October 10, 2017, Canton, MI – With hunting season upon us, hunters and residents are reminded that Canton is divided into areas that are classified as either closed or restricted for hunting. In areas designated as closed, hunting is prohibited. This includes the entire eastern side of Canton, and a couple small areas in northwestern Canton. In the majority of western Canton, hunting has been designated as restricted, with two different types of restrictions. In a small portion of the northwestern corner of Canton, hunting with or the discharge of a shotgun loaded with shot not larger than No. 6, is permitted from October 20 to March 1. For the majority of the western side, hunting with a firearm is unlawful except as follows:
- Hunting with a shotgun
- Hunting with a rimfire rifle or handgun, .22 caliber or smaller
- Hunting with a conventional (smokeless powder) handgun single- or multiple-shot using a straight walled cartridge only
- Hunting with a muzzle loading rifle, shotgun, or black powder handgun
- Discharge of a firearm for target shooting while using a recognizable target
In restricted areas verbal permission from the property owner is required for hunting to be permitted. In addition, Michigan’s Safety Zone State Law says that a person will not hunt or discharge a firearm within 150 yards of an occupied building, dwelling, house, residence, cabin, barn or any other type of building used in conjunction with farm operations, without obtaining written permission of the owner, renter or occupant of the property. Careless and reckless discharge of a firearm is a misdemeanor, punishable by 90 days in jail and/or a $500 fine.
The Canton Police Department will strictly enforce all state and local hunting ordinances for the 2017 hunting season. A map of Canton’s hunting restrictions and the ordinance are available for viewing at www.cantonpublicsafety.org. Hunting restrictions can also be found online at www.michigan.gov/dnr.