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State game area, southwest Michigan
Maple River Gratiot-Saginaw Connector State Game Area for deer, birds and more
310 acres of state game area in Gratiot County, with 2026-27 units, use limits, rules, CWD testing and a map.
Photo: Christian Collins (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Getting to Maple River Gratiot-Saginaw Connector State Game Area
Parking, trailheads and gates near Maple River Gratiot-Saginaw Connector State Game Area
- Parking areaParking · 1.5 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 1.5 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 1.5 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 1.5 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 1.5 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.9 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.1 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.2 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.2 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.3 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.5 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 Maple River Gratiot-Saginaw Connector State Game Area
Maple River Gratiot-Saginaw Connector State Game Area belongs with the state game areas of Gratiot County. The DNR Wildlife Division counts it in its Southwest Lower Peninsula Region, which covers southwest Michigan. The DNR Wildlife Division manages the ground. Its 310 acres make it the 67th largest of 95 state game areas in our Michigan list. The DNR page rounds it to 311 acres; the other number is the mapped sum. You will find it among the 180 areas on the DNR list page. The nearest covered town is Ashley, around 1 mile off as the crow flies.
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 Maple River Gratiot-Saginaw Connector State Game Area
Access, closures and licenses on Maple River Gratiot-Saginaw Connector State Game Area
Access rules for Maple River Gratiot-Saginaw Connector State Game Area
Maple River Gratiot-Saginaw Connector State Game Area is open to public hunting and trapping in Michigan seasons for anyone holding the right licenses. Posted refuges, safety zones and closed areas are the exceptions, and the Wildlife Conservation Order and the Land Use Orders of the Director govern how the land is used.
Michigan rules that travel with you onto Maple River Gratiot-Saginaw Connector State Game Area
- 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 ORVs 7-11 a.m. and 2-5 p.m. on public hunting land during the Nov. 15-30 rifle season.
Licenses and prices for Maple River Gratiot-Saginaw Connector State Game Area
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.
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 Maple River Gratiot-Saginaw Connector State Game Area sits among the state and federal tracts
Maple River Gratiot-Saginaw Connector State Game Area is the big pin, with 10 neighbors around it. Add them up and the neighbors hold 62,461 acres.
| Property | Type | Acres | Straight line | Which way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gratiot-Saginaw | State game area | 16,729 | 6.5 mi | northeast |
| Maple River | State game area | 9,972 | 11 mi | west |
| Sleepy Hollow | State park | 2,396 | 16 mi | south |
| Muskrat Lake | State game area | 207 | 19 mi | south |
| Shiawassee River | State game area | 10,154 | 21 mi | northeast |
| Rose Lake | State wildlife area | 4,089 | 25 mi | south |
| Shiawassee | Wildlife refuge | 10,000 | 27 mi | northeast |
| Vestaburg | State game area | 2,970 | 28 mi | northwest |
| Stanton | State game area | 4,921 | 30 mi | west |
| Grand River | State game area | 1,023 | 30 mi | southwest |
Points from the DNR wildlife, GEMS, parks, forest, USFS, USFWS and NPS layers (MI DNR Wildlife Property Boundary GIS (point inside polygon (centroid falls outside))). Straight-line distances. Statewide public land map.
Unit lines at Maple River Gratiot-Saginaw Connector State Game Area
Zone on the DNR map: Zone 3. The former Limited Firearm Deer Zone line ran through this country; it is gone for 2026, and all legal firearms are allowed. 5 is the Gratiot County cap on universal antlerless licenses used. Gratiot County hosts both antlerless firearm seasons, early and late. Spring turkey falls under unit ZZ and fall turkey under unit I. The 2027 spring dates are still to come. Regular duck splits here: Oct 17-Dec 13 and Dec 26-Dec 27. Gratiot County is on the DNR list of counties with a CWD-positive wild deer.
Maple River Gratiot-Saginaw Connector State Game Area deer units
| Unit | Name | Antlerless | Licenses usable | Antler points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DMU 486 | Southern Lower Peninsula multicounty | – | By county | None |
| DMU 029 | Gratiot county | Open | 5 | None |
Maple River Gratiot-Saginaw Connector State Game Area: bear management units
| BMU | Periods | Quota | Points needed | Bears taken |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dansville | No season | – | – | – |
Turkey units at Maple River Gratiot-Saginaw Connector State Game Area
| Unit | Harvest | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Spring ZZ | 13,292 | 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.
Maple River Gratiot-Saginaw Connector State Game Area: the game on record
No species list is published for Maple River Gratiot-Saginaw Connector State Game Area, so every open Michigan season applies under the area rules.
The county table below lists 45 season rows for 23 species, from white-tailed deer to woodchuck.
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.
Maple River Gratiot-Saginaw Connector State Game Area season dates for 2026-27
23 species and 45 dated segments apply in Maple River Gratiot-Saginaw Connector State Game Area; 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 | |
| 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 3 | Oct 20, 2026 | Nov 14, 2026 | |
| Pheasant | December | Zone 3 | Dec 1, 2026 | Jan 1, 2027 | |
| Bobwhite quail | Fall | Open quail county | 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 | South Zone | Oct 17, 2026 | Dec 13, 2026 | |
| Ducks | Split 2 | South Zone | Dec 26, 2026 | Dec 27, 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 | South Zone | Sep 1, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | |
| Dark geese | Dark goose part 2 | South Zone | Oct 17, 2026 | Dec 13, 2026 | |
| Dark geese | Dark goose part 3 | South Zone | Dec 26, 2026 | Jan 3, 2027 | |
| Dark geese | Dark goose part 4 | South Zone | Feb 6, 2027 | Feb 15, 2027 | |
| Light geese | Light goose part 1 | South Zone | Sep 1, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | |
| Light geese | Light goose part 2 | South Zone | Oct 17, 2026 | Dec 13, 2026 | |
| Light geese | Light goose part 3 | South Zone | Dec 26, 2026 | Jan 3, 2027 | |
| Light geese | Light goose part 4 | South Zone | Feb 6, 2027 | Feb 15, 2027 | |
| 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 H | Jan 1, 2027 | Jan 11, 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.
Maple River Gratiot-Saginaw Connector State Game Area trip planning: towns and services
Each town below has its own hunting page on this site.
| Town | County | Distance | Population | Public ground, 10 mi |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashley | Gratiot | 1.5 mi | 512 | 19,787 |
| Ithaca | Gratiot | 11 mi | 2,813 | 4,541 |
| Maple Rapids | Clinton | 12 mi | 583 | 9,366 |
| Ovid | Clinton | 12 mi | 1,489 | 2,332 |
Go wider with the county pages: Gratiot County.
Maple River Gratiot-Saginaw Connector State Game Area: businesses in the area
Maple River Gratiot-Saginaw Connector State Game Area: the nearest agency desks
Questions about Maple River Gratiot-Saginaw Connector State Game Area go to Rose Lake Wildlife 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.
Deer, turkeys and CWD around Maple River Gratiot-Saginaw Connector State Game Area
Last full license year (2025) Gratiot County gave up 6,925 reported deer. Since mandatory reporting began in 2022 the yearly count has ranged from 5,373 (2023) to 6,925 (2025). The 2026 bar is season to date (1,342 deer by Oct. 22). Gratiot County: 226 spring birds reported in 2026. Harvest and CWD figures describe the county as a whole.
Deer table, Gratiot County
| License year | Antlered | Antlerless | All deer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026* | 385 | 957 | 1,342 |
| 2025 | 3,195 | 3,730 | 6,925 |
| 2024 | 3,057 | 3,619 | 6,676 |
| 2023 | 2,941 | 2,432 | 5,373 |
| 2022 | 3,090 | 2,350 | 5,440 |
2025 deer by unit near Maple River Gratiot-Saginaw Connector State Game Area
| Unit | Antlered | Antlerless | Total 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| DMU 029 | 3,195 | 3,729 | 6,924 |
Gratiot County turkeys
| Figure | Number |
|---|---|
| Spring 2026 birds | 226 |
| Fall 2026 so far | 8 |
| Fall 2025 (survey) | 27 |
| Fall 2025 hunters | 81 |
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 Maple River Gratiot-Saginaw Connector State Game Area
Nearest DNR range: Rose Lake Shooting Range, roughly 25 miles from Maple River Gratiot-Saginaw Connector State Game Area. Nearer club ranges are shown as well.
Lines: rifle, handgun, muzzleloader, shotgun, archery
Lines: trap, sporting clays, muzzleloader, shotgun
From the DNR shooting page and its range pages, checked October 22, 2026.
DNR hunting hours for Maple River Gratiot-Saginaw Connector State Game Area
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 Maple River Gratiot-Saginaw Connector State Game Area
Do I take a Maple River Gratiot-Saginaw Connector State Game Area 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 Maple River Gratiot-Saginaw Connector State Game Area?
No: turkey hunters are exempt from the orange rule.
Do I need permission to hunt Maple River Gratiot-Saginaw Connector State Game Area?
A Michigan base license ($11 resident) plus the species license.
How long can a blind stay on Maple River Gratiot-Saginaw Connector State Game Area?
Portable stands only, from Sept. 1 to March 1, labelled with your ID.
Whose land is Maple River Gratiot-Saginaw Connector State Game Area?
The DNR Wildlife Division oversees this DNR state game area.
What public ground borders or neighbors Maple River Gratiot-Saginaw Connector State Game Area?
The three nearest are Gratiot-Saginaw State Game Area (7 miles), Maple River State Game Area (11 miles) and Sleepy Hollow State Park (16 miles).
Which county holds most of Maple River Gratiot-Saginaw Connector State Game Area?
Ashley is closest (1 mile); the ground is in Gratiot County.
How big is Maple River Gratiot-Saginaw Connector State Game Area on the map?
310 acres, per MI DNR Wildlife Property Boundary GIS Acres field.
Can I use universal antlerless licenses on Maple River Gratiot-Saginaw Connector State Game Area?
DMU 486 and DMU 029. Gratiot County allows 5 universal antlerless licenses per hunter.
What may I hunt on Maple River Gratiot-Saginaw Connector State Game Area?
All open seasons apply, subject to the area rules; the source names no species.
What turkey license do I need for Maple River Gratiot-Saginaw Connector State Game Area?
Use spring unit ZZ or fall unit I.
Which BMU do I apply for to hunt Maple River Gratiot-Saginaw Connector State Game Area?
It is in the Dansville BMU. There is no Dansville bear hunt.
What do baiting and CWD rules mean for Maple River Gratiot-Saginaw Connector State Game Area?
Not here: deer baiting and feeding are banned in the Lower Peninsula. Gratiot County has had CWD-positive wild deer.
Maple River Gratiot-Saginaw Connector State Game Area: the last checklist
One last look before the drive: the Maple River Gratiot-Saginaw Connector State Game Area map, your licenses in the Hunt Fish app and any posted closures.
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: YoungSue (Public Domain Mark 1.0); Intermountain Region US Forest Service (Public domain).