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Clinton County · State park
Sleepy Hollow State Park: where, what and how to hunt
A hunter's summary of Sleepy Hollow State Park in Clinton County: units and limits, rules, CWD numbers and local help.
Photo: Christian Collins (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Getting to Sleepy Hollow State Park
Parking, trailheads and gates near Sleepy Hollow State Park
- Boat rampBoat ramp · 0.4 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.5 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.5 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.5 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.5 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.5 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.5 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.5 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.6 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.6 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.6 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.7 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.
Sleepy Hollow State Park: the record card
Sleepy Hollow State Park counts as a state park with land open to hunting, and it lies in Clinton County. Its home region at the DNR is the Southwest Lower Peninsula Region. The DNR Parks and Recreation Division sets the rules on site. By acreage (2,396) it ranks 11th in a group of 37 state parks. Roughly 2 miles northwest of Lake Victoria.
- By hunting status the park reads 2,396 open and 284 closed acres.
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 Sleepy Hollow State Park
Who can hunt Sleepy Hollow State Park, and on what terms
Entry terms, Sleepy Hollow State Park
Hunting and trapping are allowed only in the parts shown open on the DNR park hunting map. A Recreation Passport is required for vehicle entry, and 450-foot safety zones surround occupied buildings. State parks start closed under DNR rules; only designated land opens.
- Standard 450' Safety Zones apply around occupied buildings (not shown).
- The park layer marks early goose hunting open (9/1 – 9/15 and Day After Labor Day – 9/15) in part.
Michigan rules that follow you to Sleepy Hollow State Park
- 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.
Sleepy Hollow State Park: 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.
Sleepy Hollow State Park and nearby public ground
Sleepy Hollow State Park at the big pin; the nearest 10 public places around it. Between them the nearby tracts list 37,217 acres.
| Public land | Type | Acres | Distance | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muskrat Lake | State game area | 207 | 8.9 mi | west |
| Rose Lake | State wildlife area | 4,089 | 9.2 mi | south |
| Maple River Gratiot-Saginaw Connector | State game area | 310 | 16 mi | north |
| Maple River | State game area | 9,972 | 18 mi | northwest |
| Gratiot-Saginaw | State game area | 16,729 | 21 mi | north |
| Windsor Township | State game area | 328 | 22 mi | southwest |
| Lake Interstate | State game area | 122 | 23 mi | southwest |
| Portland | State game area | 2,625 | 27 mi | west |
| Potterville | State game area | 445 | 28 mi | southwest |
| Oak Grove | State game area | 2,390 | 29 mi | southeast |
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.
Sleepy Hollow State Park deer units, bear units and zones
It is Zone 3 ground in the Southern Lower Peninsula. An older layer marks it inside the Limited Firearm Deer Zone; for 2026 the DNR dropped that zone, so all legal deer firearms work here. Clinton County allows 5 universal antlerless licenses per hunter. Clinton County is an early and late antlerless county. For turkeys it is unit ZZ (spring) and I (fall); the 2027 spring calendar has not been printed. Waterfowl: South Zone, regular duck season Oct 17-Dec 13 and Dec 26-Dec 27. Clinton County: CWD found in free-ranging deer.
The deer units around Sleepy Hollow State Park
| DMU | Unit name | Antlerless status | Antlerless use limit | APR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DMU 486 | Southern Lower Peninsula multicounty | – | County rule | No APR |
| DMU 019 | Clinton county | Open | 5 | No APR |
| DMU 333 | Core CWD area | – | County rule | No APR |
| DMU 419 | CWD Management Zone | – | County rule | No APR |
Sleepy Hollow State Park bear units
| Bear unit | Hunts | Quota | Points (res.) | 2025 bears |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dansville | No season | – | – | – |
Sleepy Hollow State Park turkey units
| Unit | Reported harvest | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Spring ZZ | 13,292 | 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 Sleepy Hollow State Park
There is no species list for Sleepy Hollow State Park in the sources; the open seasons for its county and units decide what you can hunt.
Seasons for 23 species reach Clinton County; White-tailed deer, Wild turkey, Ruffed grouse and Woodcock lead the 45-row table.
Weapon limits on the park layer may restrict some species in practice.
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.
Sleepy Hollow State Park openers and closers in one table
Private ground and public ground share these dates in Sleepy Hollow State Park; 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 | |
| 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.
Lodging, fuel and a processor near Sleepy Hollow State Park
Pick a town for the night, then a processor for the deer.
| Town | County | Miles | Population | Public land near |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Victoria | Clinton | 2.1 mi | – | 6,379 |
| Ovid | Clinton | 4.9 mi | 1,489 | 2,332 |
| St. Johns | Clinton | 8.5 mi | 7,723 | 5,624 |
| Shaftsburg | Shiawassee | 11 mi | – | 4,659 |
Each county here has its own page: Clinton County.
Who handles a deer from Sleepy Hollow State Park
Office phone numbers that handle Sleepy Hollow State Park
Licenses and questions for Clinton County go through DNR Lansing 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 Sleepy Hollow State Park
2025 in Clinton County: 3,311 antlered, 3,636 antlerless, 6,947 in all. The reporting era peaked at 6,947 in 2025 and bottomed at 5,935 in 2023. Season to date (Oct. 22, 2026): 1,281 deer. With mandatory reporting new in 2026, Clinton County logged 356 spring turkeys. These are county or unit totals, not Sleepy Hollow State Park alone; the DNR does not report harvest by property.
Clinton County harvest table
| Season | Antlered | Does and fawns | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026* | 480 | 801 | 1,281 |
| 2025 | 3,311 | 3,636 | 6,947 |
| 2024 | 3,341 | 3,272 | 6,613 |
| 2023 | 3,236 | 2,699 | 5,935 |
| 2022 | 3,441 | 2,774 | 6,215 |
Reported by DMU, Sleepy Hollow State Park
| DMU | Antlered | Antlerless | 2025 total |
|---|---|---|---|
| DMU 019 | 3,311 | 3,636 | 6,947 |
Turkeys reported in Clinton County
| Figure | Turkeys |
|---|---|
| Spring 2026 reported | 356 |
| Fall 2026 | 14 |
| Fall 2025 survey | 25 |
| Fall 2025 hunters | 204 |
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.
Sleepy Hollow State Park, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 19–20, 2027 | SCI Lansing Area Chapter 2027 Banquet & Fundraiser / Banquet | 8 | Eagle Eye Banquet Center in Bath (Clinton Co.) | Buy tickets | Source |
Nearest ranges to Sleepy Hollow State Park
From Sleepy Hollow State Park, Rose Lake Shooting Range is the closest range on DNR land (9 miles). Clubs inside 30 miles are included.
Offers rifle, handgun, muzzleloader, shotgun, archery
Offers rifle, handgun
From the DNR shooting page and its range pages, checked October 22, 2026.
Sleepy Hollow State Park hunting-hour table for key season dates
Use the column for the hunting-time zone that covers Sleepy Hollow State Park 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.
Sleepy Hollow State Park: quick answers
How much ground does Sleepy Hollow State Park hold?
The figure used here is 2,396 acres.
Which town makes a good base for a Sleepy Hollow State Park hunt?
Clinton County; Lake Victoria, the nearest town we cover, is 2 miles away.
Which seasons count on Sleepy Hollow State Park?
Every open Michigan season applies under the area rules; no list narrows it.
What deer rules apply on Sleepy Hollow State Park?
It lies in DMU 486, 019 and 333. In Clinton County a hunter may use up to 5 universal antlerless licenses.
How do I get a bear license for Sleepy Hollow State Park?
Bear unit: Dansville. The Dansville unit is closed to bear hunting.
Which unit do I pick for turkeys at Sleepy Hollow State Park?
The fall license ($15) is for unit I; spring hunts follow unit ZZ.
What are the waterfowl rules at Sleepy Hollow State Park?
It is South Zone ground. Waterfowl hunters need the state waterfowl license, HIP and a federal stamp.
Is it legal to bait deer on Sleepy Hollow State Park?
The baiting ban applies. The CWD county list includes Clinton County.
Do turkey hunters wear orange at Sleepy Hollow State Park?
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 Sleepy Hollow State Park?
Bears go to a DNR registration station within 72 hours for sealing.
When can stands go up at Sleepy Hollow State Park?
No: nothing may penetrate the bark on public land.
What does a license for Sleepy Hollow State Park cost?
Base license, then deer ($20 single, $40 combo) or other species licenses.
What part of Sleepy Hollow State Park can I hunt?
Yes, for vehicle entry. Closed acres: 284.
Sleepy Hollow State Park: what to confirm
Gates, refuges and open zones at Sleepy Hollow State Park are the manager's call; confirm them before opening day.
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: ksblack99 (Public Domain Mark 1.0); USFWS/Southeast (CC BY 2.0).