Currently, landowners in the northern Lower Peninsula with at least 40 acres containing a minimum of 5 percent wildlife habitat can enroll in the Hunting Access Program. Enrollment remains open through September.
Michigan is home to one of the nation’s largest and longest running dedicated private land-public access programs. Since 1977, the Hunting Access Program has enabled landowners to make the most of their property by allowing hunters to access private land for hunting.
“You can help promote wildlife population management, support the local economy, reduce wildlife conflicts, improve your land and get paid to do it,” said HAP coordinator Monique Ferris. “Wildlife habitat improvement funding may also be available for habitat projects if you are enrolled in the program.”
HAP-eligible counties in the northern Lower Peninsula include Alcona, Alpena, Antrim, Benzie, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Emmet, Grand Traverse, Iosco, Leelanau, Manistee, Mason, Montmorency, Ogemaw, Oscoda, Otsego, Presque Isle and parts of Wexford.
Beginning this year, additional enrollment incentives are available for those who live in Alcona, Alpena, Montmorency or Oscoda counties. Landowners should contact the local conservation district in those counties to learn more about the earning potential for their land.
Landowner benefits include an annual payment based on acres of land enrolled, type of land cover and type of hunting the landowner chooses to allow and the chance to help promote and support Michigan’s rich hunting heritage.
Other benefits include better management of wildlife on the landowner’s property, liability protection for the landowner through Public Act 451, and control over types of hunting allowed on the property. This includes maximum number of hunters on the property at a time, as well as the option to allow youth and apprentice hunting exclusively.
There are no extra costs for hunters to use HAP lands, but they are responsible for reviewing information for the land they plan to hunt, checking in before each day of hunting and respecting the landowners’ private property.
For more information on enrollment in the Hunting Access Program, click here.