Home › Michigan › Counties › Hillsdale County
Deer Zone 3 · Southeast Lower Peninsula
Hillsdale County Hunting
Hillsdale County sits in the Lower Peninsula, deer Zone 3. This guide covers its 2 deer units, universal antlerless limits, CWD and baiting status, bear and turkey units, public land with acres and the 2026-27 season table.
Photo: F. D. Richards (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Out in southeast Michigan, Hillsdale County spreads across 598 square miles around Hillsdale. The 2024 population stood near 45,590, down 0.4% on 2020. The whole county is Zone 3 for deer, with 2 DMUs drawn over it. Hunters here line up at the Lansing customer service counter for DNR business. Conservation officers work it from Law Enforcement District 8. 3 public properties on the state and federal lists sit at least partly inside the line, 3 state game areas among them.
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.
Hillsdale County season dates for 2026-27
22 species and 44 dated segments apply in Hillsdale County; the last column checks each against today.
| Quarry | Season | Zone | From | To | Status 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.
DMUs that overlap Hillsdale County
Universal antlerless licenses ($20 each, 10 per hunter) count against a limit of 5 in Hillsdale County. Early antlerless firearm runs Sep 12 to Sep 13, 2026 in Hillsdale County, and late antlerless follows Dec 7, 2026 to Jan 1, 2027. The 3-point antler restriction does not apply here; only the combo restricted tag needs 4 points.
| DMU | Called | Type | UAL limit | APR | 2025 reports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DMU 030 | Hillsdale county | County unit | 5 | Statewide only | 6,766 |
| DMU 486 | Southern Lower Peninsula multi-county | Overlay unit | 5 | Statewide only | — |
Firearm dates
Long guns and slugs from Nov 15 through Nov 30; the LP December hunt is Dec 4 to Dec 6, 2026.
Bows and crossbows
Two bow segments: Oct 1 to Nov 14, 2026, then Dec 1, 2026 to Jan 1, 2027.
Youth and disability hunts
Liberty Hunt Sep 12 to Sep 13, 2026, Independence Hunt Oct 15 to Oct 18, 2026.
Baiting and feeding
The Lower Peninsula ban on deer and elk baiting and feeding covers the county.
Deer unit index · Antlerless rules
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.
Hillsdale County public hunting land
The list holds every game area, flooding, park and refuge touching Hillsdale County, 3 in all, largest first within each type. HAP enrolment here is 3 properties and 187 acres.
- State game areas, 3 listedLost Nation State Game Area (2,501 acres), Somerset State Game Area (747 acres), Adams Township State Game Area (181 acres)
Neighbouring-county options: Coldwater State Park 404 acres, 19 miles out; Lake Hudson Recreation Area 2,787 acres, 20 miles out; Onsted State Game Area 876 acres, 22 miles out; Schoonover Waterfowl Production Area 95 acres, 23 miles out; Seneca State Game Area 342 acres, 24 miles out.
Michigan land hub · All game areas · HAP leases
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.
Hillsdale County antlered and antlerless harvest
The 2025 total for Hillsdale County came to 6,767 deer, 52% of them antlerless. Across the four full years on file, 2025 was the high mark with 6,767 deer. 864 deer are in for 2026 to date, before the Nov. 15 opener.
| Year | Antlered | Does and fawns | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | 348 | 516 | 864 |
| 2025 | 3,247 | 3,520 | 6,767 |
| 2024 | 3,004 | 3,314 | 6,318 |
| 2023 | 3,045 | 2,640 | 5,685 |
| 2022 | 3,042 | 2,593 | 5,635 |
DNR Harvest Report Summary (reported deer by county, all seasons, read October 22, 2026; 2026 is in progress). Checked October 22, 2026.
Hillsdale County: CWD and TB
Hillsdale County lies in the CWD management zone, outside the core area. CWD has turned up in Hillsdale County, one of 18 counties so far. DNR testing data list 262 tested and 1 positive in 2022 and 178 tested and 0 positive in 2023. Deer donated through Hunters Feeding Michigan from Hillsdale County need a CWD test.
| Year | Tested | Positive |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 178 | 0 |
| 2022 | 262 | 1 |
Testing kits and drop boxes · LP bait ban, UP bait rules
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.
Bear, turkey and bird units in Hillsdale County
Bear drawing and harvest
Hillsdale County is in the Dansville bear management unit, which has no bear season.
Wild turkey
For spring turkeys Hillsdale County is unit ZZ; the 2026 hunts below are the latest published, and 2027 dates are not out yet. Fall turkey is unit I, Sep 15 to Nov 14, 2026, quota unlimited. Reported 2026 turkeys in Hillsdale County: 447 spring, 13 fall to date. Survey estimates for fall 2025 in Hillsdale County: 24 birds taken.
| Unit | Season 2026 | Quota | Hunt number |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Upland and waterfowl
Bear drawing by unit · Turkey unit details
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.
Hillsdale County legal hunting light
Ducks and geese stop at sunset and early teal and woodcock start at sunrise; these deer times are for big game and most small game.
| 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.
Hillsdale County town guides and adjacent counties
Hillsdale County has 3 town guides, each with the public land within reach, nearby services and daily shooting hours.
- Hillsdaleseat · 7,983 residents (2024) · 1,987 public acres close by
- North Adams466 residents (2024) · 2,876 public acres close by
- Pittsford2,994 public acres close by
Cross the Hillsdale County line and you are in one of 4 Michigan counties, or in Fulton (OH), Steuben (IN) and Williams (OH).
Towns: Census 2024 Gazetteer and Vintage 2024 estimates; adjacency from the Census county adjacency file.
Hillsdale County processors, taxidermists and shops
Listings with a Hillsdale County address lead each group, and shops just over the line fill it out.
DNR and agency offices
Wildlife field offices keep short hours and share one DNR phone line; call first.
Meat processors
Taxidermy
Preserves and guides
Gun and bow 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.
Burning rules in Hillsdale County
Today's Hillsdale County status is on the Michigan burn ban 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): Hillsdale County is on this list.
- Who declares bans: (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.
Places to shoot in Hillsdale County
The first six Hillsdale County ranges are cards; any others are in the table.
Takes rifle, handgun, shotgun
Takes trap, shotgun, rifle, handgun
Takes trap, rifle, handgun, smallbore rimfire, archery
Takes sporting clays, shotgun
Shoots coming up here
| Date and event | Type | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 21-22, 2026 ▸ Stateline Gun Show at Votaw Farms Event Barn | Gun show | Show info |
| Dec 19-20, 2026 ▸ Stateline Gun Show at Votaw Farms Event Barn | Gun show | Show info |
Ranges from the DNR shooting page, the DNR range list and directory listings, checked October 22, 2026.
Hillsdale County hunting questions
How does Hillsdale County rank for deer harvest?
8th of 83 counties in 2025 (6,767 deer).
Is there an antlerless quota for Hillsdale County?
No per-unit quota; licenses sell over the counter and 5 may be used in the county.
Does the Lower Peninsula bait ban cover Hillsdale County?
Yes. Every Lower Peninsula county is under it.
How many CWD deer has Michigan found?
389 confirmed since 2015, statewide.
What turkey unit is Hillsdale County in?
Spring unit ZZ, fall unit I.
How far is bear range from Hillsdale County?
The nearest open units are Baldwin, Gladwin and Red Oak in the northern Lower Peninsula.
How do I report a deer shot in Hillsdale County?
Online or in the Hunt Fish app within 72 hours of recovery, before you hand it to anyone.
Which state game areas are in Hillsdale County?
Lost Nation State Game Area, Somerset State Game Area and Adams Township State Game Area.
How many bucks can I take in Hillsdale County?
Two antlered deer per license year statewide.
Is hunter pink legal in Hillsdale County?
The statute lets the commission authorize other colors such as hunter pink.
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.
Hillsdale County trip checklist
DMU lines in Hillsdale County follow roads and rivers as well as county borders, so confirm your unit on the DNR map before you buy licenses.
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: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Public Domain Mark 1.0); USFWS Mountain Prairie (Public domain); Fyn Kynd (CC BY 2.0); Birding for Climate (Public domain); sonstroem (CC BY 2.0); Larry Lamsa (CC BY 2.0).