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2026-27 · Flooding or WMA
A hunter's look at Hancock Creek Flooding Wildlife Management Area
Who runs it, which DMU and bear unit cover it, and the public land and towns around it in Dickinson County.
Photo: jgagnon63 (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
Getting to Hancock Creek Flooding Wildlife Management Area
Parking, trailheads and gates near Hancock Creek Flooding Wildlife Management Area
- West Branch Sturgeon R. Boat LaunchBoat ramp · 2.5 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.1 mi from the centreDirections
- Boat rampBoat ramp · 3.1 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.2 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.
Hancock Creek Flooding WMA in short
Classed as a DNR wildlife management area (a flooding or marsh unit), Hancock Creek Flooding Wildlife Management Area is found in Dickinson County. The Upper Peninsula Region of the DNR looks after this part of the Upper Peninsula. Day-to-day care of the ground falls to the DNR Wildlife Division. At 651 acres it is number 51 by size among the 72 Michigan wildlife management areas with a figure on file. Printed DNR figure: 650 acres. It appears on the DNR list of game and wildlife areas. Drive northeast from Norway for roughly 12 miles.
From the source page (MI DNR Wildlife Property Boundary GIS Acres field); region from the DNR wildlife region layer. Checked October 22, 2026.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around Hancock Creek Flooding Wildlife Management Area
Hancock Creek Flooding WMA: species and bag limits
The record lists no species for Hancock Creek Flooding WMA, so the state seasons for its county, DMU and units apply.
23 species have dated seasons reaching Dickinson County (44 rows), White-tailed deer, Black bear, Wild turkey, Ruffed grouse and Woodcock first.
Species from the source (The DNR list gives no species for this area; open seasons follow statewide/zone regulations.); bag limits from the DNR regulation summaries. Checked October 22, 2026.
Hancock Creek Flooding WMA: DMU, BMU and turkey unit
Hancock Creek Flooding WMA falls in Zone 1, Upper Peninsula. Bear hunters here apply for the Carney BMU; hunt 0010 runs Sept. 9 – Oct. 21 with 90 licenses in 2026. Turkey: spring unit M, fall unit M; spring 2027 dates are not published yet. It is North Zone waterfowl ground (Sep 26-Nov 22 and Nov 28-Nov 29). Chronic wasting disease has been found in free-ranging deer in Dickinson County since 2015.
Deer management units over Hancock Creek Flooding WMA
Bear units that cover Hancock Creek Flooding WMA
| Bear unit | Hunt periods | Licenses | Resident points | 2025 registered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carney | 3 hunts | 565 | 7–8 | 165 |
Turkey units, Hancock Creek Flooding WMA
| Unit | Turkeys | When |
|---|---|---|
| Spring M | 1,254 | Unit total, spring |
| Fall M | 124 | Unit total so far |
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.
Hancock Creek Flooding WMA on the map with its neighbors
Hancock Creek Flooding WMA gets the large pin; the smaller ones are 10 neighboring public places. The tracts on the map total 170,578 acres.
| Name | Type | Size (ac) | Away | Bearing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blomgren's Marsh Flooding | Flooding or WMA | 567 | 4.1 mi | southwest |
| Hardwood Reservoir (north side) | Flooding or WMA | 1,394 | 6.6 mi | north |
| Felch Mountain (flooding) | Flooding or WMA | 714 | 8.6 mi | northwest |
| Genes Pond | Flooding or WMA | 3,450 | 12 mi | northwest |
| Groveland Mine Flooding | Flooding or WMA | 6,240 | 12 mi | west |
| Ralph | GEMS | 5,290 | 15 mi | north |
| Menominee River | Recreation area | 2,785 | 15 mi | southwest |
| Escanaba Forest Management Unit | Forest unit | 142,296 | 17 mi | east |
| Lake-36 | Flooding or WMA | 968 | 18 mi | north |
| Bill Rollo Memorial | GEMS | 6,874 | 22 mi | northeast |
Points from the DNR wildlife, GEMS, parks, forest, USFS, USFWS and NPS layers (MI DNR Wildlife Property Boundary GIS (polygon centroid)). Straight-line distances. Statewide public land map.
Hancock Creek Flooding WMA rules and licenses
Access rules for Hancock Creek Flooding WMA
Expect a dike, open water and marsh edge on most DNR floodings. Hancock Creek Flooding WMA is open in state seasons, apart from any posted refuge or closed area.
Blind, stand and baiting law for Hancock Creek Flooding WMA
- Public-land stands: portable, set no earlier than Sept. 1, removed by March 1, labelled with your name and address or Sportcard number, and nothing driven into the bark.
- A portable blind leaves with you each day; a blind of dead natural material needs no ID; a constructed blind needs ID and is not allowed on Zone 3 game areas, parks or recreation areas.
- Michigan law asks for hunter orange from Aug. 15 to April 30, visible from all sides when deer hunting with a firearm; archers in archery season are exempt.
- Report a deer or a turkey within 72 hours of recovery, online or in the Hunt Fish app, and keep the confirmation number.
- Stay 150 yards off occupied buildings with a firearm unless you hold written permission.
- Leave the seed at home; food plots are banned on public land.
- UP rule: 2 gallons of scattered bait from Sept. 15 through Jan. 1.
- Public-land bear bait: on the ground, no containers.
- Firearm deer season brings ORV quiet hours on public hunting land, 7-11 a.m. and 2-5 p.m.
Hancock Creek Flooding WMA license list
eLicense and the Hunt Fish app sell everything here. Choose a single deer or deer combo license when you buy; antlerless licenses come over the counter.
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.
Hancock Creek Flooding WMA dates from September to March
Hancock Creek Flooding WMA is in Upper Peninsula Zone 1. The 44 rows below are the dated hunts the DNR summaries put there.
| Game | Season | Where | Begins | Through | Right now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Muzzleloader | Upper Peninsula | Dec 4, 2026 | Dec 6, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Hunt period 1 | Amasa BMU | Sep 9, 2026 | Oct 21, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Hunt period 1 | Carney BMU | Sep 9, 2026 | Oct 21, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Hunt period 1 | Gwinn BMU | Sep 9, 2026 | Oct 21, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Hunt period 2 | Amasa BMU | Sep 14, 2026 | Oct 26, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Hunt period 2 | Carney BMU | Sep 14, 2026 | Oct 26, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Hunt period 2 | Gwinn BMU | Sep 14, 2026 | Oct 26, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Hunt period 3 | Amasa BMU | Sep 25, 2026 | Oct 26, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Hunt period 3 | Carney BMU | Sep 25, 2026 | Oct 26, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Hunt period 3 | Gwinn BMU | Sep 25, 2026 | Oct 26, 2026 | |
| Wild turkey | Fall | Fall unit M | 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 | Pheasant Zone 1 unit | Oct 10, 2026 | Oct 31, 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 | North Zone | Sep 26, 2026 | Nov 22, 2026 | |
| Ducks | Split 2 | North Zone | Nov 28, 2026 | Nov 29, 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 | North Zone | Sep 1, 2026 | Dec 16, 2026 | |
| Light geese | Light goose part 1 | North Zone | Sep 1, 2026 | Dec 16, 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 A | 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.
Mandatory reporting numbers for the Hancock Creek Flooding WMA area
Dickinson County hunters reported 1,964 deer in 2025, 1,211 of them antlered. Yearly totals swing between 1,542 and 2,181. 400 deer reported so far in 2026. CWD testing in Dickinson County, 2025: 156 wild deer tested, 0 positive. The 2026 spring turkey count for Dickinson County is 142. The DNR reports by county and DMU, not by property; read these as the picture around Hancock Creek Flooding WMA.
Dickinson County antlered and antlerless
| Year | Antlered | Antlerless | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026* | 180 | 220 | 400 |
| 2025 | 1,211 | 753 | 1,964 |
| 2024 | 1,404 | 777 | 2,181 |
| 2023 | 1,029 | 513 | 1,542 |
| 2022 | 1,353 | 662 | 2,015 |
2025 DMU figures for Hancock Creek Flooding WMA
Dickinson County CWD sampling
| Year | Tested | Positives |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 156 | 0 |
| 2024 | 143 | 0 |
Turkey figures, Dickinson County
| Item | Count |
|---|---|
| Reported, spring 2026 | 142 |
| Fall 2026 to date | 14 |
| Survey, fall 2025 | 37 |
| Fall hunters 2025 | 147 |
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.
Towns and shops that serve Hancock Creek Flooding WMA hunters
The nearest towns with pages of their own, then the businesses that serve this ground.
| Town | County | Straight line | 2024 pop. | Public acres near |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norway | Dickinson | 12 mi | 2,840 | 48,291 |
| Hermansville | Menominee | 16 mi | – | 8,947 |
| Iron Mountain | Dickinson | 16 mi | 7,524 | 26,707 |
| Kingsford | Dickinson | 19 mi | 5,125 | 9,785 |
Counties this land touches, with pages: Dickinson County.
Gun shops and processors that serve Hancock Creek Flooding WMA
DNR and federal desks that cover Hancock Creek Flooding WMA
Local office on the DNR list: Norway Field Office.
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.
Hancock Creek Flooding WMA: shooting hours by date
Every time below comes from the DNR deer table; the B, C and D columns add the offsets printed on the zone map legend. Hancock Creek Flooding WMA is on Central Time, so these times already have one hour taken off.
| Date | Moment | Zone A hours | Zone B hours | Zone C hours | Zone D hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2026 | Archery opener | 5:59 a.m. to 6:46 p.m. | 6:05 a.m. to 6:52 p.m. | 6:11 a.m. to 6:58 p.m. | 6:17 a.m. to 7:04 p.m. |
| Oct 15, 2026 | Independence Hunt | 6:15 a.m. to 6:24 p.m. | 6:21 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. | 6:27 a.m. to 6:36 p.m. | 6:33 a.m. to 6:42 p.m. |
| Nov 15, 2026 | Firearm opener | 5:53 a.m. to 4:48 p.m. | 5:59 a.m. to 4:54 p.m. | 6:05 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. | 6:11 a.m. to 5:06 p.m. |
| Nov 30, 2026 | Firearm close | 6:11 a.m. to 4:40 p.m. | 6:17 a.m. to 4:46 p.m. | 6:23 a.m. to 4:52 p.m. | 6:29 a.m. to 4:58 p.m. |
| Dec 5, 2026 | December hunts | 6:16 a.m. to 4:39 p.m. | 6:22 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. | 6:28 a.m. to 4:51 p.m. | 6:34 a.m. to 4:57 p.m. |
| Jan 1, 2027 | Late archery close | 6:31 a.m. to 4:40 p.m. | 6:37 a.m. to 4:46 p.m. | 6:43 a.m. to 4:52 p.m. | 6:49 a.m. to 4:58 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.
DNR range closest to Hancock Creek Flooding Wildlife Management Area
Hancock Creek Flooding Wildlife Management Area has no range; Skoglund-Erickson Shooting Range is the nearest DNR range, about 39 miles away. Two club options sit alongside.
Takes handgun, rifle, shotgun, archery
Takes trap, skeet, sporting clays, 5-stand, rifle
Takes rifle, handgun, shotgun
From the DNR shooting page and its range pages, checked October 22, 2026.
Hancock Creek Flooding WMA questions, answered from the data
Can I hunt turkeys at Hancock Creek Flooding WMA?
Yes, unit M in spring and none in fall.
Which duck zone is Hancock Creek Flooding WMA in?
Waterfowl zone: North. Non-toxic shot is required for waterfowl statewide.
Has CWD been found near Hancock Creek Flooding WMA?
Allowed under the Upper Peninsula rule. Dickinson County appears among the 18 counties with a positive wild deer.
Is hunter pink legal at Hancock Creek Flooding WMA?
Archers in archery seasons are exempt, but not during a firearm deer season.
Where do I report game taken on Hancock Creek Flooding WMA?
Report deer and turkeys within 72 hours through the DNR site or app.
Do stands need ID at Hancock Creek Flooding WMA?
Sept. 1 through the end of the deer seasons.
Does Hancock Creek Flooding WMA need any permit beyond my licenses?
Your Michigan licenses; no landowner permission on public ground.
What public ground borders or neighbors Hancock Creek Flooding WMA?
The closest alternatives are Blomgren's Marsh Flooding Wildlife Management Area (4 miles), Hardwood Reservoir (north side) State Wildlife Management Area (7 miles) and Felch Mountain (flooding) State Wildlife Management Area (9 miles).
How does the record classify Hancock Creek Flooding WMA?
DNR wildlife management area (a flooding or marsh unit), under the DNR Wildlife Division.
How many acres of Hancock Creek Flooding WMA are there to hunt?
651 acres, the mapped total.
In which part of Michigan does Hancock Creek Flooding WMA lie?
Dickinson County holds it, 12 miles from Norway.
Is Hancock Creek Flooding WMA open for every species in season?
No species list is published, so every open season applies under the area rules.
What deer management unit is Hancock Creek Flooding WMA in for 2026?
The DMU layer gives 255 and 022.
Before you drive to Hancock Creek Flooding WMA
Use this page as a start: the manager of Hancock Creek Flooding WMA has the final word on closures and maps.
Sources for this page: Michigan DNR: state wildlife game areas list · DNR GIS; regulations from the 2026 Michigan hunting regulation summaries. Checked October 22, 2026.
Other photos on this page: RTD Photography (CC BY-SA 2.0); bgautrea (CC BY-SA 2.0).