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Southwest Lower Peninsula · 2026-27
Calhoun County Hunting
Deer units and antlerless limits, reported harvest since 2022, CWD testing, the baiting rule, bear, turkey and waterfowl units and every public property in Calhoun County, all taken from DNR data.
Photo: Don Henise (CC BY 2.0)
Calhoun County covers 706 square miles of land and 12 of inland water, with county offices in Marshall. The Census counted 133,785 people there for 2024, about 189 to each square mile. For deer it is Zone 3 ground throughout, under 2 units. The Plainwell office is the nearest of the 13 DNR customer service centers. DNR law enforcement places it in District 8. No public hunting property is recorded inside the county line.
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 Calhoun County
What is open in Calhoun County this season
Archery and the Nov. 15 rifle opener are statewide, but bear units, fall turkey units, waterfowl zones and bobcat units decide the rest for Calhoun County.
| Species | Season | Applies | Opens | Closes | Today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| 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 3 | Oct 20, 2026 | Nov 14, 2026 | |
| Pheasant | December | Zone 3 | Dec 1, 2026 | Jan 1, 2027 | |
| Bobwhite quail | Fall | Open quail county | 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 | South Zone | Oct 17, 2026 | Dec 13, 2026 | |
| Ducks | Split 2 | South Zone | Dec 26, 2026 | Dec 27, 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 | South Zone | Sep 1, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | |
| Dark geese | Dark goose part 2 | South Zone | Oct 17, 2026 | Dec 13, 2026 | |
| Dark geese | Dark goose part 3 | South Zone | Dec 26, 2026 | Jan 3, 2027 | |
| Dark geese | Dark goose part 4 | South Zone | Feb 6, 2027 | Feb 15, 2027 | |
| Light geese | Light goose part 1 | South Zone | Sep 1, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | |
| Light geese | Light goose part 2 | South Zone | Oct 17, 2026 | Dec 13, 2026 | |
| Light geese | Light goose part 3 | South Zone | Dec 26, 2026 | Jan 3, 2027 | |
| Light geese | Light goose part 4 | South Zone | Feb 6, 2027 | Feb 15, 2027 | |
| 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 | |
| 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.
Calhoun County DMUs, limits and antler rules
New for 2026, use limits cap antlerless licenses by county; Calhoun County allows 5. Two antlerless-only gun windows apply: Sep 12 to Sep 13, 2026 and Dec 7, 2026 to Jan 1, 2027. Calhoun County has no extra antler point rule beyond the statewide 4-point restricted tag.
| Unit | DNR name | Type | Antlerless cap | Antler restriction | Harvest 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DMU 013 | Calhoun county | County unit | 5 | Statewide only | 5,784 |
| DMU 486 | Southern Lower Peninsula multi-county | Overlay unit | 5 | Statewide only | — |
Gun deer
The firearm opener is Nov 15, 2026, closing Nov 30; three December firearm days follow.
Archery deer
Early archery Oct 1 to Nov 14, 2026; late archery Dec 1, 2026 to Jan 1, 2027.
September and October hunts
Youth hunters take to the woods Sep 12 to Sep 13, 2026 in the Liberty Hunt.
Bait status
No bait and no feeding: Calhoun County is under the Lower Peninsula ban.
Compare DMUs · Use limits statewide
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.
Calhoun County game areas, forests and refuges
Without a game area inside Calhoun County, hunters drive to the properties on the map. Look up the 4 HAP leases in Calhoun County before you go; each has its own hunt types.
Across the boundary, closest first: Fort Custer Recreation Area 2,862 ac, 18 miles out; Fulton State Game Area 680 ac, 19 miles out; Gordon Guyer – Augusta Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area 391 ac, 21 miles out; Leidy Lake State Game Area 109 ac, 26 miles out; Grand River Gale Road State Game Area 143 ac, 27 miles out.
All 328 land pages · HAP 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.
Deer reports from Calhoun County
5,784 deer were reported from Calhoun County in 2025, ranking it 15th of 83 counties. Set beside the 6,057 of 2022, the 2025 tally moved -5% over three seasons. Reports for 2026 stand at 807 (560 antlerless) and will climb after Nov. 15.
| Year | Antlered harvest | Antlerless harvest | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (in progress) | 247 | 560 | 807 |
| 2025 | 2,867 | 2,917 | 5,784 |
| 2024 | 2,746 | 2,767 | 5,513 |
| 2023 | 3,366 | 2,682 | 6,048 |
| 2022 | 3,462 | 2,595 | 6,057 |
DNR Harvest Report Summary (reported deer by county, all seasons, read October 22, 2026; 2026 is in progress). Checked October 22, 2026.
CWD zones and TB lists for Calhoun County
Management-zone CWD rules apply in Calhoun County. So far no wild deer from Calhoun County has tested positive. The DNR lists Calhoun County under remainder of state in each year since 2022. Donated deer from here need no CWD or TB test.
Bovine TB and CWD guide · Two-gallon UP bait rule
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.
Calhoun County bear and turkey numbers
Black bears
There is no bear hunt in Calhoun County; the Dansville BMU is closed.
Turkey units and reports
Spring turkey unit ZZ covers the county. Spring 2027 hunts have not been published, so the 2026 hunts are shown. In fall the county is unit I: Sep 15 to Nov 14, 2026. Spring 2026 reports put Calhoun County at 376 birds. 22% of fall 2025 hunters in Calhoun County took a bird, per the DNR survey.
| Unit | Dates (2026) | License quota | Hunt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Statewide | May 2–May 31 | Unlimited | 0234 |
| ZZ* | April 18–May 31 | Unlimited | 0301 |
| ZZ | April 18–May 1 | 8,000 | 0302 |
| ZZ | May 2–31 | 8,000 | 0303 |
Calhoun bird and furbearer units
Bear units · Compare 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.
Calhoun County shooting time on key dates
Use the column for the hunting-time zone that covers Calhoun County on the DNR map. Zone D is the far western Upper Peninsula.
| 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.
Base camps in and around Calhoun County
Base camp choices in Calhoun County follow, seat first; each town page maps the closest open ground.
- Marshallcounty seat · 6,802 people in 2024
- Battle Creek52,205 people in 2024 · 3,113 acres open to hunters within 10 miles
- Springfield5,267 people in 2024 · 3,113 acres open to hunters within 10 miles
Tiles below open the 7 counties that share a line with Calhoun County.
Towns: Census 2024 Gazetteer and Vintage 2024 estimates; adjacency from the Census county adjacency file.
Calhoun County hunting services
Calhoun County businesses show first; the nearest ones in adjoining counties follow.
Agency desks serving Calhoun
Most DNR customer service centers open Monday to Friday; check before you drive.
Deer processors
Mounts and taxidermy
Guided hunts
Outdoor stores
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.
Fires, permits and bans around Calhoun County
The Michigan burn ban page shows Calhoun County today.
- Permits: 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): Calhoun County is 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.
Calhoun County shooting ranges and match dates
7 ranges in Calhoun County, as of October 22, 2026.
Lines: trap, skeet, sporting clays, handgun, rifle
Lines: handgun, rifle, trap, skeet, shotgun
| Range or club | Closest town | Lines on file | Who may shoot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bullseye 3-D Archery (archery range) | Bellevue | archery/3D archery | Access not stated |
For a state-run range, Barry County Shooting Range (Barry County) is roughly 31 miles away.
Matches in the county
| When and what | Kind | Go |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 7, 2026 ▸ Sight-In Days (Open to Public) at Sportsman's Club of Battle Creek | Club match | Register |
Ranges from the DNR shooting page, the DNR range list and directory listings, checked October 22, 2026.
Events held in Calhoun County
UKC championship hunt, UKC club hunt and UKC youth title hunt: 1 upcoming event and 3 posted results. Read October 22, 2026.
Still to come
| Held | What | Where | Register | Source page |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 26, 2026 | County Line Coonhunters Association UKC Nite Hunt and Bench Show / UKC club hunt | Burlington (Calhoun Co.) | Event details | Source |
Who placed
| Held | Event | Result | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 29, 2026 | 2026 Michigan State Championship (UKC coonhounds) / UKC championship hunt | Nite Hunt 1 1st: 'PR' Boco's Harvey Specter (Treeing Walker; Leighton Blount, NC) 575+ | Source |
| Jul 12, 2025 | 2025 Michigan State Youth Championship (UKC coonhounds) / UKC youth title hunt | Nite Hunt 1st: PR Oakridge Skeeter (English; Edward Breton II, MI) 375+ | Source |
| May 23–24, 2025 | 2025 Michigan State Championship (UKC coonhounds) / UKC championship hunt | Overall Hunt Winner: GRNITECH(3) PR Troubles Threat (Treeing Walker; Charles Bruton, MI) | Source |
Calhoun County questions from hunters
When does archery close in Calhoun County?
Jan 1, 2027, the end of the late segment.
Are antler point rules in force in Calhoun County?
No 3-point rule; the restricted combo tag still needs 4 points.
Which Calhoun County meat shops take whole deer?
Start with Nagel Meat Processing, Ed's Meat Processing and Nashville Locker Service, nearest first.
Is Calhoun County in the Upper or Lower Peninsula?
The Lower Peninsula, deer Zone 3.
How much is an antlerless license for Calhoun County?
$20 for a universal antlerless license, with 5 usable here.
How many bucks came from Calhoun County in 2025?
2,867 antlered deer were reported.
Is Calhoun County one of the CWD-positive counties?
No; it is outside the 18-county list of positives.
May I keep a backyard deer feeder in Calhoun County?
No. Feeding deer is banned along with baiting across the Lower Peninsula.
Are there bears in Calhoun County?
The DNR sets no season here; bear hunts are north and in the Upper Peninsula.
Are spring 2027 turkey dates out for Calhoun County?
Not yet. The table shows the spring 2026 hunts as the latest published.
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.
Double-check before Calhoun County
The DNR can change use limits, quotas and bans between seasons. The regulation summaries and the Wildlife Conservation Order are the legal reference.
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: Fyn Kynd (CC BY 2.0); NPS Photo (Public domain); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Public Domain Mark 1.0); Don Henise (CC BY 2.0); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Public Domain Mark 1.0); Gregory "Slobirdr" Smith (CC BY-SA 2.0); greenebriar (Public domain); FolioRoad (CC BY 2.0); GregGilbert1 (CC BY 2.0).