Changes to MI Spring Turkey Hunting

[Uncle Lou]

I just clicked the email from the DNR about spring turkey application last weekend. I usually just get an over the counter and get a late season, as it is longer. The problem with that is I don't have any private to turkey hunt anymore and the toms are usually pretty call shy by late season.

So I figured I would consider 1st season this year. As I was reading I saw a few significant changes to turkey hunting regs, that have been pretty consistent over the last 10 or 15 years.

First, a Saturday opener. Our season for as long as I can remember start on a Monday and close on a Sunday. The subsequent seasons then also starting on a Monday.

Second. You can hunt from an elevated platform. That has never been legal in the past for Spring anyway.

Another significant change is first season is April 18-24, and our entire season has been closing on May 31. This year that first season in many zones, has an extra late season week to it. You also get June 1-7. Bonus.

We do have decent turkey hunting and numbers of birds in Michigan and ample opportunities, now if they could just fix that non resident base license cost for Non residents ($150) we might draw some interest in this.

Here is a link to our spring guide. Applications through Feb.1, with plenty of leftover opportunities as well.
https://www.michigan.gov/documents/dnr/ ... 3091_7.pdf

[Hawthorne]

Me and another beast applied for the first week for two different areas of public land. You can apply has a party with one other hunter. Definitely not the same type of pressure has deer archery season. Will be interesting to see with the Saturday opener how that changes

[mipubbucks24]

I just wish they would allow people to use their public tag on private in the early season. My schedule only allows me to hunt the first 2 weeks and I would like to be able to hunt public and private but I can either apply for public only hunts or buy full season private only tag.

[jporcello]

$150 is cheap for a non resident. Iv been travel hunting turkeys for over 10 years and I don’t think Iv ever paid under $225

[Uncle Lou]

$150 is cheap for a non resident. Iv been travel hunting turkeys for over 10 years and I don’t think Iv ever paid under $225

But MI only allows one spring turkey. The base license is then good for the entire season. So if you came back deer hunting your tags would only be $20 a piece. So if you did more than turkey hunting it wouldn't be bad.

Any takers? Come on up we have a plethora of opportunities when it comes to hunting

[mipubbucks24]

$150 is cheap for a non resident. Iv been travel hunting turkeys for over 10 years and I don’t think Iv ever paid under $225

But MI only allows one spring turkey. The base license is then good for the entire season. So if you came back deer hunting your tags would only be $20 a piece. So if you did more than turkey hunting it wouldn't be bad.

Any takers? Come on up we have a plethora of opportunities when it comes to hunting

My pastor from Indiana does this every year pays the big bucks for Turkey then grabs a $20 deer tag. My father in-law comes out from Pennsylvania and hunts turkey every year also. He does not come out for deer as I don’t have a good place to put him, but there are people that pay the nonresident turkey fees. Michigan turkey hunting is really good, wish they managed deer the same way.

[Kokes]

$150 is cheap for a non resident. Iv been travel hunting turkeys for over 10 years and I don’t think Iv ever paid under $225

But MI only allows one spring turkey. The base license is then good for the entire season. So if you came back deer hunting your tags would only be $20 a piece. So if you did more than turkey hunting it wouldn't be bad.

Any takers? Come on up we have a plethora of opportunities when it comes to hunting

Dont tempt me Lou you know I ain't that far away :) :)

[Uncle Lou]

$150 is cheap for a non resident. Iv been travel hunting turkeys for over 10 years and I don’t think Iv ever paid under $225

But MI only allows one spring turkey. The base license is then good for the entire season. So if you came back deer hunting your tags would only be $20 a piece. So if you did more than turkey hunting it wouldn't be bad.

Any takers? Come on up we have a plethora of opportunities when it comes to hunting

My pastor from Indiana does this every year pays the big bucks for Turkey then grabs a $20 deer tag. My father in-law comes out from Pennsylvania and hunts turkey every year also. He does not come out for deer as I don’t have a good place to put him, but there are people that pay the nonresident turkey fees. Michigan turkey hunting is really good, wish they managed deer the same way.

Cool, bring'em

[Uncle Lou]

$150 is cheap for a non resident. Iv been travel hunting turkeys for over 10 years and I don’t think Iv ever paid under $225

But MI only allows one spring turkey. The base license is then good for the entire season. So if you came back deer hunting your tags would only be $20 a piece. So if you did more than turkey hunting it wouldn't be bad.

Any takers? Come on up we have a plethora of opportunities when it comes to hunting

Dont tempt me Lou you know I ain't that far away :) :)

I aint afraid. Bring it

[simpzenith]

I would love to draw a 1st season tag just to hunt the June 1- 7 time period. I need to look into this more before the deadline to apply.

[Uncle Lou]

Deadline fast approaching, but I usually don't apply as we have many over the counter/leftover tags. Just think the rule changes were worth noting. That extra week for the fist tag in many southern zones is pretty tempting.

If you have private property to hunt I wouldn't waste the $5 to apply. We have guaranteed tags even after the application period

[RookieBeast2019]

Can’t wait to hunt the UP.

[Uncle Lou]

Can’t wait to hunt the UP.

I believe that is tag M. It runs the entire season. Click the link in my original post. You would have about 6 weeks to hunt the entire UP. That tag always tempts me, I used to hunt up there in the fall many years ago.