LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) -- Michigan elk hunters could see significantly longer harvest windows under draft proposals from the Department of Natural Resources for the 2026–27 season.

The plan would lengthen both hunt periods in the northern Lower Peninsula, home to Michigan’s elk herd, by more than doubling total hunt days.

What would change: • Hunt Period 1: A continuous 30-day season running from the second Saturday in September through the second Sunday in October. Currently, Period 1 is split into three four-day hunts across August and September—12 total hunting days. • Hunt Period 2: A 15-day season from Dec. 1 through Dec. 15. Currently, Period 2 runs Dec. 13 through Dec. 21—nine total hunting days.

Combined, the two periods would provide 45 total days of harvest time, up from 21

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