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2026-27 · deer Zone 2
Alpena 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 Alpena County from September through March.
Photo: clembore (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Alpena County stretches over 572 square miles in the northern Lower Peninsula, run from Alpena. Its Vintage 2024 Census estimate is 28,903 residents (-0.0% since 2020). Zone 2 applies county-wide, split into 3 management units. The closest DNR counter is the Gaylord customer service center. Enforcement here belongs to DNR District 3. Alpena County touches 1 flooding and 2 other public properties.
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.
Every hunt that reaches Alpena County
For Alpena County, 43 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) | Red Oak BMU | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 22, 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 C | Jan 1, 2027 | Mar 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.
Alpena County deer units, dates and baiting
The use limit for Alpena County is 10: 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. Antler rules in Alpena County are the statewide ones. DMU 487 antlerless licenses cost $5.
| DMU | Unit name | Kind | Universal antlerless limit | Point rule | 2025 harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DMU 004 | Alpena county | County unit | 10 | Statewide only | 918 |
| DMU 452 | TB core area | Overlay unit | 10 | Statewide only | 8,122 |
| DMU 487 | Northeast Lower Peninsula multi-county | Overlay unit | 10 | Statewide only | — |
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 Alpena 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.
Alpena County: state and federal land
The map drops a pin on each of the 3 Alpena County properties and on 5 close neighbours outside it. Alpena County holds 46,061 acres of state forest. Private land open through HAP: 11 properties, 896 acres.
- Recreation areas (1)Rockport Recreation Area (4,281 acres*)
- State parks in the county (1)Negwegon State Park (4,079 acres*)
- Floodings (SWMAs), 1 hereDevil's Lake/River Flooding Wildlife Management Area (911 acres)
- State forest, by FMUAtlanta Forest Management Unit (46,061 acres in county)
Short drives past the line: Hubbard Lake State Game Area 522 acres, 12 miles out; Sturgeon Point State Park 50 acres, 15 miles out; Greasy Creek Grouse Enhanced Management Site (GEMS) 1,080 acres, 30 miles out; Thompson's Harbor State Park 5,399 acres, 32 miles out; Sage Lakes Flooding Wildlife Management Area 248 acres, 35 miles out.
Closed to hunting and trapping in Alpena County: Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge.
Michigan land index · About state forests · HAP
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.
Alpena County reported deer by year
Hunters reported 3,989 deer from Alpena County in 2025: 2,258 antlered and 1,731 antlerless. That is 13% above the 2022 count of 3,544; the high year in the series is 2024 at 4,299. So far in 2026, with the firearm season still ahead, 592 deer have been reported.
| Year | Bucks | Antlerless | All deer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (season open) | 158 | 434 | 592 |
| 2025 | 2,258 | 1,731 | 3,989 |
| 2024 | 2,294 | 2,005 | 4,299 |
| 2023 | 2,139 | 1,235 | 3,374 |
| 2022 | 2,182 | 1,362 | 3,544 |
DNR Harvest Report Summary (reported deer by county, all seasons, read October 22, 2026; 2026 is in progress). Checked October 22, 2026.
Alpena County CWD testing and TB rules
CWD has not been confirmed in wild deer from Alpena County. Alpena County was outside the surveillance lists from 2022 to 2026. Bovine TB rules reach Alpena County, which lies in DMU 452. For Hunters Feeding Michigan, Alpena County deer need a bovine TB result.
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.
Alpena County bear quotas and turkey hunts
Bear units and quotas
The DNR bear map puts Alpena County in Red Oak. The 2025 preliminary bear tally across Red Oak is 282.
| 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 |
| Unit | 2024 bears | 2025 bears, preliminary | 2024 success |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Oak | 346 | 282 | 57% |
Gobblers
Spring 2026 hunt numbers for unit NN are listed below; 2027 is not yet set. The fall hunt for Alpena County is unit I, Sep 15 to Nov 14, 2026. Mandatory reporting, new in 2026, shows 89 spring turkeys from Alpena County and 4 so far this fall. An estimated 27 fall turkeys came from Alpena 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 Alpena 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.
Alpena 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.
Alpena County base towns and next-door counties
Head counts are Vintage 2024 Census figures; Census-designated places carry none.
- Alpenacounty seat · 10,116 residents · 25,337 acres of public land in 10 miles
- Ossineke23,974 acres of public land in 10 miles
- Hillmanstraddles the line · 660 residents · 32,727 acres of public land in 10 miles
The Census adjacency file pairs Alpena County with 4 Michigan counties.
Towns: Census 2024 Gazetteer and Vintage 2024 estimates; adjacency from the Census county adjacency file.
Alpena County help once the deer is down
Mileage runs from the county centre point, not by road; phone ahead before a trip to Alpena County.
DNR doors closest to Alpena 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.
Burn bans and permits in Alpena County
Alpena 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): Alpena County is not on this list.
- Who sets a ban: (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 Alpena County
5 ranges sit within Alpena County, all of them club, business or private ranges.
Offers trap, skeet, sporting clays, shotgun, rifle
Offers sporting clays, shotgun
Offers trap, skeet, shotgun
Voyer Lake Shooting Range in Montmorency County is the nearest DNR range, about 34 miles. Open it
Ranges from the DNR shooting page, the DNR range list and directory listings, checked October 22, 2026.
Alpena County small areas, one by one
1 smaller public area in Alpena County, 4,281 acres together, each with its own section below: acres, office, zones, DNR map and the facts its agency documents give.
Rockport Recreation Area
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | State Recreation Area |
| Acres | 4,281 (MI DNR Parks Hunting Land Boundary GIS Acres, polygons marked Open or Open-Restricted) |
| Counties | Alpena, Presque Isle |
| Map point | 45.2054, -83.4035 (directions) |
| Zones | Deer Zone 2; Bear Management Unit Red Oak; Spring Turkey Hunt Unit NM; Waterfowl Middle Zone |
Alpena County FAQ
What share of Alpena County deer were antlerless in 2025?
43%: 1,731 of 3,989.
How many antlerless licenses can I use in Alpena County?
10. You may buy up to 10 universal antlerless licenses, but only 10 can be filled here.
When does deer baiting open in Alpena County?
It never opens; the ban runs year-round.
Must a Alpena County deer be tested before Hunters Feeding Michigan takes it?
Yes, TB testing.
Do I have to report a turkey from Alpena County?
Yes. Since 2026 turkeys must be reported within 72 hours, online or in the app.
How many people applied for Red Oak bear?
9,336 first-choice applicants for period 1 in 2025.
Can I report a deer in the app in Alpena County?
Yes, through the DNR Hunt Fish app within 72 hours.
What public hunting land does Alpena County offer?
3 listed properties, 46,061 state forest acres.
Can I carry a rifle before the Alpena County opener?
Not Nov. 10-14, the quiet period, except when transported to camp or a range.
Do turkey hunters wear orange in Alpena County?
No. Turkey hunters are exempt.
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.
Alpena 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: Greg Schechter (CC BY 2.0); ShenandoahNPS (Public domain); z2amiller (CC BY-SA 2.0); Larry Lamsa (CC BY 2.0); Birding for Climate (Public domain); GlacierNPS (Public domain).