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DNR bear summary 2026
Michigan Bear Management Units
Eleven bear management units, ten with hunts: 22 hunts and 6,278 licenses in 2026, a preference-point drawing, bait from 31 days before the opener and hounds on set dates. Each unit page has its hunts, quotas, nonresident caps, applicants, points and harvest.
Photo: FolioRoad (CC BY 2.0)
Michigan bear licenses are drawn by preference points: one point for each unsuccessful year, reset when you draw or buy a leftover, lost after five years without applying. Applications ran May 1-June 1, 2026 for $5; results june 22, 2026; leftovers july 6 (applicants) and july 13 (all). The Upper Peninsula units Amasa, Baraga, Bergland, Carney, Gwinn and Newberry each run three hunt periods starting Sept. 9, Sept. 14 and Sept. 25, closing Oct. 21 or Oct. 26; Drummond Island has one hunt. In the Lower Peninsula, Baldwin, Gladwin and Red Oak hunt Sept. 12-22 with an archery-only stretch Oct. 2-8, and Dansville BMU, the rest of the Lower Peninsula, has no hunt. Nonresidents get at most 5% of each hunt.
2026 bear summary, WCO 12.550-12.559, checked October 22, 2026.
Every Michigan bear hunt, 2026
Hunt numbers, quotas, nonresident caps, first-choice applicants and resident points by unit and period.
| BMU | Period | Dates 2026 | Hunt | Licenses | NR max | 1st-choice applicants 2025 | Points 2025 | Registered 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carney | 1 | Sept. 9 – Oct. 21 | 0010 | 90 | 4 | 699 | 7–8 | 40 |
| Carney | 2 | Sept. 14 – Oct. 26 | 0011 | 155 | 7 | 623 | 3–4 | 70 |
| Carney | 3 | Sept. 25 – Oct. 26 | 0012 | 320 | 16 | 989 | 1–2 | 55 |
| Red Oak | 1 | Sept. 12–22 and Oct. 2–8 | 0020 | 685 | 34 | 9,336 | 9–10 | 282 |
| Bergland | 1 | Sept. 9 – Oct. 21 | 0001 | 170 | 8 | 606 | 3–4 | 75 |
| Bergland | 2 | Sept. 14 – Oct. 26 | 0002 | 230 | 11 | 522 | 0–1 | 85 |
| Bergland | 3 | Sept. 25 – Oct. 26 | 0003 | 435 | 21 | 466 | 0 | 87 |
| Baraga | 1 | Sept. 9 – Oct. 21 | 0004 | 305 | 15 | 1,147 | 3–4 | 123 |
| Baraga | 2 | Sept. 14 – Oct. 26 | 0005 | 435 | 21 | 884 | 1–2 | 116 |
| Baraga | 3 | Sept. 25 – Oct. 26 | 0006 | 830 | 41 | 1,049 | 0–1 | 110 |
| Amasa | 1 | Sept. 9 – Oct. 21 | 0007 | 120 | 6 | 464 | 5–6 | 69 |
| Amasa | 2 | Sept. 14 – Oct. 26 | 0008 | 110 | 5 | 390 | 3–4 | 70 |
| Amasa | 3 | Sept. 25 – Oct. 26 | 0009 | 280 | 14 | 641 | 1–2 | 66 |
| Gwinn | 1 | Sept. 9 – Oct. 21 | 0013 | 140 | 7 | 869 | 6–7 | 65 |
| Gwinn | 2 | Sept. 14 – Oct. 26 | 0014 | 155 | 7 | 627 | 2–3 | 71 |
| Gwinn | 3 | Sept. 25 – Oct. 26 | 0015 | 440 | 22 | 822 | 0–1 | 84 |
| Newberry | 1 | Sept. 9 – Oct. 21 | 0016 | 200 | 10 | 1,865 | 9–10 | 108 |
| Newberry | 2 | Sept. 14 – Oct. 26 | 0017 | 200 | 10 | 1,132 | 5–6 | 99 |
| Newberry | 3 | Sept. 25 – Oct. 26 | 0018 | 480 | 24 | 1,675 | 1–2 | 127 |
| Baldwin | 1 | Sept. 12–22 and Oct. 2–8 | 0021 | 395 | 19 | 2,762 | 7–8 | 114 |
| Gladwin | 1 | Sept. 12–22 and Oct. 2–8 | 0022 | 95 | 4 | 1,165 | 8–9 | 33 |
| Drummond Island | 1 | Sept. 9 – Oct. 21 | 0019 | 8 | 0 | 199 | 21–22 | 8 |
2026 bear summary hunt and drawing tables, checked October 22, 2026. Points are the resident preference points needed in 2025; registered 2025 figures are preliminary.
Bear harvest survey by unit, 2024
The survey estimate for 2024 is 2,272 bears statewide from 5,114 hunters.
| Unit | Hunters 2024 | Harvest 2024 | Success 2024 | Hunting days 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amasa | 415 | 182 | 44% | 2,949 |
| Baldwin | 337 | 141 | 42% | 2,071 |
| Baraga | 546 | 178 | 33% | 2,940 |
| Bergland | 690 | 298 | 43% | 3,574 |
| Carney | 434 | 192 | 44% | 3,584 |
| Drummond Is. | 6 | 4 | 58% | 8 |
| Gladwin | 86 | 41 | 48% | 555 |
| Gwinn | 648 | 237 | 36% | 4,479 |
| Newberry | 803 | 367 | 46% | 5,288 |
| Red Oak | 605 | 345 | 57% | 3,253 |
| Pure MI Hunt | 3 | 0 | 0% | 56 |
| Statewide | 5,114 | 2,272 | 44% | 32,156 |
DNR bear harvest survey report 2024, checked October 22, 2026.
Counties in each bear unit
Unit lines follow highways and rivers, so a county can sit in two units.
Red Oak BMU
Alcona · Alpena · Antrim · Charlevoix · Cheboygan · Crawford · Emmet · Missaukee · Montmorency · Oscoda · Otsego · Presque Isle · Roscommon · Grand Traverse · Kalkaska · Wexford · Ogemaw · Iosco
Gwinn BMU
Alger · Delta · Dickinson · Marquette · Schoolcraft
Baldwin BMU
Benzie · Lake · Leelanau · Manistee · Mason · Muskegon · Newaygo · Oceana · Kalkaska · Grand Traverse · Mecosta · Montcalm · Osceola · Wexford
Dansville BMU
Allegan · Barry · Bay · Berrien · Branch · Calhoun · Cass · Clinton · Eaton · Genesee · Gratiot · Hillsdale · Huron · Ingham · Ionia · Jackson · Kalamazoo · Kent · Lapeer · Lenawee
Drummond Island BMU
Counties from the WCO definitions (Dansville from the DNR unit layer), checked October 22, 2026.
Bear ground on Michigan public land
The land records name bear on 40 properties; the two largest are Michigan State Forest System and Ottawa National Forest.
- Michigan State Forest System
- Ottawa National Forest
- Huron-Manistee National Forest
- Hiawatha National Forest
- Shingleton Forest Management Unit
- Newberry Forest Management Unit
- Sault Ste. Marie Forest Management Unit (334,295 acres)
- Gaylord Forest Management Unit
- Traverse City Forest Management Unit (314,151 acres)
- Crystal Falls Forest Management Unit (303,714 acres)
- Atlanta Forest Management Unit
- Gwinn Forest Management Unit
- Roscommon Forest Management Unit
- Grayling Forest Management Unit
- Sault Ste. Marie Ranger District (243,502 acres)
- Cadillac Forest Management Unit
- Gladwin Forest Management Unit
- Kenton Ranger District
- Watersmeet Ranger District
- Munising Ranger District
- Harrisville Ranger District
- Bessemer Ranger District
- Rapid River Ranger District
- Baldwin Ranger District
- St. Ignace Ranger District
- Manistique Ranger District
- Mio Ranger District
- Bergland Ranger District
- Ontonagon Ranger District
- Iron River Ranger District
- Baraga Forest Management Unit
- Escanaba Forest Management Unit
- White Cloud Ranger District
- Cadillac Ranger District
- Tawas Ranger District
- Manistee Ranger District
- Pigeon River Country State Forest (123,358 acres)
- Seney National Wildlife Refuge
- Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
- Kirtland's Warbler Wildlife Management Area (6,684 acres)
Properties listing bear, from DNR, USFS and FWS pages, retrieved 2026-10-22.
Michigan bear unit questions
How many bear management units does Michigan have?
Eleven defined in WCO 12.550-12.559; ten have 2026 hunts and Dansville, the rest of the Lower Peninsula, has none.
What are the 2026 bear hunt periods by peninsula?
UP units: period 1 Sept. 9-Oct. 21, period 2 Sept. 14-Oct. 26, period 3 Sept. 25-Oct. 26. LP units: Sept. 12-22 plus archery Oct. 2-8.
Which bear hunt is easiest to draw?
Hunts that took 0 or 0-1 resident points in 2025: Bergland 0002, Bergland 0003, Baraga 0006, Gwinn 0015.
Which bear hunt takes the most points?
Drummond Island hunt 0019: 21–22 resident points in 2025 for 8 licenses.
When is the bear application period?
May 1-June 1, 2026; $5. Preference-point-only option; party up to 4.
Can I bait bears in Michigan?
Bait 31 days before the BMU opener through season end; up to 3 bait stations per hunter (a person may tend up to 12 for 4 hunters); unlimited meat, fish, bakery and processed foods; no chocolate/cocoa or melatonin; deer-attracting foods limited to 2 gal and must be inaccessible to deer/elk where deer baiting is banned; on public and Commercial Forest land bait must be on the ground with no man-made containers. LP: bait/other methods only (no dogs) Sept. 12-13 and Oct. 2-8; UP: no dogs Sept. 9-13.
How big must a bear be?
Cubs under 42 inches from nose to tail base and sows with cubs may not be taken.
How many bear licenses can nonresidents get?
At most 5% of each hunt; Drummond Island allows none.