As publishedSept 15-Nov 14, 2026 and Dec 1, 2026-Jan 1, 2027 (statewide)
Statewide, single continuous season definition with a mid-winter gap (not two separate openings). Bag limit differs by zone: 5 daily/10 possession in Zones 1-2, 3 daily/6 possession in Zone 3. No HIP requirement (not a migratory species).
MI DNR (Adam Bump, Upland Game Bird Specialist) runs an active spring drumming-count survey (statewide + priority areas, since 2021), but results surface only via press coverage rather than a dedicated MI DNR-published document with a confirmed date; no 2026 edition confirmed as of 2026-08-19. A widely-repeated “6% statewide decline” figure found in press aggregation could not be confirmed as Michigan's own (risk of conflation with a neighboring state's release covered in the same article) and was not cited. A fresh search this pass found only a qualitative “cautiously optimistic” characterization attributed to Bump, with no dated numeric report to close on.