Michigan approves electronic kill tags for hunters. How will they work?

Michigan’s Natural Resources Commission passed an amendment Wednesday to give hunters the option of using electronic kill tags for certain animals
Hunters will be able to use kill tags in the Hunt Fish mobile app for deer, bobcat, bear, fisher, marten and otter starting March 1
Physical kill tags will still be available

Starting March 1, Michigan hunters will no longer need to display paper kill tags on certain animals.

Instead, they’ll be able to validate kills using the Hunt Fish mobile app.
The change comes after the Natural Resources Commission on Wednesday approved the optional use of electronic kill tags for deer, bobcat, bear, fisher, marten and otter.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has been piloting digital kill tags for turkey hunters since fall 2024, but otherwise hunters have needed to use a physical kill tag, which can be picked up at a license agent or received through the mail.

Having a digital tag option is expected to save the department money by reducing printing and distribution costs. It may also make things more convenient for hunters by allowing them to buy a tag online in the days leading up to a hunt and by making it easier to keep track of their tag once purchased.

According to the DNR, 27,475 hunters lost their paper licenses and had to purchase another in 2024.

RELATED:

How will this actually work? Read on for questions and answers.

How will I be able to purchase an electronic kill tag?

Once you download the Hunt Fish app on your smartphone, you will be able to purchase a tag inside the app.

How will the electronic kill tag actually work?

Once you make a kill, you will open your app and validate the kill by answering a few questions. If you do not have cell service or are unable to connect to WiFi, you can still fill out the information on your phone. Once you get cell service or connect to WiFi, the data will be uploaded.

How will conservation officers know that my hunt was legal?

If a conservation officer requests to see your kill tag and you purchased it electronically, you can open the Hunt Fish app to show them the tag. If you have not had cell service or WiFi since the kill, you can still show them the validated kill tag you entered on your phone.

What happens if my phone is dead?

If your phone dies, a conservation officer can run your ID to find out if you purchased a tag and what kind of tag it was. If your tag was validated and uploaded via cell service or WiFi before your phone died, the conservation officer will be able to see that.

What if I’m not with the carcass?

You may not always be right there with the body of the animal you hunted to present an electronic tag. For example, you may leave it at a buck pole or have a friend drive it for you.

In instances like those, you will need to make a tag out of durable material with the hunting license number written on it in permanent ink and attach it to the carcass.

There are, however, some exceptions:

If the head is no longer attached to the carcass, then the durable tag only needs to be with the head.
If the animal’s remains are stored at your primary residence, you won’t need to worry about having a physical tag for it.
If the carcass or head is accepted and recorded by a commercial processor or taxidermist, a physical tag no longer needs to be attached to it.

What happens if I get my deer tested?

In Michigan, deer may be tested for diseases like bovine tuberculosis or chronic wasting disease, especially in counties where the disease is being actively surveilled.

Sign up for our outdoors newsletter

Want more coverage like this delivered directly into your inbox? Sign up for the Bridge Michigan Outdoors newsletter here.

If you take your deer head or carcass to a disease sample submission site for testing and you have an electronic tag, your phone will have the same information that you would have on a paper tag. The station can use that information to process your dropoff. The facility will then tag your deer head or any sample you drop off so that it can be properly tracked during the testing process.

Won’t it be easier to game the system when seeking an official DNR seal for a bobcat, fisher, marten or otter?

If you bag a bobcat, fisher, marten or otter, you’ll need to go to a registration station so the DNR can attach an official seal to the pelt of each carcass.

If you have an electronic kill tag, you’ll need to present it in order to get an official DNR seal. If you use one electronic kill tag to present two different animals to two different stations, the DNR can detect that at the end of the season if officials run a record.

What other states have electronic kill tags or something similar?

According to the DNR, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin also use apps and digital tags.

Can I still use a paper kill tag?

Yes. Electronic kill tags will be optional, not mandatory. You can still purchase a physical kill tag and pick it up at a license agent or get it through the mail.