# hunting own land w/o license



## tdejong302

A friend of mine told me he legally hunt small game (grouse) on his 40 w/o a small game license. I told him hes crazy he needs a license. Help settle this dispute and perhaps prevent him from getting a ticket. Thx.


----------



## tnt1960

You are right. He needs a license no matter if he owns the land or the state does. He`s looking to get a ticket, and lose his firearm and hunting rights taken away.


----------



## slowpoke

tnt1960 said:


> You are right. He needs a license no matter if he owns the land or the state does. He`s looking to get a ticket, and lose his firearm and hunting rights taken away.



I always brought a license for small game my self even tho I could hunt small game on my own land without a hunting license. Unless the DNR change the law you can hunt on your own land for small game without a hunting license.


----------



## boehr

The only exception to the requirement of a small game license is if the land is *farmland* and *you live on that land*! Then and only then does one not need a small game license but they would need any other type of license rquirements for example duck stamp, deer license etc.


----------



## glnmiller

boehr said:


> The only exception to the requirement of a small game license is if the land is *farmland* and *you live on that land*! Then and only then does one not need a small game license but they would need any other type of license rquirements for example duck stamp, deer license etc.


Correct, and by farmland, it has to be actively used in generating a farm income. Growing foodplots does not count. My neighbor tried that lame excuse.


----------



## Alexx

[SIZE=+1]*Small Game Hunting License*[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]A small game license entitles you to hunt rabbit, hare, squirrel (fox and gray), pheasant, ruffed grouse, woodcock (HIP endorsement required), quail, crow, skunk, coyote (applies to Michigan residents only) and waterfowl (with a federal waterfowl stamp and Michigan waterfowl hunting license, if age 16 or older) during the open season. Opossum, porcupine, weasel, red squirrel, skunk, ground squirrel and woodchuck also may be taken year-round with a valid hunting license. No license is required for a resident, resident's spouse or resident's children to hunt small game on the enclosed farmlands where they live, except a federal waterfowl stamp and state waterfowl license are required to hunt waterfowl.

http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10363_10874-31236--,00.html
[/SIZE]


----------



## ibthetrout

I asked a similar question when I first joined here many years ago. At that time I was also told that tree farms do not count either.


----------



## casscityalum

ibthetrout said:


> I asked a similar question when I first joined here many years ago. At that time I was also told that* tree farms* do not count either.


Wrong, tree farms do count. So any tree farm raises trees to sell is considered a farm. However lets say you logged your woods out, that does not count as a farm as it is highlighted below.

Now I'm not saying what a CO would say, but MDA definitions of agriculture grounds is listed below and some I highlighted to show other things that most would not think of.

Heres a list of what is a farm in MI


Printer Friendly Version Printer Friendly Text Only Version Text Version Email this page Email Page Decrease Text Size Increase Text SizeText Size
What is considered a farm?

There are several definitions for "agricultural use" and "farmland". The Farmland Preservation (formerly PA 116) program office use's the following definitions for Agricultural Use and Farmland:


"Agricultural use" means the production of plants and animals useful to humans, including forages and sod crops; grains, feed crops, and field crops; dairy and dairy products; poultry and poultry products; livestock, including breeding and grazing of cattle, swine, captive cervidae, and similar animals; berries;* herbs; flowers; seeds; grasses; nursery stock; fruits; vegetables; Christmas trees; and other similar uses and activities.*


"Farmland" means 1 or more of the following:
(i) A farm of 40 or more acres in 1 ownership, with 51% or more of the land area devoted to an agricultural use.

(ii) A farm of 5 acres or more in 1 ownership, but less than 40 acres, with 51% or more of the land area devoted to an agricultural use, that has produced a gross annual income from agriculture of $200.00 per year or more per acre of cleared and tillable land. A farm described in this subparagraph enrolled in a federal acreage set aside program or a federal conservation reserve program is considered to have produced a gross annual income from agriculture of $200.00 per year or more per acre of cleared and tillable land.

(iii) A farm designated by the department of agriculture as a specialty farm in 1 ownership that has produced a gross annual income from an agricultural use of $2,000.00 or more.* Specialty farms include, but are not limited to, greenhouses; equine breeding and grazing; the breeding and grazing of cervidae, pheasants, and other game animals; bees and bee products; mushrooms; aquaculture; and other similar uses and activities.*
(iv) Parcels of land in 1 ownership that are not contiguous but which constitute an integral part of a farming operation being conducted on land otherwise qualifying as farmland may be included in an application under this part.


Michigan property tax law also has a definition of "qualified agricultural property" that is to be used by local assessors to determine if a parcel can be classified for assessing purposes as agricultural. Click here to view the web site that contains a form used by the Michigan Department of Treasury regarding qualified agricultural property. The definition of qualified agricultural property is found on the second page of the form.

Related Content

Agricultural use includes use in a federal acreage set-aside program or a federal conservation reserve program. *Agricultural use does not include the management and harvesting of a woodlot. 
*


----------

