Home › Michigan › Public land › Kirtland's Warbler WMA
Federal WMA, the northern Lower Peninsula
Kirtland's Warbler Wildlife Management Area for deer, birds and more
6,684 acres of Federal WMA in Ogemaw, Clare, Oscoda, Crawford and 2 more counties, with 2026-27 units, use limits, rules, CWD testing and a map.
Photo: joannapoe (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Getting to Kirtland’s Warbler Wildlife Management Area
Parking, trailheads and gates near Kirtland’s Warbler Wildlife Management Area
- Parking areaParking · 1.5 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 1.8 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.4 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.5 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.5 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.
Key facts on Kirtland's Warbler WMA
Kirtland's Warbler Wildlife Management Area belongs with the federal WMAs of Ogemaw, Clare, Oscoda, Crawford and 2 more counties. The DNR Wildlife Division counts it in its Northern Lower Peninsula Region, which covers the northern Lower Peninsula. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages the ground. It covers 6,684 acres. The nearest covered town is Lewiston, around 6 miles off as the crow flies.
From the source page (KW WMA about page: "125 separate tracts of land totaling 6,684 acres located throughout eight counties in the northern Lower Peninsula"); region from the DNR wildlife region layer. Checked October 22, 2026.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around Kirtland’s Warbler Wildlife Management Area
Access, closures and licenses on Kirtland's Warbler WMA
Access rules for Kirtland's Warbler WMA
From the agency page: Open to hunting under state and federal regulations except where area lands are closed for the Kirtland's warbler breeding season, May 1 to Aug. 15. Deer hunters may leave one blind in place until the state removal deadline (50 CFR 32.41(c)).
- Refuge-specific regulations sit in 50 CFR 32.41(c).
Michigan rules that travel with you onto Kirtland's Warbler WMA
- Put a portable stand up after Aug. 31 and take it down by March 1; label it with your ID, and skip screw-in steps, nails and bolts.
- Blinds go up from Sept. 1. Constructed blinds carry ID and are banned on state game areas, parks and recreation areas in Zone 3; no cutting vegetation for any blind.
- Between Aug. 15 and April 30 take game in hunter orange (pink is an approved color); turkey and duck hunters do not need it.
- Deer and turkeys must be reported within 72 hours (or before the animal changes hands) through the DNR website or the Hunt Fish app.
- A 150-yard safety zone surrounds every occupied building.
- The DNR bars food plots on public land.
- Deer may not be baited or fed in the Lower Peninsula.
- No man-made containers for bear bait on public or Commercial Forest land.
Licenses and prices for Kirtland's Warbler WMA
A base license plus the species license is the Michigan formula. Universal antlerless licenses are sold over the counter, up to 10, with use limits by county and UP DMU.
Where Kirtland's Warbler WMA is open
| Name | Status | Acres | Permit |
|---|---|---|---|
| KW | Yes | 6,616 | No |
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.
Where Kirtland's Warbler WMA sits among the state and federal tracts
Kirtland's Warbler WMA is the big pin, with 10 neighbors around it. Add them up and the neighbors hold 409,109 acres.
| Property | Type | Acres | Straight line | Which way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conner's Marsh Flooding | Flooding or WMA | 1,052 | 8.5 mi | southwest |
| Barker Creek Flooding State Wildilfe Management Area | Flooding or WMA | 49 | 11 mi | southwest |
| Sage Lakes Flooding | Flooding or WMA | 248 | 12 mi | northeast |
| Mio | Ranger district | 148,711 | 15 mi | south |
| Greasy Creek | GEMS | 1,080 | 16 mi | east |
| Hartwick Pines | State park | 8,425 | 16 mi | west |
| Grayling Forest Management Unit | Forest unit | 246,649 | 20 mi | southeast |
| Sportsman's Pond Flooding | Flooding or WMA | 162 | 21 mi | northeast |
| Goose Creek Flooding | Flooding or WMA | 161 | 25 mi | west |
| Robinson Creek Floodings | Flooding or WMA | 2,572 | 27 mi | southwest |
Points from the DNR wildlife, GEMS, parks, forest, USFS, USFWS and NPS layers (USFWS National Hunt Units 2026-2027 GIS (centroid of huntable units) (point inside polygon (centroid falls outside))). Straight-line distances. Statewide public land map.
Unit lines at Kirtland's Warbler WMA
Zone on the DNR map: Zone 2. 5 is the Ogemaw County cap on universal antlerless licenses used. Bucks in DMU 040 need 3 points on a side. Ogemaw County hosts both antlerless firearm seasons, early and late. The Red Oak unit's first hunt period (Sept. 12–22 and Oct. 2–8) has a 2026 quota of 685 licenses. Spring turkey falls under unit NN and fall turkey under unit I. The 2027 spring dates are still to come. Regular duck splits here: Oct 3-Nov 29 and Dec 12-Dec 13. Units H and X of the elk range overlap this country. Ogemaw County is on the DNR list of counties with a CWD-positive wild deer.
Kirtland's Warbler WMA deer units
| Unit | Name | Antlerless | Licenses usable | Antler points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DMU 065 | Ogemaw county | Open | 5 | None |
| DMU 487 | Northeast Lower Peninsula multicounty | Open | By county | None |
| DMU 018 | Clare county | Open | 4 | None |
| DMU 068 | Oscoda county | – | 10 | None |
| DMU 020 | Crawford county | Open | 3 | None |
| DMU 071 | Presque Isle county | – | 10 | None |
| DMU 040 | Kalkaska county | Open | 3 | APR, 3 points |
Kirtland's Warbler WMA: bear management units
Turkey units at Kirtland's Warbler WMA
| Unit | Harvest | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Spring NN | 4,156 | Unit-wide, spring 2026 |
| Fall I | 822 | All of unit, partial |
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.
Kirtland's Warbler WMA: the game on record
The source names ducks and geese, squirrels and rabbits, white-tailed deer, wild turkey and black bear for Kirtland's Warbler WMA.
Ducks and geese
Small game
White-tailed deer
Wild turkey
Black bear
The list is not a limit: every season open in Ogemaw County applies here within the area rules.
Species from the source (50 CFR 32.41(c) and the refuge hunting page.); bag limits from the DNR regulation summaries. Checked October 22, 2026.
Kirtland's Warbler WMA season dates for 2026-27
24 species and 45 dated segments apply in Kirtland's Warbler WMA; the last column checks each against today.
| Quarry | Season | Zone | From | To | Status today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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) | Gladwin BMU | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 22, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Hunt period 1 (firearm/bait/dogs) | Red Oak BMU | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 22, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Period 1, archery | Gladwin BMU | Oct 2, 2026 | Oct 8, 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.
Kirtland's Warbler WMA trip planning: towns and services
Each town below has its own hunting page on this site.
| Town | County | Distance | Population | Public ground, 10 mi |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lewiston | Montmorency | 6.3 mi | – | 100,970 |
| Mio | Oscoda | 13 mi | – | 118,169 |
| Atlanta | Montmorency | 17 mi | – | 90,776 |
| Grayling | Crawford | 20 mi | 1,949 | 135,803 |
Go wider with the county pages: Ogemaw County, Clare County, Oscoda County, Crawford County, Presque Isle County, Kalkaska County.
Kirtland's Warbler WMA: businesses in the area
Kirtland's Warbler WMA: the nearest agency desks
Ogemaw County is served by 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.
Deer, turkeys and CWD around Kirtland's Warbler WMA
Last full license year (2025) Ogemaw County gave up 4,009 reported deer. Since mandatory reporting began in 2022 the yearly count has ranged from 3,558 (2023) to 4,491 (2022). The 2026 bar is season to date (788 deer by Oct. 22). In 2025 the DNR tested 409 Ogemaw County deer; 0 were positive. Ogemaw County: 157 spring birds reported in 2026. County figures come from Ogemaw, the first county for Kirtland's Warbler WMA. Harvest and CWD figures describe the county as a whole.
Deer table, Ogemaw County
| License year | Antlered | Antlerless | All deer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026* | 330 | 458 | 788 |
| 2025 | 2,064 | 1,945 | 4,009 |
| 2024 | 2,186 | 1,910 | 4,096 |
| 2023 | 1,998 | 1,560 | 3,558 |
| 2022 | 2,383 | 2,108 | 4,491 |
2025 deer by unit near Kirtland's Warbler WMA
Wild deer checked for CWD in Ogemaw County
| Year | Tested | Positive |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 409 | 0 |
| 2024 | 355 | 0 |
Ogemaw County turkeys
| Figure | Number |
|---|---|
| Spring 2026 birds | 157 |
| Fall 2026 so far | 9 |
| Fall 2025 (survey) | 55 |
| Fall 2025 hunters | 299 |
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.
Range time before hunting Kirtland's Warbler Wildlife Management Area
Nearest DNR range: Voyer Lake Shooting Range, roughly 22 miles from Kirtland's Warbler Wildlife Management Area. Nearer club ranges are shown as well.
Lines: trap, skeet, sporting clays, rifle, handgun
From the DNR shooting page and its range pages, checked October 22, 2026.
DNR hunting hours for Kirtland's Warbler WMA
Michigan deer hours run from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset. The DNR prints one Zone A table and adds 6, 12 or 18 minutes for Zones B, C and D.
| 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.
Hunter questions on Kirtland's Warbler WMA
What do baiting and CWD rules mean for Kirtland's Warbler WMA?
Not here: deer baiting and feeding are banned in the Lower Peninsula. Ogemaw County has had CWD-positive wild deer.
Which waterfowl zone covers Kirtland's Warbler WMA?
Middle Zone splits apply. Carry non-toxic shot for ducks and geese.
Do I take a Kirtland's Warbler WMA deer to a check station?
Check stations are fewer now; mandatory online or app reporting within 72 hours is the rule.
Which months need orange at Kirtland's Warbler WMA?
No: turkey hunters are exempt from the orange rule.
Do I need permission to hunt Kirtland's Warbler WMA?
A Michigan base license ($11 resident) plus the species license.
How long can a blind stay on Kirtland's Warbler WMA?
Portable stands only, from Sept. 1 to March 1, labelled with your ID.
Whose land is Kirtland's Warbler WMA?
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service oversees this federal wildlife management area.
What public ground borders or neighbors Kirtland's Warbler WMA?
The three nearest are Conner's Marsh Flooding Wildlife Management Area (8 miles), Barker Creek Flooding State Wildilfe Management Area (11 miles) and Sage Lakes Flooding Wildlife Management Area (12 miles).
Which county holds most of Kirtland's Warbler WMA?
Lewiston is closest (6 miles); the ground is in Ogemaw, Clare, Oscoda, Crawford and 2 more counties.
How big is Kirtland's Warbler WMA on the map?
6,684 acres, per KW WMA about page: "125 separate tracts of land totaling 6,684 acres located throughout eight counties in the northern Lower Peninsula".
Can I use universal antlerless licenses on Kirtland's Warbler WMA?
DMU 065, DMU 487 and DMU 018. Ogemaw County allows 5 universal antlerless licenses per hunter.
Which quarry does Kirtland's Warbler WMA list?
5 groups on the list: ducks and geese, squirrels and rabbits, white-tailed deer, wild turkey and black bear.
What turkey license do I need for Kirtland's Warbler WMA?
Use spring unit NN or fall unit I.
Kirtland's Warbler WMA: the last checklist
One last look before the drive: the Kirtland's Warbler WMA map, your licenses in the Hunt Fish app and any posted closures.
Sources for this page: USFWS: hunting · USFWS: about us · eCFR: section 32.41 · FWS hunt units; regulations from the 2026 Michigan hunting regulation summaries. Checked October 22, 2026.
Other photos on this page: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Public Domain Mark 1.0); USFWS/Southeast (CC BY 2.0).