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Hunters face $2,000 fines for breaking new ‘one buck rule’ as US state rolls out 2026 policy changes

Grace Harrington

Published: 16:08, 15 May 2026

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HUNTERS are bracing for a new rule that would limit the number of deer allowed to be harvested.

Under a proposed law, hunters would be faced with $2,000 in fines for killing more than one buck.

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Two deer hunters with rifle and binoculars, John Day, Oregon, USA
Hunters in Michigan could be penalized for hunting more than one buck starting in 2027Credit: Alamy
A male deer eating a leafy branch in a lush garden.
The proposed rule is aimed at equalizing the buck-to-doe ratioCredit: Laszlo Podor

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is proposing a new policy to boost the white-tail deer population.

The proposed rule seeks to limit hunters in Michigan to harvesting only one antlered deer each year.

Along with increasing the population of male deer, the law hopes to improve the buck-to-doe ratio in the state.

If passed, the rule would be implemented in the Lower Peninsula in 2027, which encompasses most of the state.

read more hunting laws

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Hunter Dan Ulfig agreed with the proposal.

“We have a buck-centric culture in Michigan. Everybody wants their buck,” he told the Associated Press. 

“And we have an aversion, a flat-out refusal, to shoot does by many people.

“It’s obvious that the one buck rule will improve antlerless harvest,” he said. 

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Nearly 300,000 deer were killed throughout 2025 in Michigan, which included 153,696 antlered deer, per DNR data. 

Each year, around 32,000 of the hunted deer are the second antlered deer killed by the same hunter.

According to a 2020 survey conducted by the DNR, 48 percent of hunters in Michigan supported the limiting of one buck to be killed by each hunter. 

“Michigan has gained a reputation as the worst white-tailed managed state in the Midwest, but this commission has the opportunity to turn that around,” hunter Josh Arbogast said. 

“2027 isn’t a plan, it’s a delay.”

Under current law, illegally hunting a deer warrants a mandatory restitution fees of $1,000 per deer, with an additional $1,000 if it’s an antlered deer.