Home › Michigan › Counties › Lake County
Northern Lower Peninsula · 2026-27
Lake 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 Lake County, all taken from DNR data.
Photo: Huron-Manistee National Forests (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
Lake County covers 568 square miles of land and 7 of inland water, with county offices in Baldwin. The Census counted 13,005 people there for 2024, about 23 to each square mile. For deer it is Zone 2 ground throughout, under 1 unit. The Cadillac office is the nearest of the 13 DNR customer service centers. DNR law enforcement places it in District 4. 1 public property on the state and federal lists sit at least partly inside the 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 Lake County
What is open in Lake 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 Lake 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) | Baldwin BMU | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 22, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Hunt period 1 (archery only) | Baldwin 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 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.
Lake County DMUs, limits and antler rules
New for 2026, use limits cap antlerless licenses by county; Lake County allows 3. Two antlerless-only gun windows apply: Sep 12 to Sep 13, 2026 and Dec 7, 2026 to Jan 1, 2027. Antler point restrictions: 3 points on a side in DMU 043.
| Unit | DNR name | Type | Antlerless cap | Antler restriction | Harvest 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DMU 043 | Lake county | County unit | 3 | 3+ points | 1,820 |
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: Lake 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.
Lake County game areas, forests and refuges
Lake County overlaps 1 property on the land list, from state game areas to parks and refuges. The DNR forest land count for Lake County is 59,202 acres, under Cadillac Forest Management Unit and Grayling Forest Management Unit. The Forest Service holds 111,939 acres here, open with Michigan licenses and seasons. The DNR parcel list shows 753 Commercial Forest acres in Lake County.
- Floodings (SWMAs) (1 here)Little Widewaters Flooding Wildlife Management Area (225 ac)
- Forest management unitsCadillac Forest Management Unit (59,157 ac in county), Grayling Forest Management Unit (45 ac in county)
- Forest Service groundHuron-Manistee National Forest (111,939 ac in county), Manistee Ranger District (Huron-Manistee National Forest), Baldwin Ranger District (Huron-Manistee National Forest), Cadillac Ranger District (Huron-Manistee National Forest)
Across the boundary, closest first: Tippy Dam Recreation Area 102 ac, 20 miles out; Mark Knee Memorial Grouse Enhanced Management Site (GEMS) 4,091 ac, 22 miles out; Mitchell State Park 724 ac, 25 miles out; Haymarsh Lake State Game Area 6,783 ac, 28 miles out; Manistee River State Game Area 4,378 ac, 28 miles out.
All 328 land pages · Forest management units · Federal hunting land · Commercial Forest lands
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 Lake County
1,820 deer were reported from Lake County in 2025, ranking it 60th of 83 counties. Set beside the 3,227 of 2022, the 2025 tally moved -44% over three seasons. Reports for 2026 stand at 408 (166 antlerless) and will climb after Nov. 15.
| Year | Antlered harvest | Antlerless harvest | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (in progress) | 242 | 166 | 408 |
| 2025 | 928 | 892 | 1,820 |
| 2024 | 1,138 | 1,206 | 2,344 |
| 2023 | 1,150 | 1,347 | 2,497 |
| 2022 | 1,355 | 1,872 | 3,227 |
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 Lake County
So far no wild deer from Lake County has tested positive. County testing rows: 97 tested and 0 positive in 2023. Donated deer from here need no CWD or TB test.
| Harvest year | Deer tested | Positives |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 97 | 0 |
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.
Lake County bear and turkey numbers
Black bears
Lake County lies in the Baldwin bear management unit. Licenses come by preference-point drawing. Unit-wide, 114 bears were registered in 2025, a preliminary figure.
| Unit | Hunt | Dates | Licenses | Nonres. cap | Applicants 2025 | Points 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baldwin | 1 | Sept. 12–22 and Oct. 2–8 | 395 | 19 | 2,762 | 7–8 |
| BMU | 2024 | 2025 preliminary | Hunter success |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baldwin | 150 | 114 | 42% |
Turkey units and reports
Spring turkey unit NN 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 Lake County at 164 birds. 21% of fall 2025 hunters in Lake County took a bird, per the DNR survey.
| Unit | Dates (2026) | License quota | Hunt |
|---|---|---|---|
| NN | April 18–May 1 | 18,000 | 0134 |
| Statewide | May 2–May 31 | Unlimited | 0234 |
Lake 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.
Lake County legal hunting light
Use the column for the hunting-time zone that covers Lake 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 Lake County
Base camp choices in Lake County follow, seat first; each town page maps the closest open ground.
- Baldwincounty seat · 1,020 people in 2024 · 105,545 acres open to hunters within 10 miles
- Luther318 people in 2024 · 86,063 acres open to hunters within 10 miles
Tiles below open the 7 counties that share a line with Lake County.
Towns: Census 2024 Gazetteer and Vintage 2024 estimates; adjacency from the Census county adjacency file.
Lake County hunting services
Lake County businesses show first; the nearest ones in adjoining counties follow.
Agency desks serving Lake
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 Lake County
See the Michigan county list for Lake 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): Lake 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).
- Public land fires: Campfires for cooking or recreation need no DNR permit.
Lake County shooting ranges and match dates
1 range in Lake County, as of October 22, 2026.
For a state-run range, Supply Road Shooting Range (Grand Traverse County) is roughly 51 miles away. Details
Ranges from the DNR shooting page, the DNR range list and directory listings, checked October 22, 2026.
Lake County questions from hunters
How much is an antlerless license for Lake County?
$20 for a universal antlerless license, with 3 usable here.
How many bucks came from Lake County in 2025?
928 antlered deer were reported.
Is Lake 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 Lake County?
No. Feeding deer is banned along with baiting across the Lower Peninsula.
How many bear licenses are there for Lake County?
Baldwin hunt period 1 has a 2026 quota of 395.
Are spring 2027 turkey dates out for Lake County?
Not yet. The table shows the spring 2026 hunts as the latest published.
Is there state forest land in Lake County?
Yes, 59,202 acres in the Cadillac Forest Management Unit and Grayling Forest Management Unit FMUs.
What is the deadline to report a deer in Lake County?
72 hours after recovery, or before transfer of possession if sooner.
Must Lake 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 Lake County?
Jan 1, 2027, the end of the late segment.
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 Lake 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: Frank.Vassen (CC BY 2.0); ShenandoahNPS (Public domain); Greg Schechter (CC BY 2.0); alexfiles (CC BY-SA 2.0); michaelhunter5 (CC BY 2.0); greenebriar (Public domain); San Bernardino Nat'l Forest (Public Domain Mark 1.0); Charles Patrick Ewing (CC BY 2.0); YellowstoneNPS (Public Domain Mark 1.0).