Successful hunters who want to get their deer checked for bovine tuberculosis have a convenient option if their nearest Michigan Department of Natural Resources deer check station is not yet open. Twelve drop boxes across the northeast Lower Peninsula are now available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for hunters to submit deer heads for bovine TB testing. Locations include Alanson, Alpena, Atlanta, Cheboygan, Gaylord, Grayling, Hillman, Indian River, Mio, Rogers City, Roscommon and Vienna Corners. Several sites are possible thanks to the cooperation of local businesses.

When heading to a drop box, hunters need to bring along two things: a smartphone and the head of their deer. Hunters should remove the head from their deer before arriving at the drop box, taking care to make the cut at least 3 inches behind the deer’s jaw to ensure a proper sample for the lab. To reduce potential exposure to disease, the DNR recommends always wearing latex or rubber gloves when field-dressing your deer, especially when removing the head.

Once at the drop box, hunters can follow the posted instructions for using their smartphone to enter contact and harvest information through an online form.

Detailed drop box location information is available at Michigan.gov/DeerCheck. Successful hunter patches are not available at drop boxes.

Contact DNR Wildlife Health Specialist Emily Sewell at 231-340-1821 with any questions.