Hunters in Michigan could possibly see more time in the field to hunt for elk during the 2026 hunting season under a new proposal from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR).
The new proposal would give elk hunters more continuous hunt periods instead of the current scattered hunt periods.
The first hunt period would run from the second Saturday in September to the second Sunday in October. This would give hunters a continuous 30 harvesting days. The second period would run from Dec. 1 to Dec. 15.
The current elk hunting schedule consists of a first period of 12 scattered days to hunt in August and September and a second period of Dec. 13 to Dec. 21.
The new proposal would extend the second hunt period from nine days to 15 days and move it further away from the Christmas and Hanukkah holidays.
"What we are looking to do is have one continuous period (and) lengthen it a little longer to a greater number of days overall," Brent Rudolph, the elk specialist for the MDNR said.
He says this was proposed because the department has seen the success of the early hunt go down.
Ralph Mayer is an elk guide in northern Michigan; he says that he's in favor of the new hunting timeline because it'll offer better weather conditions and be more convenient to the many hunters from down south.
"I think it'll be good for the people that get a license to be able to pick and choose when they come up," Mayer said.
Scott Eggeman, with the MDNR, says that changing the hunt period will give hunters a better experience with cooler temperatures. "When it's really hot, it's difficult to get an animal as large as an elk out of the woods," Eggeman said. "You have to have a plan, and you have to move quickly."
State officials say the 2024 elk hunting season got off to a tough start, with high temperatures partly to blame.
"The original hunt that has taken its place was terrible, we started in August, it was 80 degrees," Mayer said. "If someone was lucky enough to take an animal, you had to immediately get it somewhere and get it cooled off so the meat wasn't ruined."
He says the new proposals will be good for elk hunters and will provide better hunter conditions.
The proposed changes for the 2026 season will have no effects on the elk license drawing. Which is a lottery system in place for interested hunters to apply for a chance to be able to hunt elk.
"It's typically only a once in a lifetime opportunity and a lot of hunters don't have a chance," Rudolph said. "Because it's just a pretty unique experience that many people would have an interest in."
The final proposal for the changes to the elk 2026 hunting season will be presented to the Michigan Natural Resources Commission at its March 2025 meeting.
We note the Michigan Department of Natural Resources is a sponsor of WCMU. We report on them as we do with any other organization.
