Courtesy photo provided by Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) An elk is seen standing in a wooded area.

MICHIGAN — The application period for Michigan’s elk season opens Friday and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reminds hunters of key changes to the popular hunt.

According to a DNR press release on Tuesday, on April 8, the Michigan Natural Resources Commission (NRC) voted to establish elk hunting regulations for the 2026 and 2027 seasons.

Those actions include the following:

– Setting the first elk hunt period in 2026 from Sept. 23 through Oct. 4. Previously, the first hunt period was broken up into three, four-day sessions that began in late August.

– Setting the second hunt period from Dec. 1 through Dec. 15, a 15-day period. Previously, the second hunt period was Dec. 13-21, a nine-day hunting period.

– Giving successful elk hunters 72 hours to present the elk head or entire animal for registration as directed by the DNR. Previously, hunters were required to register the entire elk within 24 hours of harvest.

Brent Rudolph, the DNR’s deer, elk and moose management specialist, explained in the release that the changes are geared toward hunter convenience and increasing opportunities to harvest an iconic elk.

“For the first hunt period in particular, having a contiguous session that starts later in the season should make it easier for hunters to plan their hunt,” Rudolph said. The move also provides more favorable conditions and avoids the warm temperatures we’ve experienced during the earlier hunt in recent years.

REDUCED BAG LIMITS

The NRC also decreased the number of state-issued elk licenses to 200 (compared to 260 offered in prior years) based on a recommendation from DNR personnel to help stabilize the elk herd in the northern Lower Peninsula, according to the release.

A DNR aerial survey in early 2026 estimated the elk herd at 733 animals with a confidence interval of plus/minus 247, meaning the population could range between about 486 and 980 animals, the DNR explained.That estimate generally falls within the DNR’s management goal of 500-900 animals established in the agency’s elk conservation and management plan.

To help keep the herd stabilized, the NRC took the following actions:

– Kept the elk license quota for the first hunt period at 100, while changing the quota mix. Forty “any-elk” licenses will be issued (an increase of 10), and 60 antlerless-only licenses will be issued (a decrease of 10).

– Decreased the elk license quota for the second hunt period to 100 compared to 160 last year. That includes 30 any-elk licenses (a decrease of 20) and 70 antlerless-only licenses (a decrease of 40).

ELK APPLICATIONS AND DRAWINGS

Elk hunting is limited to Michigan residents, according to the DNR. Apply for an elk license from May 1 to June 1. An application costs $5 and each hunter is limited to one application per year.

Residents can purchase an application from any license agent, online at Michigan.gov/DNRLicenses, or through the Michigan DNR Hunt Fish mobile app.

Drawing results will be available June 22.

Hunters are selected for an elk license through a weighted chance system, according to the release. In the annual drawing, the total number of chances is equal to the number of chances an applicant has earned in past drawings (beginning in 2003) plus one chance for their current-year application. Those who are not selected for a license earn one chance for future elk drawings.

The DNR stated that there is no guarantee an applicant will ever be drawn for an elk license, regardless of the number of chances accumulated. The weighted selection system provides some advantage to hunters who apply year after year while still providing an opportunity to all applicants, including those applying for the first time.

The number of elk licenses available each year (200 for 2026) is small compared to the number of expected license applicants (over 47,000).