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Lower Peninsula county guide
Presque Isle County Hunting
Hunting Presque Isle County in 2026-27: the Lower Peninsula deer rules, every DMU that crosses the county line, antlerless license limits, disease rules, public land, towns, services and legal light.
Photo: Tony Faiola (CC BY 2.0)
Some 659 square miles of land lie inside Presque Isle County, and Rogers City is the seat. Roughly 13,230 residents in 2024 means close to 20 people per square mile. All of it lies in deer Zone 2, covered by 2 deer management units. Walk-in DNR help is at Gaylord, 65 miles from the middle of the county. The county is part of DNR Law Enforcement District 3. Hunters can pick among 4 public properties here, the biggest being Thompson's Harbor State Park.
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 Presque Isle County
Presque Isle County dates from September to March
Presque Isle County is in Lower Peninsula Zone 2. The 44 rows below are the dated hunts the DNR summaries put there.
| Game | Season | Where | Begins | Through | Right 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) | Red Oak BMU | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 22, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Hunt period 1 (archery only) | Red Oak BMU | Oct 2, 2026 | Oct 8, 2026 | |
| Elk | Hunt period 1 | Elk unit X | Sep 23, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 | |
| Elk | Hunt period 2 | Elk unit X/H | Dec 1, 2026 | Dec 15, 2026 | |
| Elk | Hunt period 2 | Elk unit X | Dec 1, 2026 | Dec 15, 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 C | Jan 1, 2027 | 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.
Presque Isle County deer units and antlerless limits
Presque Isle County carries a universal antlerless use limit of 10, set by county across the Lower Peninsula for 2026. The early antlerless weekend (Sep 12 to Sep 13, 2026) and the late antlerless hunt (Dec 7, 2026 to Jan 1, 2027) both reach Presque Isle County. No unit in Presque Isle County carries the Lower Peninsula 3-point rule; one antler of 3 inches makes a legal buck on a single license. For DMU 487 there is a separate $5 antlerless license.
| Deer unit | Name | Unit type | Licenses usable | Antler points | Deer 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DMU 071 | Presque Isle county | County unit | 10 | Statewide only | 3,630 |
| DMU 487 | Northeast Lower Peninsula multi-county | Overlay unit | 10 | Statewide only | — |
November firearm
Firearm deer opens Nov. 15 and closes Nov 30, 2026; December firearm Dec 4 to Dec 6, 2026.
Two archery segments
Archery runs Oct 1 to Nov 14, 2026 and again Dec 1, 2026 to Jan 1, 2027.
Special hunts
The Liberty Hunt for youth and hunters with disabilities is Sep 12 to Sep 13, 2026; the Independence Hunt is Oct 15 to Oct 18, 2026.
Deer bait
Presque Isle County follows the peninsula-wide rule: no deer bait and no feeding, on any land, public or private.
All DMU pages · Antlerless limits by county
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.
Presque Isle County acres open to hunters
4 listed properties reach into Presque Isle County; acres for properties that cross a county line are for the whole property. State forest land adds 80,377 acres in Presque Isle County, managed by the Atlanta Forest Management Unit and Pigeon River Country State Forest (Pigeon River Country Forest Management Unit) FMUs. Presque Isle County has 849 HAP acres on 4 properties.
- State parks, 2 listedThompson's Harbor State Park (5,399 ac), P.H. Hoeft State Park (200 ac)
- Recreation areas: 1Rockport Recreation Area (4,281 ac*)
- Floodings (SWMAs) in the county (1)Tomahawk Creek Flooding Wildlife Management Area (1,144 ac*)
- State forest by management unitAtlanta Forest Management Unit (80,203 ac in county), Pigeon River Country State Forest (Pigeon River Country Forest Management Unit) (174 ac in county)
Wide units with a Presque Isle share: Kirtland's Warbler Wildlife Management Area.
Worth the drive next door: Devil's Lake/River Flooding Wildlife Management Area 911 ac, 19 miles out; Negwegon State Park 4,079 ac, 27 miles out; Rainey River Flooding Wildlife Management Area 1,422 ac, 31 miles out; Hubbard Lake State Game Area 522 ac, 35 miles out; Sportsman's Pond Flooding Wildlife Management Area 162 ac, 36 miles out.
Skip Onaway State Park; the DNR lists no hunting there.
Land by DNR type · State forests by FMU · Hunting Access Program
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.
Presque Isle County deer, year by year
Presque Isle County produced 3,630 reported deer in 2025, 41st among Michigan's 83 counties. Reporting began in 2022, when the county logged 3,368 (+8% since). The 2026 license year is under way: 592 reports as of Oct. 22.
| Season | Antlered | Antlerless | Reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (to date) | 194 | 398 | 592 |
| 2025 | 2,113 | 1,517 | 3,630 |
| 2024 | 2,223 | 1,614 | 3,837 |
| 2023 | 1,996 | 1,160 | 3,156 |
| 2022 | 2,044 | 1,324 | 3,368 |
DNR Harvest Report Summary (reported deer by county, all seasons, read October 22, 2026; 2026 is in progress). Checked October 22, 2026.
Deer disease rules, Presque Isle County
The DNR county list shows no CWD-positive deer in Presque Isle County. Presque Isle County has not been a focused surveillance county since 2022, so its samples fall in the remainder-of-state total. TB testing covers Presque Isle County in 2026. Plan a bovine TB test if you donate a deer from Presque Isle County.
CWD core area and zone · Bait and feeding by peninsula
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.
Presque Isle County bear, turkey and upland units
Bear numbers
Red Oak sets the bear quotas for Presque Isle County. Registered bears for these units in 2025: 282 (preliminary).
| Unit | Period | 2026 season | Quota | Nonres. | 2025 first choice | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Oak | 1 | Sept. 12–22 and Oct. 2–8 | 685 | 34 | 9,336 | 9–10 |
| BMU | Bears 2024 | Bears 2025* | Survey success |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Oak | 346 | 282 | 57% |
Turkeys in Presque Isle County
Unit NN sets the spring hunts in Presque Isle County; 2027 dates are pending. Unit I covers fall turkey, Sep 15 to Nov 14, 2026. 50 gobblers were reported from Presque Isle County in spring 2026. In fall 2025, 122 hunters tried Presque Isle County (20% success by survey).
| Unit | Spring 2026 | Licenses | Hunt no. |
|---|---|---|---|
| NN | April 18–May 1 | 18,000 | 0134 |
| Statewide | May 2–May 31 | Unlimited | 0234 |
Elk licenses
Presque Isle County reaches into elk units X and H. The 2026 drawing issued 200 licenses statewide. Elk taken in these hunts in 2025: 161.
| Period | Elk units | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hunt period 1 | unit X | Sep 23, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 |
| Hunt period 2 | units H and X | Dec 1, 2026 | Dec 15, 2026 |
| Hunt period 2 | units I and X | Dec 1, 2026 | Dec 15, 2026 |
Units for birds and furbearers
Compare bear units · All turkey units · Elk range
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.
Presque Isle County legal hunting light
The DNR hunting-time map splits the state into Zones A to D from east to west. Each step west adds 6 minutes to the Zone A times below.
| 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.
Presque Isle County towns, plus bordering counties
Start from a Presque Isle County town: its page lists land in reach and the closest processors.
- Rogers Cityseat of county · 2,890 people · 7,397 mapped public acres nearby
- Posen278 people · 17,158 mapped public acres nearby
- Presque Isle Harbor13,659 mapped public acres nearby
Presque Isle County touches 5 other Michigan counties.
Towns: Census 2024 Gazetteer and Vintage 2024 estimates; adjacency from the Census county adjacency file.
Presque Isle County DNR offices and hunting businesses
Gas stations and grocery counters that only sell licenses are left out; these are hunting shops.
DNR doors closest to Presque Isle County
Customer service centers sell licenses and answer questions on weekdays; call ahead, since hours vary.
Butchering and processing
Taxidermists
Game bird preserves and guides
Hunting shops nearby
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 Presque Isle County
Today's Presque Isle County status is on the Michigan burn ban 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): Presque Isle 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).
- Public land fires: Campfires for cooking or recreation need no DNR permit.
Where Presque Isle County hunters sight in
Presque Isle County: 1 range, covering clubs, indoor bays and archery as listed.
Disciplines: 5-stand, rifle, handgun, smallbore rimfire, archery
About 34 miles away, Voyer Lake Shooting Range is the closest range on DNR land. Full page
Ranges from the DNR shooting page, the DNR range list and directory listings, checked October 22, 2026.
Presque Isle County: short answers
Is elk hunting open to nonresidents in Presque Isle County?
The unit X early hunt is for Michigan residents only.
Is there a deer processor in or next to Presque Isle County?
Bailer's Meats & Processing, M-32 Processing and Blaskowski Meat Processing sit nearest on the Michigan list we keep.
Which DMU numbers apply in Presque Isle County?
DMU 071 and DMU 487, from the county-to-unit list in the deer summary.
What is the universal antlerless use limit in Presque Isle County?
10 licenses for 2026.
How many deer were reported in Presque Isle County in 2025?
3,630: 2,113 antlered and 1,517 antlerless.
Can I use deer urine lures in Presque Isle County?
Only certified, tested and labeled products; other natural cervid urine lures are banned statewide.
May hunters bait deer in Presque Isle County?
No. Baiting and feeding are banned in the whole Lower Peninsula.
How do I register a bear from Presque Isle County?
Present the unfrozen head and hide at a DNR registration station within 72 hours.
Does hunter orange apply to turkey hunters in Presque Isle County?
No. Turkey hunters are exempt from the orange rule.
Which Presque Isle County property has the most acres?
Thompson's Harbor State Park, at 5,399 acres on our list.
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.
Presque Isle County checks before the drive
Where this page and the DNR summaries differ, follow the summaries and the WCO. Check township ordinances in Presque Isle County; some restrict firearm discharge.
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: FolioRoad (CC BY 2.0); YellowstoneNPS (Public domain); Don Henise (CC BY 2.0); rkramer62 (CC BY 2.0); James St. John (CC BY 2.0); U.S. Geological Survey (CC0 1.0); rkramer62 (CC BY 2.0).