Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources is rolling out a major upgrade to its eHarvest digital tagging system starting with the 2026 license year, letting hunters tag deer, turkey, bear, bobcat, otter, fisher, and marten right from the Hunt Fish mobile app. No more fumbling with paper tags in the freezing woods—just snap a photo, log the harvest, and you’re good to go. This builds on successful pilots that proved the tech works, slashing admin costs for the DNR while handing hunters a slick, real-time tool to stay compliant without the hassle of mailing in reports or risking fines from lost paperwork.

For the 2A community, this isn’t just a convenience tweak—it’s a subtle shift toward normalized digital tracking in the hunting world, where our rifles and shotguns are the stars of the show. On the pro side, it empowers law-abiding gun owners by streamlining harvests, freeing up more time for the range or the field, and proving tech can cut red tape without Big Brother vibes. Michigan’s already a hunter-friendly state with solid reciprocity for concealed carry, so this aligns with a pro-2A ethos of efficiency over bureaucracy. But let’s be clever about the implications: as apps log GPS-tied data (even if anonymized), it sets a precedent that anti-gunners could eye for broader wildlife management surveillance. We’ve seen states like New York push harvest apps with mandatory telemetry—Michigan’s voluntary rollout is a win, but 2A warriors should watch if it morphs into a backdoor registry for who, what, and where you’re hunting with your AR-platform deer rifle.

Bottom line, embrace the app for now—it’s a net positive for getting more Americans afield with their firearms—but stay vigilant. Download it, test it in ’26, and keep the pressure on lawmakers to ensure digital tools serve hunters, not trackers. This could be the model for red states to modernize without selling out our rights.