Michigan’s First Deer Harvest Numbers of 2026 Revealed

Michigan’s first deer hunting weekend of 2026 is in the books, and lots of hunters were successful.

The Youth and Liberty Hunts took place September 12 and 13, right alongside Michigan’s early antlerless season. It may have only lasted two days, but hunters across the state were busy and put up some pretty impressive numbers.

Thousands of Deer Harvested Across Michigan

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According to the Michigan DNR deer harvest report, 8,488 deer were reported harvested during the weekend.

See Also: Michigan Deer Hunters Have a New Tagging Option This Season

The Youth and Liberty Hunts accounted for 4,925 deer, including 3,920 bucks. Another 3,539 antlerless deer were taken during the early antlerless season.

The total was pulled shortly after the weekend and may not include every harvest reported before the deadline.

Montcalm County reported the most deer taken over the weekend with 304, including 164 bucks. Newaygo County wasn’t far behind with 302.

That is a whole lot of deer hitting the ground in just one weekend.

Michigan Archery Deer Season Kicks Off in October

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Now that the early hunts are over, the next big date is October 1. That’s when Michigan’s early archery deer season begins. It runs through November 14.