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Michigan hosts Free ORV Weekend; Wisconsin offers antlerless permits

Outdoors report

By Jim Anderson 8 min read

IRON MOUNTAIN -- This is Free ORV Weekend in Michigan.

Residents and out-of-state visitors legally can ride Department of Natural Resources-designated routes and trails today and Sunday without an ORV license or trail permit.

All other ORV rules and laws still apply, and a Recreation Passport is required where applicable.

The DNR reminds riders that fees generated from ORV licenses and trail permits are reinvested into the ORV system, benefiting trail expansion, annual trail grooming, infrastructure improvements and more.

For more information, go to https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/things-to-do/orv-riding.

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Bonus antlerless harvest authorizations for the 2026 gun deer season in Wisconsin will be available for purchase online through Go Wild and at license sales locations starting at 10 a.m. Monday.

An online queuing system will be used to manage volume in Go Wild. All users entering the site between 9:45 a.m. and 10 a.m. will be randomly assigned a number and staged in a virtual queue. Users will be arranged randomly regardless of the actual time they enter the system.

There is no advantage for customers who enter the site before 9:45 a.m., according to the Department of Natural Resources.

Users who log on after 10 a.m. will be added to the end of the existing queue in the order of arrival.

To complete their purchase, hunters will need to know the deer management zone and unit in which they intend to hunt, determine whether they will hunt on public or private land and have a deer hunting license approval. Due to realignment of the Northern and Central Forest Zones, there were changes made to some deer management unit borders in 2025.

The DNR encourages hunters to consult the Deer Season Structure And Management Zone maps at https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/node/120196 before buying their licenses. The first three days of bonus sales are management zone-specific -- with forest zones on Monday -- and the fourth day is open to all zones.

A listing of bonus antlerless harvest authorizations available for purchase in each deer management unit can be found on the DNR's Antlerless Deer Harvest Authorization webpage at https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/permits/bonusavailability.html.

For Deer Management Unit 124 that includes parts of Florence, Forest, Vilas and Oneida counties, the DNR lists 650 public land and 800 private land permits available. For DMU 125, that includes parts of Florence, Forest and Marinette counties, the DNR lists 500 public land and 2,650 private land permits available.

Bonus authorizations are sold at a rate of one per person per day until sold out or until the 2026 deer hunting season ends. Bonus authorizations are $12 each for Wisconsin residents, $20 each for nonresidents and $5 each for youth ages 11 and under.

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On Tuesday, representatives from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, city of Marquette, Iron Ore Heritage Recreation Authority and other community members will gather on Presque Isle to kick off a day of special speakers and tour stops at outdoor spaces in Marquette County.

The event is a celebration of the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund’s 50th anniversary. Collectively, Trust Fund-supported projects along the Marquette lakefront and throughout the Upper Peninsula - for both land acquisition and park and trail improvements - total more than $116 million in community investment, according to the DNR.

Tour stops will include Clark Lambros’ Beach Park, Ellwood A. Mattson Lower Harbor Park Marina and inclusive playground, Father Marquette Park and the Iron Ore Heritage Trail. The group also will visit the Michigan Iron Industry Museum for a presentation and reception. Grant funding of $261,600 has supported the creation of a trailhead and nonmotorized interpretive trails along the Carp River, offering visitors and Iron Ore Heritage Trail users scenic and historical overlooks along the paths. 

Established in 1976, the Trust Fund provides grants to state and local governments to purchase land for conservation or recreation, and for development of public outdoor recreation facilities.

The Trust Fund is financed through interest earnings on royalties from state-owned oil, gas and mineral leases and administered by the DNR.

For more the celebration and tour events, contact Jon Mayes at 517-284-5954.

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The 40th annual National Championship Musky Open gets underway Thursday in Eagle River, Wis., and continues through Sunday, Aug. 23. The event is hosted by the Eagle River Area Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center and the Musky Clubs Alliance of Wisconsin. A portion of the proceeds funds fish stocking and habitat improvement.

Tournament headquarters are at the Vilas County Fairgrounds.

For more information or registration details, go to https://eagleriver.org/events/national-championship-musky-open/.

A total of 117 muskies were caught and released in the 2025 tournament, with the largest 46.5 inches.

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Hunters, trappers and anyone interested in how the Michigan DNR manages wildlife populations are invited to two upcoming opportunities in St. Ignace: the Michigan Furbearer Forum on Friday and the Michigan Bear Forum on Saturday, Aug. 22.

The forums will take place in the conference room at Little Bear East Arena from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern time each day.

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The Michigan DNR reported this U.P. fishing activity:

Little Bay de Noc: Anglers targeting walleye trolled with planer boards and crawler harnesses. Some anglers reported success using crankbaits, with the best results coming at low speeds. Anglers who traveled south into Green Bay had fair success, while others who used reaction baits fished near the bottom. Yellow perch anglers reported inconsistent fishing, though some caught fish near Escanaba Harbor and the Escanaba River.

Marquette: Most anglers continued to troll north of White Rocks out toward Granite Rock and the Clay Banks in 120 to 160 feet of water for lake trout. They reported catching fish throughout the water column, though the larger lake trout were found in slightly deeper water near Granite Rock. A few anglers reported catching small numbers of salmon and brown trout near Little Presque Isle and the Clay Banks in roughly 60 to 100 feet of water. Few anglers ventured out to Sand River and Shot Point, as lake trout and brown trout catches declined compared to the previous week.

Munising: Boat anglers trolling and jigging for lake trout around Wood and Grand Island had good success. Boat anglers trolling the bay caught a few splake. Anglers targeting splake reported a slow bite off the Anna River mouth.

Manistique: Anglers targeted Chinook salmon south of Manistique and near the Garden Peninsula in depths of 90 feet of water and deeper. Spoons produced fish, although anglers also reported success with flasher-flies and meat rigs. Salmon were still present. Steelhead were also caught, typically on lures fished higher in the water column.

Grand Marais: Boat anglers continued doing well trolling and jigging for lake trout, with a few reports of coho salmon caught while trolling. Anglers fishing off the break wall had little success.

Keweenaw Bay/Huron Bay: Anglers reported fair fishing over the past week, with most of the catch composed of lake trout. Anglers also reported catching a few smaller Chinook salmon, coho salmon, and rainbow trout. Trolling spoons and flasher-fly combinations produced the most results. Anglers jigging for lake trout reported a fair bite, landing fish on natural and artificial presentations across varying depths throughout the week.

Lake Independence/Big Bay: Fishing activity was more consistent with most anglers targeting walleye and yellow perch. Anglers did best jigging in 15 to 20 feet of water using natural bait.

Traverse Bay/Portage Entry: Anglers trolling spoons and flasher-fly combinations near structure in 60 to 100 feet of water reported fair to good numbers of lake trout. Anglers jigging for lake trout reported a fair bite when using natural and artificial bait. Most fish were caught between 100 and 140 feet of water with some anglers reporting success in waters deeper than 200 feet.

Ontonagon River: Occasional catches of lake sturgeon were reported by those fishing with natural baits. Shore anglers reported catches of walleye, rock bass, and lake sturgeon in low numbers. Reports suggested that morning hours were the most productive time of day for catching these fish.

Ontonagon/Silver City/Union Bay: Reports from anglers included catches composed primarily of lake trout in fair-to-low numbers. Occasional catches of brown trout were reported at a much lower frequency. Anglers reported trolling across depths varying anywhere from 80 to 180 feet of water.

Les Cheneaux/DeTour: Anglers in Hessel caught salmon as well as lake trout out of the west entrance. Anglers reported a few perch from the marina docks. There were reports of good numbers of smaller northern pike around the marina as well as in wilderness bay. In DeTour, anglers caught lake trout by trolling the flats. Chinook salmon and Atlantic salmon were reported caught by anglers trolling around the lighthouse in the early mornings and late afternoons.

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