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Roscommon County · GEMS
Backus Creek Grouse Enhanced Management Site (GEMS): where, what and how to hunt
A hunter's summary of Backus Creek Grouse Enhanced Management Site (GEMS) in Roscommon County: units and limits, rules, CWD numbers and local help.
Photo: Joetography LLC (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Getting to Backus Creek Grouse Enhanced Management Site (GEMS)
Parking, trailheads and gates near Backus Creek Grouse Enhanced Management Site (GEMS)
- Parking areaParking · 2.9 mi from the centreDirections
- car parkingParking · 3.7 mi from the centreDirections
Parking, trailhead and gate locations come from OpenStreetMap contributors. Roads into public land can be gated or seasonal; check with the managing agency before you go.
Backus Creek GEMS: the record card
Backus Creek Grouse Enhanced Management Site (GEMS) counts as a Grouse Enhanced Management Site, and it lies in Roscommon County. Its home region at the DNR is the Northern Lower Peninsula Region. The DNR GEMS program sets the rules on site. By acreage (4,339) it ranks 7th in a group of 19 grouse sites. Roughly 5 miles northeast of Prudenville.
- Where to find it, per the GEMS layer: located 10 miles south of Roscommon and east of Houghton Lake.
- GPS for the kiosk: 44.3454, -84.5949.
From the source page (MI DNR GEMS Site Boundaries GIS acres field); region from the DNR wildlife region layer. Checked October 22, 2026.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around Backus Creek Grouse Enhanced Management Site (GEMS)
Who can hunt Backus Creek GEMS, and on what terms
Entry terms, Backus Creek GEMS
Grouse Enhanced Management Sites such as Backus Creek GEMS are built for walk-in bird hunting: park at the lot, read the kiosk and follow the trails. State seasons apply, under the landowner's rules.
Michigan rules that follow you to Backus Creek GEMS
- The DNR stand rule for public land: portable, ID affixed, Sept. 1 to March 1, no nails, screws or bolts.
- From Sept. 1 to the end of deer season blinds are allowed; constructed blinds need ID and are prohibited on game areas, parks and recreation areas in Zone 3.
- From mid-August to the end of April, a hunter orange outer layer is the law in daylight; camouflage counts if half of it is orange. Turkey and waterfowl hunters are exempt.
- Harvest reporting is required for deer and turkey inside 72 hours; failing to report is a civil infraction.
- Firearm hunters keep 150 yards from occupied dwellings, cabins and farm buildings.
- Planting a food plot on public land is not legal.
- This is Lower Peninsula ground, where deer baiting and feeding are banned.
- On public land, bear bait goes on the ground, never in a container.
- ORV quiet hours on public hunting land, Nov. 15-30: 7 to 11 a.m. and 2 to 5 p.m.
Backus Creek GEMS: licenses to carry
Buy in the Hunt Fish app, at an agent or on eLicense. Every hunter needs the base license; antlerless licenses (up to 10) obey the county or DMU use limit.
Access from the source page; public-land stand, blind, safety-zone and food-plot rules from the DNR deer regulations summary; hunter orange from MCL 324.40116; prices from the 2026 license fee tables. Checked October 22, 2026.
Backus Creek GEMS and nearby public ground
Backus Creek GEMS at the big pin; the nearest 10 public places around it. Between them the nearby tracts list 275,275 acres.
| Public land | Type | Acres | Distance | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Backus Creek | State game area | 4,379 | 0.0 mi | northwest |
| Russell Lake / Lake St. Helen | Flooding or WMA | 949 | 4.5 mi | northeast |
| Denton Creek Flooding | Flooding or WMA | 805 | 5.0 mi | south |
| Robinson Creek Floodings | Flooding or WMA | 2,572 | 6.8 mi | north |
| South Higgins Lake | State park | 1,367 | 7.0 mi | northwest |
| Marsh Creek / Beaver Lake Flooding | Flooding or WMA | 554 | 10 mi | east |
| Roscommon Forest Management Unit | Forest unit | 260,802 | 11 mi | east |
| Houghton Lake Flats South Flooding | Flooding or WMA | 991 | 11 mi | west |
| Houghton Lake Flats North Flooding | Flooding or WMA | 838 | 11 mi | west |
| Wraco Lodge Lake Flooding | Flooding or WMA | 2,018 | 12 mi | southwest |
Points from the DNR wildlife, GEMS, parks, forest, USFS, USFWS and NPS layers (MI DNR GEMS boundary GIS (polygon centroid)). Straight-line distances. Statewide public land map.
Backus Creek GEMS deer units, bear units and zones
It is Zone 2 ground in the Northern Lower Peninsula. Roscommon County allows 3 universal antlerless licenses per hunter. Roscommon County is an early and late antlerless county. For bear the unit is Red Oak; its 2026 hunt 0020 quota is 685. For turkeys it is unit NN (spring) and I (fall); the 2027 spring calendar has not been printed. Waterfowl: Middle Zone, regular duck season Oct 3-Nov 29 and Dec 12-Dec 13. Elk unit X overlap its counties; elk licenses come by drawing, residents only.
The deer units around Backus Creek GEMS
| DMU | Unit name | Antlerless status | Antlerless use limit | APR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DMU 072 | Roscommon county | Open | 3 | No APR |
Backus Creek GEMS bear units
| Bear unit | Hunts | Quota | Points (res.) | 2025 bears |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Oak | 1 hunt | 685 | 9–10 | 282 |
Backus Creek GEMS turkey units
| Unit | Reported harvest | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Spring NN | 4,156 | All of unit, 2026 |
| Fall I | 822 | Unit-wide, fall to date |
Zones from the DNR 2026 zone layers as recorded in lands.json; DMU status and APR from the Wildlife Conservation Order; use limits from the 2026 deer summary; BMU hunts and quotas from the 2026 bear summary and bear registration data; turkey from the DNR turkey harvest report; CWD lists from the DNR CWD rules. Checked October 22, 2026.
Game you can hunt at Backus Creek GEMS
The agency's game list for Backus Creek GEMS reads ruffed grouse and woodcock.
Ruffed grouse
Woodcock
Any other game open in Roscommon County is legal here within the rules.
Species from the source (GEMS are DNR grouse (and woodcock) hunting sites; other open seasons also apply.); bag limits from the DNR regulation summaries. Checked October 22, 2026.
Backus Creek GEMS openers and closers in one table
Private ground and public ground share these dates in Backus Creek GEMS; 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) | Red Oak BMU | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 22, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Period 1, archery | 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 | 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 D | Jan 1, 2027 | Feb 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.
Lodging, fuel and a processor near Backus Creek GEMS
Pick a town for the night, then a processor for the deer.
| Town | County | Miles | Population | Public land near |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prudenville | Roscommon | 5.0 mi | – | 111,047 |
| St. Helen | Roscommon | 8.5 mi | – | 129,779 |
| Houghton Lake | Roscommon | 8.7 mi | – | 116,869 |
| Roscommon | Roscommon | 10 mi | 990 | 114,926 |
Each county here has its own page: Roscommon County.
Who handles a deer from Backus Creek GEMS
Office phone numbers that handle Backus Creek GEMS
Licenses and questions for Roscommon County go through DNR Roscommon Customer Service Center.
Towns and populations from Census 2024 estimates; public acres within 10 miles from the land layers; businesses from store locators and listings (license-only agents left out); offices from DNR, USFS and USFWS pages. Checked October 22, 2026. Call ahead.
What hunters reported from the county around Backus Creek GEMS
2025 in Roscommon County: 1,043 antlered, 950 antlerless, 1,993 in all. The reporting era peaked at 2,917 in 2022 and bottomed at 1,993 in 2025. Season to date (Oct. 22, 2026): 314 deer. With mandatory reporting new in 2026, Roscommon County logged 139 spring turkeys. These are county or unit totals, not Backus Creek GEMS alone; the DNR does not report harvest by property.
Roscommon County harvest table
| Season | Antlered | Does and fawns | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026* | 160 | 154 | 314 |
| 2025 | 1,043 | 950 | 1,993 |
| 2024 | 1,159 | 1,042 | 2,201 |
| 2023 | 1,091 | 922 | 2,013 |
| 2022 | 1,510 | 1,407 | 2,917 |
Reported by DMU, Backus Creek GEMS
| DMU | Antlered | Antlerless | 2025 total |
|---|---|---|---|
| DMU 072 | 1,043 | 950 | 1,993 |
Turkeys reported in Roscommon County
| Figure | Turkeys |
|---|---|
| Spring 2026 reported | 139 |
| Fall 2026 | 7 |
| Fall 2025 survey | 37 |
| Fall 2025 hunters | 203 |
Deer from the DNR Harvest Report Summary (mandatory reporting; 2026 season to date); CWD from the DNR CWD testing data; turkeys from the turkey harvest report and the 2025 fall survey. Checked October 22, 2026.
Backus Creek Grouse Enhanced Management Site (GEMS), events on and around the property
1 upcoming event here or close by, as of October 22, 2026.
On the calendar
| When | Event | Away | Location | Tickets or entry | Read at |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 4, 2026 | Houghton Lake Ducks Unlimited Annual Banquet / DU dinner | 9 | Lakeside Conference Center in Houghton Lake (Roscommon Co.) | Buy tickets | Source |
Nearest ranges to Backus Creek Grouse Enhanced Management Site (GEMS)
From Backus Creek Grouse Enhanced Management Site (GEMS), Supply Road Shooting Range is the closest range on DNR land (44 miles). Clubs inside 30 miles are included.
Offers rifle, handgun, smallbore rimfire, archery, 3D archery
From the DNR shooting page and its range pages, checked October 22, 2026.
Backus Creek GEMS hunting-hour table for key season dates
Use the column for the hunting-time zone that covers Backus Creek GEMS 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.
Backus Creek GEMS: quick answers
What makes Backus Creek GEMS a GEMS?
No, all hunting is open under state seasons, though it is managed for grouse and woodcock.
Where do I go when Backus Creek GEMS has too many trucks?
Backus Creek State Game Area (0 miles), Russell Lake / Lake St. Helen State Wildlife Management Area (5 miles) and Denton Creek Flooding Wildlife Management Area (5 miles) all have pages on this site.
Is Backus Creek GEMS state or federal ground?
A Grouse Enhanced Management Site; the manager is the DNR GEMS program.
How much ground does Backus Creek GEMS hold?
The figure used here is 4,339 acres.
Which town makes a good base for a Backus Creek GEMS hunt?
Roscommon County; Prudenville, the nearest town we cover, is 5 miles away.
What do hunters come to Backus Creek GEMS for?
Ruffed grouse and woodcock, plus any other season open in the county.
What deer rules apply on Backus Creek GEMS?
It lies in DMU 072. In Roscommon County a hunter may use up to 3 universal antlerless licenses.
How do I get a bear license for Backus Creek GEMS?
Bear unit: Red Oak. Draw a Red Oak license with preference points (2025: 9–10 points for residents).
Which unit do I pick for turkeys at Backus Creek GEMS?
The fall license ($15) is for unit I; spring hunts follow unit NN.
What are the waterfowl rules at Backus Creek GEMS?
It is Middle Zone ground. Waterfowl hunters need the state waterfowl license, HIP and a federal stamp.
Is it legal to bait deer on Backus Creek GEMS?
The baiting ban applies. The DNR list of counties with a CWD-positive wild deer does not include this one.
Do turkey hunters wear orange at Backus Creek GEMS?
A hunter orange cap, hat, vest, jacket or rain gear, visible from all sides, from Aug. 15 to April 30.
Do I register a bear from Backus Creek GEMS?
Bears go to a DNR registration station within 72 hours for sealing.
Backus Creek GEMS: what to confirm
Gates, refuges and open zones at Backus Creek GEMS are the manager's call; confirm them before opening day.
Sources for this page: Michigan DNR: where · DNR GIS; regulations from the 2026 Michigan hunting regulation summaries. Checked October 22, 2026.
Other photos on this page: Fyn Kynd (CC BY 2.0); USFWS/Southeast (Public domain).