MID-MICHIGAN (WJRT) – Michigan elk hunters braved challenging weather and storm-damaged terrain to harvest 153 elk in 2025, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
The DNR received 47,000 applications from elk hunters and issued 260 elk hunting licenses last year.
Hunters faced high temperatures during the early hunt period and freezing rain during the late hunt period, along with tree debris from the historic March 2025 ice storm littering the forest floor.
“Despite their good fortune, the lucky hunters drawn for this year faced a variety of challenges to harvesting an elk,” said Brent Rudolph, the deer, elk and moose management specialist for the DNR.
Brent Henige was one of the lucky hunters to get an elk license after applying for 19 consecutive years unsuccessfully. He shot a 559-pound bull on state land off County Road 622 in Montmorency County on Dec. 13.
Henige located the elk within a couple hours of firing his shot despite a subzero wind chill.
“I didn’t have time to shake,” he said. “It happened so quickly.”
Henige brought his elk to the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce Elk Pole and celebrated the harvest with his wife, two children and other family members.
Michigan’s elk herd is estimated around 1,150 animals, who primarily roam in the Pigeon River Country State Forest in Cheboygan, Otsego and Montmorency counties.
The DNR has proposed increasing the elk hunting season to 45 days apiece during the early and late periods. Email DNR-Elk-Hunt@Michigan.gov by Friday to submit feedback on the proposal.
