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2026-27 · deer Zone 2
Kalkaska County Hunting
Reported deer since 2022, CWD testing by year, bear and turkey numbers, state game areas and forest acres, and the dates that reach Kalkaska County from September through March.
Photo: supercraigtalbert (CC BY 2.0)
Kalkaska County stretches over 560 square miles in the northern Lower Peninsula, run from Kalkaska. Its Vintage 2024 Census estimate is 18,618 residents (+3.8% since 2020). Zone 2 applies county-wide, split into 1 management unit. The closest DNR counter is the Traverse City customer service center. Enforcement here belongs to DNR District 5. Kalkaska County touches 4 floodings.
Census 2024 Gazetteer and Vintage 2024 estimates (population), DNR region from the DNR wildlife region layer, deer zones from the DNR zone layer, law enforcement districts from the DNR district layer, customer service centers from the DNR contact page. Checked October 22, 2026.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around Kalkaska County
Every hunt that reaches Kalkaska County
For Kalkaska County, 45 segments cover deer, small game, waterfowl and furbearers this license year.
| Species | Hunt type | Zone or unit | Opening | Closing | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White-tailed deer | Early antlerless firearm | Listed antlerless county | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 13, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Liberty Hunt | Statewide | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 13, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Archery, early | Statewide | Oct 1, 2026 | Nov 14, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Independence Hunt | Statewide | Oct 15, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Regular firearm | Statewide | Nov 15, 2026 | Nov 30, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Archery, late | Statewide | Dec 1, 2026 | Jan 1, 2027 | |
| White-tailed deer | December firearm | Lower Peninsula | Dec 4, 2026 | Dec 6, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Late antlerless firearm | Listed antlerless county | Dec 7, 2026 | Jan 1, 2027 | |
| Black bear | Hunt period 1 (firearm/bait/dogs) | Baldwin BMU | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 22, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Hunt period 1 (firearm/bait/dogs) | Red Oak BMU | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 22, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Hunt period 1 (archery only) | Baldwin BMU | Oct 2, 2026 | Oct 8, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Hunt period 1 (archery only) | Red Oak BMU | Oct 2, 2026 | Oct 8, 2026 | |
| Elk | Hunt period 1 | Elk unit X | Sep 23, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 | |
| Elk | Hunt period 2 | Elk unit X | Dec 1, 2026 | Dec 15, 2026 | |
| Wild turkey | Fall | Fall unit I | Sep 15, 2026 | Nov 14, 2026 | |
| Ruffed grouse | Fall first part | Statewide | Sep 15, 2026 | Nov 14, 2026 | |
| Ruffed grouse | Fall second part | Statewide | Dec 1, 2026 | Jan 1, 2027 | |
| Woodcock | Fall | Statewide | Sep 15, 2026 | Oct 29, 2026 | |
| Pheasant | Fall | Zone 2 | Oct 20, 2026 | Nov 14, 2026 | |
| Fox and gray squirrel | Private-land season | Statewide | Apr 1, 2026 | Sep 14, 2026 | |
| Fox and gray squirrel | Regular | Statewide | Sep 15, 2026 | Mar 31, 2027 | |
| Cottontail | Private-land season | Statewide | Apr 1, 2026 | Sep 14, 2026 | |
| Cottontail | Regular | Statewide | Sep 15, 2026 | Mar 31, 2027 | |
| Snowshoe hare | Regular | Statewide | Sep 15, 2026 | Mar 31, 2027 | |
| Crow | Summer | Statewide | Aug 1, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | |
| Crow | Late winter | Statewide | Feb 1, 2027 | Mar 31, 2027 | |
| Teal | Early teal | Statewide | Sep 1, 2026 | Sep 9, 2026 | |
| Ducks | Split 1 | Middle Zone | Oct 3, 2026 | Nov 29, 2026 | |
| Ducks | Split 2 | Middle Zone | Dec 12, 2026 | Dec 13, 2026 | |
| Waterfowl | Veterans days | Statewide | Sep 19, 2026 | Sep 20, 2026 | |
| Waterfowl | Youth weekend | Statewide | Sep 19, 2026 | Sep 20, 2026 | |
| Dark geese | Dark goose part 1 | Middle Zone | Sep 1, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | |
| Dark geese | Dark goose part 2 | Middle Zone | Oct 3, 2026 | Dec 18, 2026 | |
| Light geese | Light goose part 1 | Middle Zone | Sep 1, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | |
| Light geese | Light goose part 2 | Middle Zone | Oct 3, 2026 | Dec 18, 2026 | |
| Raccoon | Management season | Statewide | Apr 1, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | |
| Raccoon | Hunting | Statewide | Oct 1, 2026 | Mar 31, 2027 | |
| Red and gray fox | Hunting | Statewide | Oct 15, 2026 | Mar 1, 2027 | |
| Coyote | Management season | Statewide | Mar 2, 2026 | Oct 14, 2026 | |
| Coyote | Regular hunting | Statewide | Oct 15, 2026 | Mar 1, 2027 | |
| Bobcat | Hunting | Bobcat Unit D | Jan 1, 2027 | Feb 1, 2027 | |
| Feral swine | Year-round | Statewide | Year-round | Year-round | Year-round |
| Opossum | Year-round | Statewide | Year-round | Year-round | Year-round |
| Skunk | Year-round | Statewide | Year-round | Year-round | Year-round |
| Woodchuck | Year-round | Statewide | Year-round | Year-round | Year-round |
From the Michigan Department of Natural Resources 2026 hunting regulation summaries (deer, bear, elk, turkey, small game, waterfowl and furbearer editions), checked October 22, 2026.
Kalkaska County deer units, dates and baiting
The use limit for Kalkaska County is 3: that many universal antlerless licenses can be filled inside the county. Antlerless-only firearm hunts open here twice, Sep 12 to Sep 13, 2026 and again Dec 7, 2026 to Jan 1, 2027. DMU 040 carries a 3-point antler restriction.
| DMU | Unit name | Kind | Universal antlerless limit | Point rule | 2025 harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DMU 040 | Kalkaska county | County unit | 3 | 3+ points | 1,298 |
Rifle season
Nov 15 to Nov 30, 2026 is the firearm season; the December hunt follows Dec 4 to Dec 6, 2026.
Archery dates
Archery opens Oct 1, pauses for firearm, resumes Dec 1.
Liberty and Independence
Two special hunts come early: Sep 12 to Sep 13, 2026 and Oct 15 to Oct 18, 2026.
Baiting rule
Hunters in Kalkaska County may not bait or feed deer.
Every Michigan deer unit · Universal antlerless licenses
Units from the Wildlife Conservation Order chapter XII and the county-to-unit list, use limits from the 2026 deer summary, early and late antlerless counties from the WCO list, antler rules from WCO 3.101l, baiting from the deer summary, reported harvest by unit from the DNR harvest report summary. Checked October 22, 2026.
Kalkaska County: state and federal land
The map drops a pin on each of the 4 Kalkaska County properties and on 5 close neighbours outside it. Kalkaska County holds 164,671 acres of state forest. Private timber land in the Commercial Forest program adds 3,678 walk-in acres.
- Floodings (SWMAs), 4 hereSkegemog Lake Wildlife Management Area (3,614 acres*), Grass Lake Marsh Flooding Wildlife Management Area (968 acres*), Addis Creek Flooding Wildlife Management Area (438 acres*), Goose Creek Flooding Wildlife Management Area (161 acres)
- State forest, by FMUTraverse City Forest Management Unit (164,671 acres in county)
Kalkaska also holds part of Kirtland's Warbler Wildlife Management Area.
Short drives past the line: Cannon Creek Flooding No.1 Wildlife Management Area 156 acres, 14 miles out; Cannon Creek Flooding No.2 Wildlife Management Area 92 acres, 14 miles out; Headquarters Lake Flooding Wildlife Management Area 715 acres, 16 miles out; North Higgins Lake State Park 166 acres, 20 miles out; Petobego State Game Area 787 acres, 21 miles out.
Michigan land index · About state forests · About Commercial Forest
Public land from the DNR wildlife property, park hunting-land and managed-lands layers and federal records; state forest acres from the DNR state forest lands (LOTS parcels); national forest acres from USFS land statistics; Commercial Forest acres from the DNR Commercial Forest program; HAP from the DNR HAP property list. Acres within 10 miles of the county seat are a GIS measure. Checked October 22, 2026.
Kalkaska County reported deer by year
Hunters reported 1,298 deer from Kalkaska County in 2025: 666 antlered and 632 antlerless. That is 33% below the 2022 count of 1,941; the high year in the series is 2022 at 1,941. So far in 2026, with the firearm season still ahead, 142 deer have been reported.
| Year | Bucks | Antlerless | All deer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (season open) | 69 | 73 | 142 |
| 2025 | 666 | 632 | 1,298 |
| 2024 | 915 | 920 | 1,835 |
| 2023 | 862 | 762 | 1,624 |
| 2022 | 959 | 982 | 1,941 |
DNR Harvest Report Summary (reported deer by county, all seasons, read October 22, 2026; 2026 is in progress). Checked October 22, 2026.
Kalkaska County CWD testing and TB rules
CWD has not been confirmed in wild deer from Kalkaska County. The DNR CWD data pages show 38 tested and 0 positive in 2023 and 37 tested and 0 positive in 2024. Hunters Feeding Michigan takes deer from here without a test.
| Year | Deer sampled | Positive |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 37 | 0 |
| 2023 | 38 | 0 |
Michigan CWD and TB page · Why the LP bans bait
CWD areas and county lists from the 2026 deer summary and the WCO; tests by county from the DNR CWD testing data (results current to 10/16/2026 for 2026); TB from the deer summary; donation testing from the Hunters Feeding Michigan county lists. Checked October 22, 2026.
Kalkaska County bear quotas and turkey hunts
Bear units and quotas
The DNR bear map puts Kalkaska County in Red Oak and Baldwin. The 2025 preliminary bear tally across Red Oak and Baldwin is 396.
| BMU | Hunt period | Open | Licenses | Nonresident cap | Applicants | 2025 points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Oak | 1 | Sept. 12–22 and Oct. 2–8 | 685 | 34 | 9,336 | 9–10 |
| Baldwin | 1 | Sept. 12–22 and Oct. 2–8 | 395 | 19 | 2,762 | 7–8 |
| Unit | 2024 bears | 2025 bears, preliminary | 2024 success |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Oak | 346 | 282 | 57% |
| Baldwin | 150 | 114 | 42% |
Gobblers
Spring 2026 hunt numbers for unit NN are listed below; 2027 is not yet set. The fall hunt for Kalkaska County is unit I, Sep 15 to Nov 14, 2026. Mandatory reporting, new in 2026, shows 91 spring turkeys from Kalkaska County and 7 so far this fall. An estimated 24 fall turkeys came from Kalkaska County in 2025.
| Spring 2026 unit | Dates | Quota | Hunt |
|---|---|---|---|
| NN | April 18–May 1 | 18,000 | 0134 |
| Statewide | May 2–May 31 | Unlimited | 0234 |
Elk range
Elk unit X cross Kalkaska County. 250 elk hunters in these hunts took 161 elk in 2025.
| Hunt | Units | Opens | Closes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hunt period 1 | unit X | Sep 23, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 |
| Hunt period 2 | units H and X | Dec 1, 2026 | Dec 15, 2026 |
| Hunt period 2 | units I and X | Dec 1, 2026 | Dec 15, 2026 |
Ducks, pheasants, quail, bobcat
Bear quotas by unit · Turkey units M, NN and ZZ · Elk hunt units
Bear units from the DNR bear unit layer; quotas, applicants and points from the 2026 bear summary; registrations from the same summary (2025 preliminary) and survey success from the DNR bear harvest reports; turkey hunts from the spring 2026 and fall 2026 summaries, reported turkeys from the turkey harvest report summary, fall 2025 survey from the DNR turkey report; elk from the elk summary and DNR elk report; bird units from the small game, waterfowl and furbearer summaries. Checked October 22, 2026.
Kalkaska County legal hunting light
Michigan deer hours run from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset. The DNR prints one Zone A table and adds 6, 12 or 18 minutes for Zones B, C and D.
| Date | Season point | Zone A | Zone B | Zone C | Zone D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2026 | Archery opener | 6:59 a.m. to 7:46 p.m. | 7:05 a.m. to 7:52 p.m. | 7:11 a.m. to 7:58 p.m. | 7:17 a.m. to 8:04 p.m. |
| Oct 15, 2026 | Independence Hunt | 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 | Firearm opener | 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. |
| Nov 30, 2026 | Firearm close | 7:11 a.m. to 5:40 p.m. | 7:17 a.m. to 5:46 p.m. | 7:23 a.m. to 5:52 p.m. | 7:29 a.m. to 5:58 p.m. |
| Dec 5, 2026 | December hunts | 7:16 a.m. to 5:39 p.m. | 7:22 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. | 7:28 a.m. to 5:51 p.m. | 7:34 a.m. to 5:57 p.m. |
| Jan 1, 2027 | Late archery close | 7:31 a.m. to 5:40 p.m. | 7:37 a.m. to 5:46 p.m. | 7:43 a.m. to 5:52 p.m. | 7:49 a.m. to 5:58 p.m. |
Zone A times from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources deer hunting hours table, zone offsets from the DNR hunting hours map legend, checked October 22, 2026. Hunting hours for every zone.
Kalkaska County base towns and next-door counties
Head counts are Vintage 2024 Census figures; Census-designated places carry none.
- Kalkaskacounty seat · 2,255 residents · 66,449 acres of public land in 10 miles
- Bear Lake121,810 acres of public land in 10 miles
- Rapid City41,456 acres of public land in 10 miles
The Census adjacency file pairs Kalkaska County with 7 Michigan counties.
Towns: Census 2024 Gazetteer and Vintage 2024 estimates; adjacency from the Census county adjacency file.
Kalkaska County help once the deer is down
Mileage runs from the county centre point, not by road; phone ahead before a trip to Kalkaska County.
DNR doors closest to Kalkaska County
Call ahead at any DNR office; hours change through the season.
Getting a deer processed
For a mount
Guides and preserves
Gear shops
DNR customer service centers and field offices from the DNR contact page; processors from the Hunters Feeding Michigan list, DNR disease sample sites and directory listings; preserves from the DNR game bird preserve directory; shops from the DNR license agent map (license-only counters removed) and directories. Checked October 22, 2026; call ahead. All Michigan hunting services.
Can you burn in Kalkaska County?
Kalkaska County status today: open the Michigan county list.
- Burn permit: Any time the ground is not snow-covered.
- Counties where DNR burn permits are not issued electronically (southern Lower Peninsula; local fire dept/government issues permits): Kalkaska County is not on this list.
- Burn bans come from: (1) The DNR sets daily burn permit status by county and township ('No' = no open debris burning allowed).
- Fires on public land: Campfires for cooking or recreation need no DNR permit.
Zeroing a rifle in Kalkaska County
Closest to Kalkaska County: Supply Road Shooting Range, about 14 miles out.
Offers rifle, handgun, smallbore rimfire, action pistol, silhouette
Supply Road Shooting Range in Grand Traverse County is the nearest DNR range, about 14 miles. Open it
Ranges from the DNR shooting page, the DNR range list and directory listings, checked October 22, 2026.
Kalkaska County: smaller state wildlife and game areas
1 smaller public area in Kalkaska County, 3,614 acres together, each with its own section below: acres, office, zones, DNR map and the facts its agency documents give.
Skegemog Lake Wildlife Management Area
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | State Wildlife Management Area |
| Acres | 3,614 (MI DNR Wildlife Property Boundary GIS Acres field) |
| Counties | Kalkaska, Antrim |
| DNR office | Gaylord Customer Service Center |
| Map point | 44.8051, -85.3030 (directions) |
| Zones | Deer Zone 2; Bear Management Unit Baldwin, Bear Management Unit Red Oak; Spring Turkey Hunt Unit NM; Waterfowl Middle Zone |
| Map | Area Map |
| Topic | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Facilities | The map flags one parking spot on the central-eastern side. | DNR area map (PDF) |
| Management | The area is a select area of State Forest land managed cooperatively for wildlife by the DNR Wildlife and Forestry Divisions. | DNR area map (PDF) |
Kalkaska County FAQ
Can I carry a rifle before the Kalkaska County opener?
Not Nov. 10-14, the quiet period, except when transported to camp or a range.
Do turkey hunters wear orange in Kalkaska County?
No. Turkey hunters are exempt.
How many elk licenses are drawn for Kalkaska County?
200 statewide in 2026.
Is there an early antlerless hunt in Kalkaska County?
Yes, the antlerless-only firearm weekend of Sep 12 to Sep 13, 2026.
Is Kalkaska County deer Zone 1, 2 or 3?
Zone 2, in the Lower Peninsula, with 1 DMU on top: DMU 040.
Who cuts venison for Kalkaska County hunters?
Our closest listings are Halstead Game Processing and Chupp's Custom Butchering; ring before you drop off a deer.
What share of Kalkaska County deer were antlerless in 2025?
49%: 632 of 1,298.
How many antlerless licenses can I use in Kalkaska County?
3. You may buy up to 10 universal antlerless licenses, but only 3 can be filled here.
When does deer baiting open in Kalkaska County?
It never opens; the ban runs year-round.
Must a Kalkaska County deer be tested before Hunters Feeding Michigan takes it?
No. Kalkaska County is on neither donation testing list.
Answers from the DNR 2026 regulation summaries, harvest reporting rules, MCL 324.40116, DNR harvest and CWD data and the sources cited above. Checked October 22, 2026.
Kalkaska County: before the opener
Buy licenses on DNR eLicense or the Hunt Fish app and carry them afield.
Sources: DNR 2026 hunting regulation summaries, Wildlife Conservation Order, township restrictions list, Michigan DNR hunting, Census and the agencies linked in each section. Checked October 22, 2026.
Other photos on this page: btrentler (CC BY 2.0); ShenandoahNPS (Public domain); Fyn Kynd (CC BY 2.0); YoungSue (Public Domain Mark 1.0); U.S. Geological Survey (CC0 1.0); Birding for Climate (Public domain); born1945 (CC BY 2.0); YoungSue (Public Domain Mark 1.0); USFWS Mountain Prairie (CC BY 2.0).