The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has announced an expansion of its eHarvest digital tagging system for the 2026 license year.

Starting Mar. 1, 2026, hunters will have the option to tag bears, bobcats, deer, fishers, martens, otters and turkeys using the Michigan DNR Hunt Fish mobile app. The DNR says the digital tags will provide tag validation and timestamping of harvest data, the convenience of buying tags any time of day and a reduction in printing and distribution costs. There will be no physical tagging required with eHarvest unless the hunter is not in possession of the animal.

^{A snapshot of the eHarvest process on the Michigan DNR Hunt Fish mobile app (courtesy of Michigan DNR).}

“Expanding the eHarvest system improves hunter convenience, increases efficiency and reduces administrative costs while allowing us to direct more resources toward wildlife conservation and habitat management,” said Tom Weston, DNR chief technology officer.

Traditional tags will still be available through eLicense purchases or through retail agents and stores.

Michigan now joins 24 other states with a similar online animal tagging system. Georgia was the first to do it in 2016.

For more information on eHarvest tags, visit https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/things-to-do/hunting/huntfishmi/eharvest-tags.