New white-tailed deer hunting regulations in Michigan are reigniting long-standing tensions between hunters and the state. Starting in 2027, hunters in the Lower Peninsula will be limited to harvesting one antlered deer (buck) per season. 

This year, hunters will be able to use high-powered rifles in Southern Michigan, below the 'rifle line,' an area which had previously been restricted to shotguns, muzzleloaders and straight-wall cartridge rifles. 

The Natural Resource Commission also approved an 'earn a buck' pilot program in five Lower Peninsula counties that will allow hunters who have harvested a doe to purchase an additional antlered deer tag. Those counties are Hillsdale, Kalamazoo, Barry, Ingham and Lapeer.

Kevin Vistisen, host of the Deer Hunter Podcast, and Brent Rudolph, specialist with the Department of Natural Resources, spoke with The Metro's Owen Armentrout about the "One Buck Rule" and the end of rifle limitations in the state.