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The northern Lower Peninsula
Leelanau County Hunting
What Michigan sets for Leelanau County: deer Zone 2, its DMUs, baiting status, bear unit Baldwin, spring turkey unit NN, plus harvest history and public ground.
Photo: Richard Hurd (CC BY 2.0)
By the Census measure, Leelanau County holds 347 square miles of land; its seat is Suttons Bay Township. Around 22,871 people lived there in 2024, 2.6% more than at the 2020 base. Every acre falls in Zone 2; 3 deer units cover it. License questions go to the DNR Traverse City Customer Service Center, about 39 miles away. It sits inside DNR Law Enforcement District 4. Our land list holds 4 properties with ground in Leelanau County, led by Beaver Islands State Wildlife Research Area at 43,438 acres.
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 Leelanau County
Leelanau County openers and closers in one table
Private ground and public ground share these dates in Leelanau County; a state park, refuge or national lakeshore can set its own limits.
| Animal | Segment | Area | Starts | Ends | Open now? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White-tailed deer | Early antlerless firearm | DMU 045 part only | 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 | DMU 045 part only | 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 (archery only) | Baldwin BMU | Oct 2, 2026 | Oct 8, 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 G | Jan 1, 2027 | Jan 20, 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.
How Leelanau County deer rules work
A hunter may fill at most 3 universal antlerless licenses in Leelanau County; the statewide purchase cap is 10. Leelanau County is on the early and late antlerless firearm list: Sep 12 to Sep 13, 2026 and Dec 7, 2026 to Jan 1, 2027. Only the DMU 045 part of Leelanau County is listed; North Manitou and South Fox are excluded. Antlered deer in DMU 045, DMU 145 and DMU 245 need 3 or more points on one side on a single license or combo regular tag.
| Unit | Name | Type | Antlerless use limit | Antler rule (single license) | Reported deer 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DMU 045 | Leelanau county | County unit | 3 | 3+ points | 1,632 |
| DMU 145 | North Manitou island unit | Island/special area | 3 | 3+ points | 56 |
| DMU 245 | South Fox island unit | Island/special area | 3 | 3+ points | 10 |
Nov. 15 opener
Regular firearm runs Nov 15 to Nov 30, 2026, then the Lower Peninsula December firearm hunt Dec 4 to Dec 6, 2026.
Bow season
The October segment is Oct 1 to Nov 14, 2026 and the late one Dec 1, 2026 to Jan 1, 2027.
Early special hunts
Sep 12 to Sep 13, 2026 is the Liberty Hunt weekend; Oct 15 to Oct 18, 2026 the Independence Hunt.
Bait and feed
Deer baiting is prohibited in Leelanau County, part of the peninsula-wide ban.
All units and limits · Antlerless license limits
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.
Leelanau County public properties with acreage
Leelanau County counts 4 public properties open to hunting; posted safety zones and refuges inside them still apply. Forest Resources Division parcels in Leelanau County total 5,044 acres. Commercial Forest land, private but open on foot, covers 1,061 acres in Leelanau County.
- Research areas: 1Beaver Islands State Wildlife Research Area (43,438 ac*)
- State wildlife areas (1 here)Manitou Island Group (North and South Manitou Island) (19,750 ac)
- State parks, 1 hereLeelanau State Park (1,590 ac)
- National lakeshores in the county (1)Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
- FMUs with land hereTraverse City Forest Management Unit (5,044 ac in county)
Outside the line but near: Old Mission Peninsula State Park 667 ac, 30 miles out; Lake DuBonnet Flooding State Wildlife Management Area 1,040 ac, 34 miles out; Fisherman's Island State Park 3,064 ac, 35 miles out; Petobego State Game Area 787 ac, 36 miles out; Betsie River State Game Area 741 ac, 38 miles out.
Land across Michigan · State forest list · Walk-in 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.
Deer reported from Leelanau County, 2022 on
Mandatory reports show 1,698 deer for Leelanau County in 2025, 0.6% of the statewide 295,847. Compared with 2022 (1,314 deer), 2025 was +29%, and the best full year is 2025 (1,698). 2026 so far: 126 antlered, 127 antlerless.
| License year | Antlered | Antlerless | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (to Oct. 22) | 126 | 127 | 253 |
| 2025 | 890 | 808 | 1,698 |
| 2024 | 892 | 719 | 1,611 |
| 2023 | 732 | 520 | 1,252 |
| 2022 | 743 | 571 | 1,314 |
DNR Harvest Report Summary (reported deer by county, all seasons, read October 22, 2026; 2026 is in progress). Checked October 22, 2026.
Leelanau County deer disease status
Leelanau County is not among the 18 counties with a CWD-positive wild deer. Focused surveillance here logged 116 tested and 0 positive in 2023 and 154 tested and 0 positive in 2024. The donation program needs no disease test for deer from this county.
| Year | Tested | Detected |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 154 | 0 |
| 2023 | 116 | 0 |
Disease testing in Michigan · UP baiting window
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.
Leelanau County: bears, gobblers and birds
Black bear
For bears, Leelanau County is Baldwin country; each hunt period has its own quota. 114 bears came out of Baldwin in 2025, by the preliminary DNR count.
| Bear unit | Period | Dates 2026 | Quota | NR max | Applied 2025 | Points needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baldwin | 1 | Sept. 12–22 and Oct. 2–8 | 395 | 19 | 2,762 | 7–8 |
| BMU | Registered 2024 | Registered 2025 (prelim.) | Success 2024 survey |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baldwin | 150 | 114 | 42% |
Turkey hunts
The spring unit is NN. Rows show spring 2026, the most recent published hunts. Fall turkey hunters here use unit I, open Sep 15 to Nov 14, 2026. The 2026 turkey count for Leelanau County stands at 69 (fall still open). Fall 2025 survey: 66 hunters, 18% success.
| Unit | Spring 2026 dates | Licenses | Hunt |
|---|---|---|---|
| NN | April 18–May 1 | 18,000 | 0134 |
| Statewide | May 2–May 31 | Unlimited | 0234 |
Small game and birds
Bear management units · Turkey 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.
Leelanau County legal hunting light
Every time below comes from the DNR deer table; the B, C and D columns add the offsets printed on the zone map legend.
| When | Event | A zone | B zone | C zone | D zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
Leelanau County towns and the counties that touch it
The acreage beside each town is open land inside a 10-mile ring, measured from GIS layers.
- Cedar23,381 public acres within 10 miles
- Empire356 inhabitants · 51,202 public acres within 10 miles
- Glen Arbor39,984 public acres within 10 miles
- Suttons Bay580 inhabitants · 2,597 public acres within 10 miles
- Traverse Citypartly in county · 15,782 inhabitants · 19,967 public acres within 10 miles
Leelanau County borders 6 Michigan counties, plus Door (WI) across the state line.
Towns: Census 2024 Gazetteer and Vintage 2024 estimates; adjacency from the Census county adjacency file.
Venison cutting and mounts in Leelanau County
Michigan publishes no list of taxidermy permit holders or guides, so those rows come from directories.
Leelanau DNR and Forest Service contacts
For licenses, permits and hunter education tests, start at the customer service center.
Processors nearby
Taxidermy shops
Preserves nearby
Sporting goods
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.
Leelanau County burn ban and campfire rules
Leelanau County status today: open the Michigan county list.
- When a permit is needed: 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): Leelanau 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).
- Campfires while hunting: Campfires for cooking or recreation need no DNR permit.
Leelanau County ranges, clubs and shoots
This guide counts 1 range in Leelanau County.
Set up for trap, skeet, 5-stand, rifle, handgun
Supply Road Shooting Range in Grand Traverse County is the nearest DNR range, about 47 miles. See the range
Ranges from the DNR shooting page, the DNR range list and directory listings, checked October 22, 2026.
Leelanau County small areas, one by one
1 smaller public area in Leelanau County, 19,750 acres together, each with its own section below: acres, office, zones, DNR map and the facts its agency documents give.
Manitou Island Group (North and South Manitou Island)
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | State Wildlife Area (island group) |
| Acres | 19,750 (MI DNR state game/wildlife areas list (approximate size in acres)) |
| County | Leelanau |
| DNR office | Cadillac Customer Service Center |
| Zones | Deer Zone 2; Bear Management Unit Baldwin; Spring Turkey Hunt Unit NM; Waterfowl Middle Zone |
| Map | Area Map |
| Topic | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Facilities | The map says access requires a boat or special transport, and it flags a ranger station. | DNR reference map: North Manitou Island |
| Area rule | The map says there is no State or private land on the island, and special hunts are limited and managed out of the National Park office. | DNR reference map: North Manitou Island |
| Other | The map says the area is cooperatively managed for wildlife by Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore staff with DNR Wildlife Division assistance. | DNR reference map: North Manitou Island |
| Other | The map warns there is no safe sheltered harbor, and the closest partial shelter is on the east side of South Manitou Island. | DNR reference map: North Manitou Island |
What Leelanau County hunters ask the DNR
Where can I get a Leelanau County deer tested for CWD?
Report the harvest first; the DNR lists drop boxes, staffed sites and free lymph-node kits on its CWD pages.
Do bear hunters in Leelanau County bait?
Yes, starting 31 days before the unit opener, with deer foods limited.
What are the Baldwin bear dates for Leelanau County hunters?
Period 1 runs Sept. 12–22 and Oct. 2–8; any other periods are in the table above.
How many turkeys were reported in Leelanau County?
66 in spring 2026.
Which Leelanau County public tracts should a first-timer scout?
The three largest on our list: Beaver Islands State Wildlife Research Area, Manitou Island Group (North and South Manitou Island) and Leelanau State Park.
Do I need a confirmation number for a Leelanau County deer?
Yes. Keep the number from the online or app report.
What orange counts in Leelanau County?
A cap, hat, vest, jacket or rain gear of hunter orange; camo needs 50% or more orange.
When is firearm deer season in Leelanau County?
Nov 15 to Nov 30, 2026, then December firearm Dec 4 to Dec 6, 2026.
When is the Independence Hunt in Leelanau County?
Oct 15 to Oct 18, 2026, for qualified hunters with disabilities.
Who cuts venison for Leelanau County hunters?
Our closest listings are Buried Stone Farms and Soderman's Processing; ring before you drop off a deer.
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.
Heading to Leelanau County
Dates on this page belong to the 2026-27 license year only; recheck the summaries if you plan ahead.
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: Jim Sorbie (CC BY 2.0); YoungSue (Public Domain Mark 1.0); clembore (CC BY-SA 2.0); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Public Domain Mark 1.0); Chic Bee (CC BY 2.0); mbarrison (CC BY-SA 2.0); DaPuglet (CC BY-SA 2.0); rkramer62 (CC BY 2.0).