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The northern Lower Peninsula
Manistee County Hunting
What Michigan sets for Manistee County: deer Zone 2, its DMUs, baiting status, bear unit Baldwin, spring turkey unit NN, plus harvest history and public ground.
Photo: kevin dooley (CC BY 2.0)
By the Census measure, Manistee County holds 542 square miles of land; its seat is Manistee. Around 25,519 people lived there in 2024, 1.9% more than at the 2020 base. Every acre falls in Zone 2; 1 deer unit cover it. License questions go to the DNR Traverse City Customer Service Center, about 44 miles away. It sits inside DNR Law Enforcement District 4. Our land list holds 2 properties with ground in Manistee County, led by Manistee River State Game Area at 4,378 acres.
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.
Manistee County openers and closers in one table
Private ground and public ground share these dates in Manistee County; a state park, refuge or national lakeshore can set its own limits.
| Animal | Segment | Area | Starts | Ends | Open 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) | 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.
How Manistee County deer rules work
A hunter may fill at most 5 universal antlerless licenses in Manistee County; the statewide purchase cap is 10. Manistee County is on the early and late antlerless firearm list: Sep 12 to Sep 13, 2026 and Dec 7, 2026 to Jan 1, 2027. Antlered deer in DMU 051 need 3 or more points on one side on a single license or combo regular tag.
| Unit | Name | Type | Antlerless use limit | Antler rule (single license) | Reported deer 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DMU 051 | Manistee county | County unit | 5 | 3+ points | 2,438 |
Nov. 15 opener
Regular firearm runs Nov 15 to Nov 30, 2026, then the Lower Peninsula December firearm hunt Dec 4 to Dec 6, 2026.
Bow season
The October segment is Oct 1 to Nov 14, 2026 and the late one Dec 1, 2026 to Jan 1, 2027.
Early special hunts
Sep 12 to Sep 13, 2026 is the Liberty Hunt weekend; Oct 15 to Oct 18, 2026 the Independence Hunt.
Bait and feed
Deer baiting is prohibited in Manistee County, part of the peninsula-wide ban.
All units and limits · Antlerless license limits
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.
Manistee County public properties with acreage
Manistee County counts 2 public properties open to hunting; posted safety zones and refuges inside them still apply. Forest Resources Division parcels in Manistee County total 20,496 acres. Federal forest ground totals 87,354 acres in Manistee County. Commercial Forest land, private but open on foot, covers 852 acres in Manistee County.
- State game areas: 1Manistee River State Game Area (4,378 ac)
- Recreation areas (1 here)Tippy Dam Recreation Area (102 ac)
- FMUs with land hereTraverse City Forest Management Unit (20,496 ac in county)
- National forestHuron-Manistee National Forest (87,354 ac in county), Manistee Ranger District (Huron-Manistee National Forest), Cadillac Ranger District (Huron-Manistee National Forest)
Outside the line but near: Ludington State Park 3,243 ac, 15 miles out; Pere Marquette State Game Area 396 ac, 22 miles out; Betsie River State Game Area 741 ac, 26 miles out; Little Betsie River Grouse Enhanced Management Site (GEMS) 4,183 ac, 31 miles out; Little Widewaters Flooding Wildlife Management Area 225 ac, 31 miles out.
Leave the guns home at Orchard Beach State Park: the DNR marks it closed.
Land across Michigan · About game areas · State forest list · Federal properties · Walk-in Commercial Forest
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 reported from Manistee County, 2022 on
Mandatory reports show 2,439 deer for Manistee County in 2025, 0.8% of the statewide 295,847. Compared with 2022 (3,243 deer), 2025 was -25%, and the best full year is 2022 (3,243). 2026 so far: 230 antlered, 165 antlerless.
| License year | Antlered | Antlerless | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (to Oct. 22) | 230 | 165 | 395 |
| 2025 | 1,332 | 1,107 | 2,439 |
| 2024 | 1,454 | 1,326 | 2,780 |
| 2023 | 1,428 | 1,323 | 2,751 |
| 2022 | 1,525 | 1,718 | 3,243 |
DNR Harvest Report Summary (reported deer by county, all seasons, read October 22, 2026; 2026 is in progress). Checked October 22, 2026.
Manistee County deer disease status
Manistee County is not among the 18 counties with a CWD-positive wild deer. Focused surveillance here logged 213 tested and 0 positive in 2023 and 324 tested and 0 positive in 2024. The donation program needs no disease test for deer from this county.
| Year | Tested | Detected |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 324 | 0 |
| 2023 | 213 | 0 |
Disease testing in Michigan · UP baiting window
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.
Manistee County: bears, gobblers and birds
Black bear
For bears, Manistee County is Baldwin country; each hunt period has its own quota. 114 bears came out of Baldwin in 2025, by the preliminary DNR count.
| Bear unit | Period | Dates 2026 | Quota | NR max | Applied 2025 | Points needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baldwin | 1 | Sept. 12–22 and Oct. 2–8 | 395 | 19 | 2,762 | 7–8 |
| BMU | Registered 2024 | Registered 2025 (prelim.) | Success 2024 survey |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baldwin | 150 | 114 | 42% |
Turkey hunts
The spring unit is NN. Rows show spring 2026, the most recent published hunts. Fall turkey hunters here use unit I, open Sep 15 to Nov 14, 2026. The 2026 turkey count for Manistee County stands at 110 (fall still open). Fall 2025 survey: 137 hunters, 10% success.
| Unit | Spring 2026 dates | Licenses | Hunt |
|---|---|---|---|
| NN | April 18–May 1 | 18,000 | 0134 |
| Statewide | May 2–May 31 | Unlimited | 0234 |
Small game and birds
Bear management units · 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.
Manistee County legal hunting light
Every time below comes from the DNR deer table; the B, C and D columns add the offsets printed on the zone map legend.
| When | Event | A zone | B zone | C zone | D zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
Manistee County towns and the counties that touch it
The acreage beside each town is open land inside a 10-mile ring, measured from GIS layers.
- Manisteecourthouse town · 6,241 inhabitants · 33,060 public acres within 10 miles
- Brethren77,417 public acres within 10 miles
- Kaleva523 inhabitants · 57,523 public acres within 10 miles
- Onekama401 inhabitants · 20,585 public acres within 10 miles
- Parkdale34,375 public acres within 10 miles
- Wellston104,594 public acres within 10 miles
Manistee County borders 5 Michigan counties, plus Kewaunee (WI) and Manitowoc (WI) across the state line.
Towns: Census 2024 Gazetteer and Vintage 2024 estimates; adjacency from the Census county adjacency file.
Venison cutting and mounts in Manistee County
Michigan publishes no list of taxidermy permit holders or guides, so those rows come from directories.
Manistee DNR and Forest Service contacts
For licenses, permits and hunter education tests, start at the customer service center.
Processors nearby
Taxidermy shops
Preserves nearby
Sporting goods
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 Manistee County
Manistee County status today: open the Michigan county list.
- When a permit is needed: 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): Manistee County is not on this list.
- Burn bans come from: (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.
Manistee County ranges, clubs and shoots
This guide counts 1 range in Manistee County.
Set up for trap, skeet, 5-stand, rifle, handgun
Supply Road Shooting Range in Grand Traverse County is the nearest DNR range, about 56 miles. See the range
Dates in this county
| Day and event | Discipline | Enter |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 5, 2026 ▸ Site In of Rifles at our Rifle range: Saturday, ; Sunday, AND Saturday, ; Sunday at Big Bear Sportsman's Club | Club match | Register |
| Nov 6, 2026 ▸ Site In of Rifles at our Rifle range: Saturday, ; Sunday, AND Saturday, ; Sunday at Big Bear Sportsman's Club | Club match | Register |
| Nov 7, 2026 ▸ Sight In Days at Big Bear Sportsman's Club | Club match | Register |
| Nov 8, 2026 ▸ SIGHT-IN DAYS: Saturday & Sunday, and 9 from 10-2 at Bigbearsportsmansclub | Club match | Register |
| Nov 12, 2026 ▸ Site In of Rifles at our Rifle range: Saturday, ; Sunday, AND Saturday, ; Sunday at Big Bear Sportsman's Club | Club match | Register |
| Nov 13, 2026 ▸ Site In of Rifles at our Rifle range: Saturday, ; Sunday, AND Saturday, ; Sunday at Big Bear Sportsman's Club | Club match | Register |
Ranges from the DNR shooting page, the DNR range list and directory listings, checked October 22, 2026.
Manistee County on the Michigan events calendar
On file for this county: 1 upcoming event (NWTF banquet).
Scheduled
| On | Event | Where held | Sign-up | Found at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 10, 2027 | Sunset Shoreline Strutters NWTF Banquet / NWTF banquet | Manistee (Manistee Co.) | Buy tickets | Source |
What Manistee County hunters ask the DNR
What orange counts in Manistee County?
A cap, hat, vest, jacket or rain gear of hunter orange; camo needs 50% or more orange.
When is firearm deer season in Manistee County?
Nov 15 to Nov 30, 2026, then December firearm Dec 4 to Dec 6, 2026.
When is the Independence Hunt in Manistee County?
Oct 15 to Oct 18, 2026, for qualified hunters with disabilities.
Who cuts venison for Manistee County hunters?
Our closest listings are Wilson's Deer Processing and Chupp's Custom Butchering; ring before you drop off a deer.
Do several DMUs overlap in Manistee County?
No, just DMU 051.
Do DMA permits count toward the Manistee County limit?
No. Deer management assistance permits do not count against use limits.
What was the best recent deer year in Manistee County?
2022, with 3,243 deer reported.
Where can I get a Manistee County deer tested for CWD?
Report the harvest first; the DNR lists drop boxes, staffed sites and free lymph-node kits on its CWD pages.
Do bear hunters in Manistee County bait?
Yes, starting 31 days before the unit opener, with deer foods limited.
What are the Baldwin bear dates for Manistee County hunters?
Period 1 runs Sept. 12–22 and Oct. 2–8; any other periods are in the table above.
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.
Heading to Manistee County
Dates on this page belong to the 2026-27 license year only; recheck the summaries if you plan ahead. Manistee County is on the DNR list of counties with township restrictions.
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: Huron-Manistee National Forests (Public Domain Mark 1.0); desertdutchman (CC BY 2.0); Huron-Manistee National Forests (Public Domain Mark 1.0); Huron-Manistee National Forests (Public Domain Mark 1.0); USDA Forest Service Eastern Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0); USDA Forest Service Eastern Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0); jitze (CC BY 2.0).