity, predators,” Nyberg said. “And so I understand a lot of the concern that I heard from hunters about the proposed statewide one buck rule.” George Lindquist, vice chair of the DNR’s West UP Citizens Advisory Council, said he was “pretty darn happy” Nyberg’s proposal passed. “The groups and the people I’m involved with are happy that we’re keeping these rules the way they are up in the UP,” Lindquist said. “We just don’t have the numbers to allow for an increased antlerless take.”
While the DNR’s original proposal sought a statewide “one buck rule,” roughly 4% to 7% of deer harvested in the state over the past decade represented a second antlered deer taken by the same hunter. Public commenters spent more than four hours addressing the commission on the issue. Dan Stewart, a Lower Peninsula resident, opposed the rule during public comments. “While I take a doe when populations allow, that isn’t what drives me into the woods,” Stewart said. “If OBR passes, my season could be over by the first week of November with one nice buck. Like many others, I would pack up and head out of state to hunt somewhere else with my money.” Some hunters, however, supported the initial rule as a conservation tool to improve herd sex ratios. Elliot Hubbard, an advocate for the stricter rule, said the final vote meant the commission ignored scientific input. “Wednesday’s vote just solidifies this was a waste of time,” said Hubbard. “It was a collaboration between hunters and the department to bring a sound biological regulation forward. It fell on deaf ears.”
The approved amendment includes a directive for the DNR to develop a framework for an “earn a second buck” pilot project for the Lower Peninsula, which the commission plans to review in July. Under the proposed pilot, hunters would be required to kill an antlerless deer to earn permission to harvest a second antlered deer. Commissioner John Walters expressed operational concerns about potential “ghost does,” where hunters might falsely report an antlerless harvest to secure a second buck license. DNR officials said policing such a program would depend entirely on budget allocations provided by the Legislature. Nyberg told Bridge Michigan after the meeting that the public will have an opportunity to weigh in on the pilot parameters before commissioners vote on a final framework.
Beyond deer bag limits, the NRC passed a resolution demanding measurable scientific goals be attached to any future deer management policies recommended by the DNR. The commission also approved amendments to Wildlife Conservation Order Amendment No. 6 of 2026 that permanently eliminate certain firearm restrictions in the southern Lower Peninsula and end the extended late antlerless deer season previously scheduled after Jan. 1. The final, consolidated text of the amended order was not available online as of Wednesday evening.