Home › Michigan › Species › Striped Skunk
Furbearers, hunted and trapped
Striped Skunk Hunting in Michigan, 2026-27
Striped skunks are open all year in Michigan, hunting and trapping, with no bag limit. In one place: the skunk calendar, limits, licenses, legal weapons and public land.
Photo: Photommo! (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Skunk is on the WCO 2.5(2) list of species that may be hunted at night. No bag limit. Landowners may take them without a license when they are doing or about to do damage on private property.
Striped Skunk in the DNR summary
- Dates and gear: Year-round.
- What you may keep: No limit.
DNR source page, checked October 22, 2026.
GearHeading out for a hunt? Hunting gear checklists by season →
Striped Skunk calendar, 2026-27
No calendar to track: striped skunks are open year-round.
| Season | Area | How | From | Through | Days | Open? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year-round | Statewide | Hunting and trapping | Year-round | Year-round |
From the Michigan Department of Natural Resources 2026 regulation summary, checked October 22, 2026.
Striped Skunk take and what to buy
Bag limits first, then the paperwork for striped skunks.
Skunk
Residents: no limit per season; nonresidents: no limit
Paperwork for striped skunks
| What to buy | Resident | Senior | Youth | Nonresident |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base license | $11 | $5 | $6 | $151 |
| Fur harvester license | $15 | $6 | $15 | $15 |
| Incidental tag | Free | Free | Free | Free |
DNR regulation summary and fee tables, DNR eLicense, checked October 22, 2026. Michigan hunting license guide.
Legal requirements for striped skunks
The skunk rules below cover what happens before and after the shot.
Check it in
Reporting rules do not name striped skunks.
Daily hours
For striped skunks, legal time starts 30 minutes before sunrise and ends 30 minutes after sunset. WCO 2.5(2) lets night hunters keep going after dark on foot.
Hunter orange
The orange law covers striped skunks from mid-August to the end of April, daylight hours only, and orange camouflage qualifies at 50% orange.
Sunday status
Sundays are legal for striped skunks. The deer summary notes posted township restrictions in 24 counties, which apply to all hunting there.
Legal light for the skunk dates
| Day | Opener or close | In A | In B | In C | In D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 15, 2026 | mid-October | 7:15 a.m. to 7:24 p.m. | 7:21 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. | 7:27 a.m. to 7:36 p.m. | 7:33 a.m. to 7:42 p.m. |
| Nov 15, 2026 | mid-November | 6:53 a.m. to 5:48 p.m. | 6:59 a.m. to 5:54 p.m. | 7:05 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. | 7:11 a.m. to 6:06 p.m. |
| Dec 15, 2026 | mid-December | 7:24 a.m. to 5:41 p.m. | 7:30 a.m. to 5:47 p.m. | 7:36 a.m. to 5:53 p.m. | 7:42 a.m. to 5:59 p.m. |
| Jan 15, 2027 | mid-January | 7:29 a.m. to 5:55 p.m. | 7:35 a.m. to 6:01 p.m. | 7:41 a.m. to 6:07 p.m. | 7:47 a.m. to 6:13 p.m. |
| Feb 15, 2027 | mid-February | 6:59 a.m. to 6:34 p.m. | 7:05 a.m. to 6:40 p.m. | 7:11 a.m. to 6:46 p.m. | 7:17 a.m. to 6:52 p.m. |
From the Michigan Department of Natural Resources 2026 regulation summaries: harvest reporting, MCL 324.40116 hunter orange, baiting, hunting hours tables, checked October 22, 2026. Hunting hours by zone · Michigan hunting laws.
Harvest leaders and public ground for striped skunks
Striped skunks are rarely named alone in the land records, so the 4 with furbearers or the species itself are shown.
| Property | Type | Counties | Size, acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan State Forest System | State Forest | Alcona, Alger, Alpena… | 3,954,811 |
| Ottawa National Forest | National Forest | Baraga, Gogebic, Houghton… | 1,000,750 |
| Huron-Manistee National Forest | National Forest | Alcona, Crawford, Iosco… | 979,067 |
| Hiawatha National Forest | National Forest | Alger, Chippewa, Delta… | 899,499 |
Properties and their game lists from DNR, USFS, FWS and NPS pages and the DNR land layers, retrieved 2026-10-22. Michigan public land directory · County guides.
Striped Skunk: weapon rows and method rules
Read the weapon rows with the season table: the legal method depends on the segment.
| Season | Legal weapons | Off limits |
|---|---|---|
| Night hunting (raccoon, opossum, coyote, fox, skunk, weasel) | Bow, crossbow, pneumatic gun, rimfire .22 or smaller, centerfire rifle/pistol .269 caliber or smaller, shotgun with loads no larger than No. 3 buckshot (WCO 2.5(2)). | Centerfire rifle/pistol at night in state parks/recreation areas; buckshot larger than No. 3, slugs, cut shells. |
| Trapping | Foothold, body-gripping/conibear, cage traps for all furbearers; snares for beaver only; colony traps for muskrat only; nonlethal cable restraints for coyote/fox Jan. 1-March 1. | Setting traps before the season opens; see trap-type table and trap-check rules. |
Striped Skunk: what the method rules say
Artificial lights
No lights to locate animals in November, or 11 p.m.-6 a.m. the rest of the year; no lights with a weapon in possession; Nov. 1-30 on own/family land without a weapon; deer hunters may use lights 1 hour before/after hours with an unloaded weapon while walking to/from the stand.
Live wild animals
Possessing live game or protected animals taken from the wild requires a DNR permit.
Michigan regulation summaries, the Wildlife Conservation Order and MCL part 401, checked October 22, 2026.
Striped Skunk questions, answered from the summaries
Is there a closed season on skunks in Michigan?
No. They may be hunted and trapped all year.
Must striped skunks be reported or sealed?
Reporting rules do not name striped skunks.
Is hunter orange required for striped skunks in Michigan?
The orange law covers striped skunks from mid-August to the end of April, daylight hours only, and orange camouflage qualifies at 50% orange.
What is the legal equipment list for striped skunks?
Night hunting (raccoon, opossum, coyote, fox, skunk, weasel): Bow, crossbow, pneumatic gun, rimfire .22 or smaller, centerfire rifle/pistol .269 caliber or smaller, shotgun with loads no larger than No. 3 buckshot (WCO 2.5(2)).
Is Sunday a legal day for striped skunks?
Sundays are legal for striped skunks. The deer summary notes posted township restrictions in 24 counties, which apply to all hunting there.
What bag limit does Michigan put on striped skunks?
Residents: no limit per season; nonresidents: no limit.
Can striped skunks be hunted all year in Michigan?
All year; a property can still limit the days.
Is there public land open for striped skunks?
The land records name striped skunks on 4 properties; Michigan State Forest System, Ottawa National Forest and Huron-Manistee National Forest are the biggest. The land records often file this animal under a group heading.
What paperwork covers striped skunks in Michigan?
Night hunters need (resident price): Base license ($11); Fur harvester license ($15); Incidental tag (Free).
What hours does the DNR table give for striped skunks?
For striped skunks, legal time starts 30 minutes before sunrise and ends 30 minutes after sunset. WCO 2.5(2) lets night hunters keep going after dark on foot.
Before the skunk trip
The DNR summaries and the Wildlife Conservation Order are the final word on striped skunks; this page was checked against them on October 22, 2026.
Other photos on this page: Russ (CC BY 2.0); Charles Patrick Ewing (CC BY 2.0); Gregory "Slobirdr" Smith (CC BY-SA 2.0); Cindy Sue Causey (CC BY 2.0).