Home › Michigan › Counties › Isabella County
Northern Lower Peninsula · 2026-27
Isabella 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 Isabella County, all taken from DNR data.
Photo: Christian Collins (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Isabella County covers 573 square miles of land and 5 of inland water, with county offices in Mt. Pleasant. The Census counted 65,072 people there for 2024, about 114 to each square mile. By area the county splits 61% Zone 2 and 39% Zone 3. The Bay City office is the nearest of the 13 DNR customer service centers. DNR law enforcement places it in District 6. 1 public property on the state and federal lists sit at least partly inside the line, 1 state game area 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.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around Isabella County
What is open in Isabella 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 Isabella 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 | |
| Black bear | Hunt period 1 (firearm/bait/dogs) | Gladwin BMU | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 22, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Hunt period 1 (archery only) | Gladwin 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 | |
| Pheasant | Fall | Zone 3 | Oct 20, 2026 | Nov 14, 2026 | |
| Pheasant | December | Zone 3 | Dec 1, 2026 | Jan 1, 2027 | |
| 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 1 | South Zone | Oct 17, 2026 | Dec 13, 2026 | |
| Ducks | Split 2 | Middle Zone | Dec 12, 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 | Middle Zone | Sep 1, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | |
| Dark geese | Dark goose part 1 | South Zone | Sep 1, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | |
| Dark geese | Dark goose part 2 | Middle Zone | Oct 3, 2026 | Dec 18, 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 | Middle Zone | Sep 1, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | |
| Light geese | Light goose part 1 | South Zone | Sep 1, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | |
| Light geese | Light goose part 2 | Middle Zone | Oct 3, 2026 | Dec 18, 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 | |
| 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.
Isabella County DMUs, limits and antler rules
New for 2026, use limits cap antlerless licenses by county; Isabella County allows 5. Two antlerless-only gun windows apply: Sep 12 to Sep 13, 2026 and Dec 7, 2026 to Jan 1, 2027. Isabella 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 037 | Isabella county | County unit | 5 | Statewide only | 5,454 |
| 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: Isabella 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.
Isabella County game areas, forests and refuges
Isabella County overlaps 1 property on the land list, from state game areas to parks and refuges. The DNR forest land count for Isabella County is 2,158 acres, under Gladwin Forest Management Unit. Look up the 4 HAP leases in Isabella County before you go; each has its own hunt types.
- State game areas (1 here)Edmore State Game Area (3,809 ac*)
- Forest management unitsGladwin Forest Management Unit (2,158 ac in county)
Across the boundary, closest first: Deadman Swamp State Wildlife Management Area 1,885 ac, 13 miles out; Martiny Lake State Game Area 7,783 ac, 18 miles out; Vestaburg State Game Area 2,970 ac, 20 miles out; Bluff Creek / US-10 / M-18 Floodings Wildlife Management Area 790 ac, 21 miles out; Gladwin State Game Area 1,354 ac, 24 miles out.
All 328 land pages · Game area list · Forest management units · 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 Isabella County
5,455 deer were reported from Isabella County in 2025, ranking it 20th (tied) of 83 counties. Set beside the 5,340 of 2022, the 2025 tally moved +2% over three seasons. Reports for 2026 stand at 1,054 (603 antlerless) and will climb after Nov. 15.
| Year | Antlered harvest | Antlerless harvest | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (in progress) | 451 | 603 | 1,054 |
| 2025 | 2,891 | 2,564 | 5,455 |
| 2024 | 2,844 | 2,470 | 5,314 |
| 2023 | 2,895 | 2,170 | 5,065 |
| 2022 | 3,049 | 2,291 | 5,340 |
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 Isabella County
Management-zone CWD rules apply in Isabella County. Chronic wasting disease has been found in free-ranging deer from Isabella County; it is one of 18 such counties since 2015. County testing rows: 413 tested and 2 positive in 2022 and 494 tested and 2 positive in 2023. Donated deer from Isabella County must be CWD tested first.
| Harvest year | Deer tested | Positives |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 494 | 2 |
| 2022 | 413 | 2 |
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.
Isabella County bear and turkey numbers
Black bears
Isabella County lies in the Gladwin bear management unit. Licenses come by preference-point drawing. Unit-wide, 33 bears were registered in 2025, a preliminary figure.
| Unit | Hunt | Dates | Licenses | Nonres. cap | Applicants 2025 | Points 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gladwin | 1 | Sept. 12–22 and Oct. 2–8 | 95 | 4 | 1,165 | 8–9 |
| BMU | 2024 | 2025 preliminary | Hunter success |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gladwin | 43 | 33 | 48% |
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 Isabella County at 249 birds. 27% of fall 2025 hunters in Isabella 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 |
Isabella 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.
Isabella County shooting time on key dates
Use the column for the hunting-time zone that covers Isabella 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 Isabella County
Base camp choices in Isabella County follow, seat first; each town page maps the closest open ground.
- Loomis6,215 acres open to hunters within 10 miles
- Mount Pleasant21,090 people in 2024 · 3,289 acres open to hunters within 10 miles
- Winn3,515 acres open to hunters within 10 miles
Tiles below open the 7 counties that share a line with Isabella County.
Towns: Census 2024 Gazetteer and Vintage 2024 estimates; adjacency from the Census county adjacency file.
Isabella County hunting services
Isabella County businesses show first; the nearest ones in adjoining counties follow.
Agency desks serving Isabella
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.
Burning rules in Isabella County
Isabella County status today: open the Michigan county list.
- 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): Isabella 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).
- Warming fires: Campfires for cooking or recreation need no DNR permit.
Isabella County shooting ranges and match dates
2 ranges in Isabella County, as of October 22, 2026.
Lines: trap, rifle, handgun, smallbore rimfire, archery
Lines: rifle, archery, trap, skeet, sporting clays
For a state-run range, Rose Lake Shooting Range (Clinton County) is roughly 63 miles away. Details
Matches in the county
| When and what | Kind | Go |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 7, 2026 ▸ Pistol Performance – -8, 2026 – ANN Arbor, Michigan at Point 1 Tactics | Class | Enroll |
| Dec 18, 2026 ▸ Pistol Performance – -19, 2026 Mchenry, Illinois at Point 1 Tactics | Class | Enroll |
Ranges from the DNR shooting page, the DNR range list and directory listings, checked October 22, 2026.
Events held in Isabella County
NWTF fundraiser: 1 upcoming event. Read October 22, 2026.
Still to come
| Held | What | Where | Register | Source page |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 16, 2027 | Awards Dinner & Volunteer Celebration NWTF Fundraiser / NWTF fundraiser | Mount Pleasant (Isabella Co.) | Event details | Source |
Isabella County questions from hunters
What is the deadline to report a deer in Isabella County?
72 hours after recovery, or before transfer of possession if sooner.
Must Isabella County archers wear orange during the November firearm season?
Yes. The archery exemption ends whenever a firearm deer season is open.
When does archery close in Isabella County?
Jan 1, 2027, the end of the late segment.
Are antler point rules in force in Isabella County?
No 3-point rule; the restricted combo tag still needs 4 points.
Which Isabella County meat shops take whole deer?
Start with Smith & Sons Meat Processing, Countryside Custom Butchering and Denslow Processing, nearest first.
Is Isabella County in the Upper or Lower Peninsula?
The Lower Peninsula, deer Zone 2/3.
How much is an antlerless license for Isabella County?
$20 for a universal antlerless license, with 5 usable here.
How many bucks came from Isabella County in 2025?
2,891 antlered deer were reported.
Is Isabella County one of the CWD-positive counties?
Yes, one of 18 with a positive free-ranging deer since 2015.
May I keep a backyard deer feeder in Isabella County?
No. Feeding deer is banned along with baiting across the Lower Peninsula.
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 Isabella 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: judithjackson957 (CC BY 2.0); USFWS Mountain Prairie (Public domain); Don Henise (CC BY 2.0); lwolfartist (CC BY 2.0); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Public Domain Mark 1.0); USFWS/Southeast (Public domain); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Midwest Region (Public domain); sonstroem (CC BY 2.0); GregGilbert1 (CC BY 2.0).