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Recreation area · Upper Peninsula
Hunting Lime Island Recreation Area in 2026-27
What we could verify about Lime Island Recreation Area: acreage, units, area rules, harvest around it and nearby ground.
Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
Getting to Lime Island Recreation Area
Parking, trailheads and gates near Lime Island Recreation Area
- South Raber Boat RampBoat ramp · 3.6 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.6 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.
Lime Island Recreation Area at a glance
Look for Lime Island Recreation Area in Chippewa County; the record files it as a state recreation area. For DNR purposes it falls in the Upper Peninsula Region. Management rests with the DNR Parks and Recreation Division. Out of 22 recreation areas, its 917 acres put it in place 19. Roughly 7 miles northwest of De Tour Village.
- Park hunting layer acres: 917 open and 14 closed.
From the source page (MI DNR Parks Hunting Land Boundary GIS Acres, polygons marked Open or Open-Restricted); region from the DNR wildlife region layer. Checked October 22, 2026.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around Lime Island Recreation Area
Quarry and limits at Lime Island Recreation Area
Lime Island Recreation Area carries no game list of its own. Any season open where it lies is fair game, within the area rules.
Chippewa County seasons cover White-tailed deer, Black bear, Wild turkey, Ruffed grouse and Sharp-tailed grouse and more: 23 species in 39 rows.
Park restrictions listed in the rules band can still narrow weapons or areas.
Species from the source (The park hunting layer does not list species; open seasons follow statewide/zone regulations unless a restriction is listed.); bag limits from the DNR regulation summaries. Checked October 22, 2026.
Units and limits for Lime Island Recreation Area
Hunting zone: Zone 1, in the Upper Peninsula. Ignore DMU 351 on older maps: the DNR rescinded it for 2026. No universal antlerless use in DMU 017 this season. Newberry BMU, hunt 0016: Sept. 9 – Oct. 21, 200 licenses. Turkey units: M in spring, M in fall (spring 2027 dates not yet set). North Zone ducks: Sep 26-Nov 22 and Nov 28-Nov 29.
Lime Island Recreation Area: DMUs and antlerless limits
| Unit | Name | Antlerless | Use limit | Antler rule |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DMU 017 | Sault Ste. Marie unit | Open | Closed | None |
BMUs over Lime Island Recreation Area
| BMU | Hunts | Quota 2026 | Points | 2025 bears |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newberry | 3 hunts | 880 | 9–10 | 334 |
Turkey hunting units over Lime Island Recreation Area
| Unit | Reported | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Spring M | 1,254 | Unit total 2026 |
| Fall M | 124 | Unit total, 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.
Map: Lime Island Recreation Area and the public tracts around it
Smaller pins show 10 nearby public tracts around Lime Island Recreation Area. Acres across them: 518,995.
| Neighbor | Type | Acres | Miles off | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cranberry Lake Flooding | Flooding or WMA | 263 | 7.1 mi | south |
| Drummond Island Pigeon Cove Flooding | Flooding or WMA | 160 | 11 mi | southeast |
| Harbor Island | Wildlife refuge | 720 | 11 mi | east |
| Munuscong | Flooding or WMA | 19,288 | 15 mi | northwest |
| Drummond Island | GEMS | 2,854 | 17 mi | east |
| Potagannissing Flooding | Flooding or WMA | 2,563 | 19 mi | east |
| Cheboygan | State park | 1,064 | 36 mi | southwest |
| Sault Ste. Marie Forest Management Unit | Forest unit | 334,295 | 37 mi | west |
| St. Ignace | Ranger district | 152,925 | 37 mi | west |
| Dingman Marsh Flooding | Flooding or WMA | 4,863 | 42 mi | southwest |
Points from the DNR wildlife, GEMS, parks, forest, USFS, USFWS and NPS layers (MI DNR Parks Hunting Land Boundary GIS (centroid of hunting-open polygons) (polygon centroid)). Straight-line distances. Statewide public land map.
Lime Island Recreation Area: what is allowed
How access works at Lime Island Recreation Area
Hunt and trap only the open parts on the DNR park hunting map, buy the Recreation Passport for your vehicle, and respect the 450-foot zone around occupied buildings. Recreation areas are open unless the DNR closes a piece.
- Standard 450' Safety Zones apply around occupied buildings (not shown). No trapping within 50' of mowed portions of developed areas.
- Early goose hunting is allowed in the open zones, 9/1 – 9/15.
Lime Island Recreation Area: what the regulation summaries require
- Stands may be placed from Sept. 1 and must be gone by March 1. Portable models only, ID attached, no screw-in steps.
- Blind rule on public land: portable ones removed daily, dead-material ones need no label, constructed ones need ID and are out on Zone 3 game areas and parks.
- Wear a hunter orange cap, hat, vest, jacket or rain gear from Aug. 15 through April 30; bowhunters in archery seasons, turkey hunters and most migratory bird hunters are exempt.
- Within 72 hours of recovering a deer or turkey, report it on the DNR site or the Hunt Fish app.
- The 450-foot (150-yard) safety zone around occupied buildings applies.
- Food plots are not allowed on public ground.
- The UP permits up to 2 gallons of scattered deer bait from Sept. 15 to Jan. 1.
- Bear bait on public and Commercial Forest land must sit on the ground with no man-made container.
The license bill for Lime Island Recreation Area
Start with the base license, then add the deer, turkey, waterfowl or pheasant license you need, on eLicense or in the Hunt Fish app. Universal antlerless use is limited by county or UP unit.
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.
Lime Island Recreation Area hunting calendar
Lime Island Recreation Area rows run from the September Liberty Hunt and bear periods through the late coyote, fox and bobcat dates.
| Game | Hunt | Unit | First day | Last day | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Drummond Island BMU | Sep 9, 2026 | Oct 21, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Hunt period 1 | Newberry BMU | Sep 9, 2026 | Oct 21, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Hunt period 2 | Newberry BMU | Sep 14, 2026 | Oct 26, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Hunt period 3 | Newberry 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 | |
| Sharp-tailed grouse | Fall | Eastern UP unit | Oct 10, 2026 | Oct 31, 2026 | |
| Woodcock | Fall | Statewide | Sep 15, 2026 | Oct 29, 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.
Reported deer and turkeys near Lime Island Recreation Area
The 2025 reported total for Chippewa County was 983 deer (856 antlered). 2022 was the busiest year on the chart (1,142 deer), 2025 the leanest (983). License year 2026 is still running; 139 deer reported by Oct. 22. 126 tested and 0 positive: Chippewa County in 2025. Spring 2026 turkey reports for Chippewa County: 82 birds. These numbers cover the country around Lime Island Recreation Area, not the property alone.
Deer reported near Lime Island Recreation Area
| Year | Antlered | Antlerless | Reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026* | 88 | 51 | 139 |
| 2025 | 856 | 127 | 983 |
| 2024 | 934 | 127 | 1,061 |
| 2023 | 825 | 175 | 1,000 |
| 2022 | 928 | 214 | 1,142 |
Lime Island Recreation Area: deer units, 2025
| Unit | Bucks | Antlerless | Deer 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| DMU 017 | 707 | 78 | 785 |
CWD samples, Chippewa County
| Year | Samples | Positives |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 126 | 0 |
| 2024 | 178 | 0 |
Chippewa County turkey harvest
| Item | Birds |
|---|---|
| Spring reported | 82 |
| Fall to date | 10 |
| Fall 2025 | 54 |
| Fall hunters | 110 |
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.
Base camps, butchers and DNR desks around Lime Island Recreation Area
Towns first; the services after them are in this county or the next one over.
| Town | County | Distance | People | Public acres, 10 mi |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| De Tour Village | Chippewa | 7.3 mi | 263 | 13,609 |
| Kincheloe | Chippewa | 26 mi | – | 40,896 |
| Sault Ste. Marie | Chippewa | 33 mi | 13,288 | 2,983 |
| Mackinac Island | Mackinac | 34 mi | 613 | 21,022 |
County pages that cover this ground: Chippewa County.
Processors, mounts and gun counters near Lime Island Recreation Area
Local DNR and federal offices for Lime Island Recreation Area
For Chippewa County, the DNR points to DNR Sault Ste. Marie 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.
When the hunting day opens and closes at Lime Island Recreation Area
Ducks and geese stop at sunset and early teal and woodcock start at sunrise; these deer times are for big game and most small game.
| 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.
Lime Island Recreation Area: ranges nearby
Drive about 71 miles to Voyer Lake Shooting Range for a DNR range. The next cards are clubs nearby.
Set up for rifle, handgun
Set up for sporting clays, shotgun
Set up for trap, skeet, rifle, handgun, smallbore rimfire
From the DNR shooting page and its range pages, checked October 22, 2026.
Lime Island Recreation Area hunting questions, short answers
How many hours do I have to report a Lime Island Recreation Area deer?
Within 72 hours of recovery or before the animal changes hands.
Can bowhunters skip orange at Lime Island Recreation Area?
Hunter pink is an approved alternative; the rule runs Aug. 15 to April 30.
Is an extra permit required for Lime Island Recreation Area?
Residents pay $11 for the base license and $40 for the deer combo.
What are the blind rules at Lime Island Recreation Area?
From Sept. 1; they must be gone by March 1.
Which other areas sit within reach of Lime Island Recreation Area?
Nearest neighbors: Cranberry Lake Flooding State Wildlife Management Area (7 miles), Drummond Island Pigeon Cove Flooding Wildlife Management Area (11 miles) and Harbor Island National Wildlife Refuge (11 miles).
Is Lime Island Recreation Area open to hunting at all?
The open zones on the park hunting map. 14 acres are closed.
Is Lime Island Recreation Area large enough for a full day afield?
Acreage on record: 917.
Which division or agency runs Lime Island Recreation Area?
It is a state recreation area, run by the DNR Parks and Recreation Division.
Are some animals off limits at Lime Island Recreation Area?
The record lists none, which means all open seasons, within the area rules.
Which town makes a good base for a Lime Island Recreation Area hunt?
Chippewa County, roughly 7 miles from De Tour Village.
Is there a bear season at Lime Island Recreation Area?
Newberry for bear. A bear license for a hunt period comes from the drawing or leftover sales.
Which deer units take in Lime Island Recreation Area?
DMU 017.
Is Lime Island Recreation Area in the North, Middle or South Zone?
North Zone for ducks and geese. Shotguns hold 3 shells and fire non-toxic shot.
Lime Island Recreation Area wrap-up
Print the Lime Island Recreation Area map, carry your licenses, and check the agency page the week you go.
Sources for this page: DNR GIS · Michigan DNR: rules; regulations from the 2026 Michigan hunting regulation summaries. Checked October 22, 2026.
Other photos on this page: YoungSue (Public Domain Mark 1.0); USFWS/Southeast (Public domain).