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Lower Peninsula county guide
Wexford County Hunting
Hunting Wexford County in 2026-27: the Lower Peninsula deer rules, every DMU that crosses the county line, antlerless license limits, disease rules, public land, towns, services and legal light.
Photo: Huron-Manistee National Forests (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
Some 565 square miles of land lie inside Wexford County, and Cadillac is the seat. Roughly 34,460 residents in 2024 means close to 61 people per square mile. All of it lies in deer Zone 2, covered by 1 deer management unit. Walk-in DNR help is at Cadillac, 11 miles from the middle of the county. The county is part of DNR Law Enforcement District 4. Hunters can pick among 1 public property here, the biggest being Mitchell State Park.
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.
Wexford County dates from September to March
Wexford County is in Lower Peninsula Zone 2. The 43 rows below are the dated hunts the DNR summaries put there.
| Game | Season | Where | Begins | Through | Right 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 | |
| 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.
Wexford County deer units and antlerless limits
Wexford County carries a universal antlerless use limit of 3, set by county across the Lower Peninsula for 2026. The early antlerless weekend (Sep 12 to Sep 13, 2026) and the late antlerless hunt (Dec 7, 2026 to Jan 1, 2027) both reach Wexford County. A buck taken in DMU 083 must have at least 3 points on one antler.
| Deer unit | Name | Unit type | Licenses usable | Antler points | Deer 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DMU 083 | Wexford county | County unit | 3 | 3+ points | 1,658 |
November firearm
Firearm deer opens Nov. 15 and closes Nov 30, 2026; December firearm Dec 4 to Dec 6, 2026.
Two archery segments
Archery runs Oct 1 to Nov 14, 2026 and again Dec 1, 2026 to Jan 1, 2027.
Special hunts
The Liberty Hunt for youth and hunters with disabilities is Sep 12 to Sep 13, 2026; the Independence Hunt is Oct 15 to Oct 18, 2026.
Deer bait
Wexford County follows the peninsula-wide rule: no deer bait and no feeding, on any land, public or private.
All DMU pages · Antlerless limits by county
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.
Wexford County acres open to hunters
1 listed property reaches into Wexford County; acres for properties that cross a county line are for the whole property. State forest land adds 54,334 acres in Wexford County, managed by the Cadillac Forest Management Unit FMU. Huron-Manistee National Forest adds 96,459 acres of federal land. Wexford County has 31 Commercial Forest parcels (2,047 acres) that hunters may enter on foot.
- State parks, 1 listedMitchell State Park (724 ac)
- State forest by management unitCadillac Forest Management Unit (54,334 ac in county)
- USDA Forest Service landHuron-Manistee National Forest (96,459 ac in county), Cadillac Ranger District (Huron-Manistee National Forest)
Worth the drive next door: Headquarters Lake Flooding Wildlife Management Area 715 ac, 18 miles out; Tippy Dam Recreation Area 102 ac, 19 miles out; Little Betsie River Grouse Enhanced Management Site (GEMS) 4,183 ac, 21 miles out; Little Widewaters Flooding Wildlife Management Area 225 ac, 23 miles out; Grass Lake Flooding Wildlife Management Area 2,627 ac, 23 miles out.
Skip Fred Meijer White Pine Trail State Park; the DNR lists no hunting there.
Land by DNR type · State forests by FMU · Federal land · CF rules
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.
Wexford County deer, year by year
Wexford County produced 1,658 reported deer in 2025, 63rd among Michigan's 83 counties. Reporting began in 2022, when the county logged 2,352 (-30% since). The 2026 license year is under way: 287 reports as of Oct. 22.
| Season | Antlered | Antlerless | Reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (to date) | 156 | 131 | 287 |
| 2025 | 850 | 808 | 1,658 |
| 2024 | 1,191 | 1,021 | 2,212 |
| 2023 | 1,135 | 931 | 2,066 |
| 2022 | 1,208 | 1,144 | 2,352 |
DNR Harvest Report Summary (reported deer by county, all seasons, read October 22, 2026; 2026 is in progress). Checked October 22, 2026.
Deer disease rules, Wexford County
The DNR county list shows no CWD-positive deer in Wexford County. Results for Wexford County: 103 tested and 0 positive in 2023. No CWD or TB test is required to donate from Wexford County.
| Year | Tests | Positive |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 103 | 0 |
CWD core area and zone · Bait and feeding by peninsula
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.
Wexford County bear, turkey and upland units
Bear numbers
Baldwin and Red Oak set the bear quotas for Wexford County. Registered bears for these units in 2025: 396 (preliminary).
| Unit | Period | 2026 season | Quota | Nonres. | 2025 first choice | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baldwin | 1 | Sept. 12–22 and Oct. 2–8 | 395 | 19 | 2,762 | 7–8 |
| Red Oak | 1 | Sept. 12–22 and Oct. 2–8 | 685 | 34 | 9,336 | 9–10 |
| BMU | Bears 2024 | Bears 2025* | Survey success |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baldwin | 150 | 114 | 42% |
| Red Oak | 346 | 282 | 57% |
Turkeys in Wexford County
Unit NN sets the spring hunts in Wexford County; 2027 dates are pending. Unit I covers fall turkey, Sep 15 to Nov 14, 2026. 117 gobblers were reported from Wexford County in spring 2026. In fall 2025, 140 hunters tried Wexford County (44% success by survey).
| Unit | Spring 2026 | Licenses | Hunt no. |
|---|---|---|---|
| NN | April 18–May 1 | 18,000 | 0134 |
| Statewide | May 2–May 31 | Unlimited | 0234 |
Units for birds and furbearers
Compare bear units · All 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.
Wexford County legal hunting light
The DNR hunting-time map splits the state into Zones A to D from east to west. Each step west adds 6 minutes to the Zone A times below.
| Date | Moment | Zone A hours | Zone B hours | Zone C hours | Zone D hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
Wexford County towns, plus bordering counties
Start from a Wexford County town: its page lists land in reach and the closest processors.
- Cadillacseat of county · 10,521 people · 42,847 mapped public acres nearby
- Boon94,386 mapped public acres nearby
- Buckley775 people · 51,646 mapped public acres nearby
- Caberfae128,226 mapped public acres nearby
- Haring33,605 mapped public acres nearby
- Wedgewood55,300 mapped public acres nearby
Wexford County touches 7 other Michigan counties.
Towns: Census 2024 Gazetteer and Vintage 2024 estimates; adjacency from the Census county adjacency file.
Wexford County DNR offices and hunting businesses
Gas stations and grocery counters that only sell licenses are left out; these are hunting shops.
DNR doors closest to Wexford County
Customer service centers sell licenses and answer questions on weekdays; call ahead, since hours vary.
Butchering and processing
Taxidermists
Game bird preserves and guides
Hunting shops nearby
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.
Wexford County burn ban and campfire rules
The Michigan burn ban page shows Wexford County today.
- 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): Wexford County is not on this list.
- Ban orders: (1) The DNR sets daily burn permit status by county and township ('No' = no open debris burning allowed).
- Public land fires: Campfires for cooking or recreation need no DNR permit.
Where Wexford County hunters sight in
Wexford County: 5 ranges, covering clubs, indoor bays and archery as listed.
Disciplines: trap, rifle, handgun, smallbore rimfire, shotgun
Disciplines: sporting clays, 5-stand, shotgun
Disciplines: archery, 3D archery
Disciplines: sporting clays, shotgun
About 25 miles away, Supply Road Shooting Range is the closest range on DNR land. Full page
Wexford County shoot dates
| Date and match | Category | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 5-6, 2026 ▸ Cadillac Gun & Knife Show | Gun show | Event details |
| Jan 9-10, 2027 ▸ Cadillac Gun & Knife Show | Gun show | Event details |
Ranges from the DNR shooting page, the DNR range list and directory listings, checked October 22, 2026.
Wexford County, dinners, classes and hunts
On file for this county: 2 upcoming events (NWTF banquet and hunting class).
Dates ahead
| When | Event | Location | Tickets or entry | Read at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 31, 2026 | Mitchell State Park – Learn to Hunt Whitetail Deer / Hunting class | Mitchell State Park in Cadillac (Wexford Co.) | Register | Source |
| Apr 2, 2027 | 3 Corners Habitat Chapter NWTF Banquet / NWTF banquet | Cadillac (Wexford Co.) | Buy tickets | Source |
Wexford County: short answers
How many deer were reported in Wexford County in 2025?
1,658: 850 antlered and 808 antlerless.
Can I use deer urine lures in Wexford County?
Only certified, tested and labeled products; other natural cervid urine lures are banned statewide.
May hunters bait deer in Wexford County?
No. Baiting and feeding are banned in the whole Lower Peninsula.
How do I register a bear from Wexford County?
Present the unfrozen head and hide at a DNR registration station within 72 hours.
Does hunter orange apply to turkey hunters in Wexford County?
No. Turkey hunters are exempt from the orange rule.
Which Wexford County property has the most acres?
Mitchell State Park, at 724 acres on our list.
Do I still take deer to a check station in Wexford County?
No; reporting is online or in the app. Heads for testing are taken only after reporting.
Do I need hunter orange in Wexford County?
Yes, from Aug. 15 through April 30 while taking game, with listed exceptions.
Is there a limited firearms zone in Wexford County?
No. The zone was eliminated for 2026; all legal firearms may be used.
Does the late antlerless season reach Wexford County?
Yes; the late antlerless firearm hunt runs Dec 7, 2026 to Jan 1, 2027 there.
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.
Wexford County checks before the drive
Where this page and the DNR summaries differ, follow the summaries and the WCO.
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: Christian Collins (CC BY-SA 2.0); RTD Photography (CC BY-SA 2.0); BCNH09 (CC BY-SA 2.0); YoungSue (Public Domain Mark 1.0); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Public Domain Mark 1.0); YoungSue (Public Domain Mark 1.0); Larry Lamsa (CC BY 2.0); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Midwest Region (Public domain); Chic Bee (CC BY 2.0).