Senate Bill 1105, sponsored by Sen. Michelle McManus, R-Leelanau,
co-chair of the Michigan State Sportsmen’s Caucus, creates an apprentice hunting license which allows people to be introduced to hunting under direct supervision of a licensed adult hunter before completing hunter education. To become fully licensed and hunt alone, the new hunter must complete a hunter education course.
House Bill 5192, sponsored by Rep. Scott Hummel, R-DeWitt, lowers the big game hunting minimum age from 14 to 12 and the small game hunting minimum age from 12 to 10.
Under the two new laws, an experienced hunter can introduce a person who has not completed hunter education to small game hunting at the age of 10 and big game hunting at the age of 12. The new hunter must acquire an apprentice hunting license and hunt under the direct supervision of the licensed experienced hunter. However, if the new hunter has completed hunter education, he or she may now acquire a license to hunt small game at the age of 10 and big game at the age of 12.
