State
CWD rules in Michigan
CWD zone status
Agency
Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
Last verified
June 16, 2026
CWDCrossing provides informational summaries of state CWD carcass-transport regulations. Rules change annually pre-hunting-season; verify with both the origin and destination state wildlife agencies before transport. Failure to comply may result in citations. Not affiliated with the CWD Alliance, the National Deer Association, or any state agency.
Bringing a carcass into Michigan
Michigan is the regulating authority for what you can bring in. Two-tier rule: broader allowed-parts list for general imports, but imports from states/provinces with CWD in free-ranging populations are limited to deboned meat, clean antlers, clean skull cap, hides, and upper canine teeth. Content sourced from michigan.gov DNR page via search snippets; direct WebFetch returned HTTP 403 (bot block), so verbatim page text was not independently re-fetched.
Allowed for import
- deboned/boned-out meat
- quarters or parts with no spinal column or head attached
- antlers
- antlers attached to a skull cap cleaned of all brain and muscle tissue
- cleaned skull cap (no brain material, membranes, or skin)
- hides cleaned of excess tissue or blood
- upper canine teeth
- finished taxidermy mounts
- tissue imported for a diagnostic or research laboratory
Restricted from import
- whole carcasses
- entire head
- brain
- spinal column/spinal cord
- any part not on the allowed list
Handling + processing
Importing a free-ranging deer/elk/moose carcass from any out-of-state location is restricted; from CWD-affected states/provinces hunters are limited to deboned meat, clean antlers/skull cap, hides, and upper canine teeth. If notified another state found an imported cervid CWD-positive, contact the DNR Wildlife Disease Lab (517-336-5030) within two business days. Violation is a misdemeanor.
Taking a carcass out of Michigan
When you hunt in Michigan and bring the carcass to another state, that destination state sets the rule. Because Michigan has confirmed CWD detections, several destination states apply their stricter "from a CWD-affected state" rule to carcasses originating here — plan to bring back lower-risk parts only.
Michigan on the CWD map
- CWD confirmed in state
- Under heightened surveillance
- No known CWD detections
Zone status is informational, not a hazard rating. Detections expand over time — confirm current status with each state's wildlife agency.
CWDCrossing provides informational summaries of state CWD carcass-transport regulations. Rules change annually pre-hunting-season; verify with both the origin and destination state wildlife agencies before transport. Failure to comply may result in citations. Not affiliated with the CWD Alliance, the National Deer Association, or any state agency.