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Marquette County · State park
Van Riper State Park public hunting, 2026-27
Van Riper State Park, 1,018 acres in Marquette County: deer units and zones, area rules, county harvest and the land nearby.
Photo: bgreenlee (CC BY 2.0)
Getting to Van Riper State Park
Parking, trailheads and gates near Van Riper State Park
- Parking areaParking · 0.4 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.8 mi from the centreDirections
- Van Riper State Park Boat LaunchBoat ramp · 0.9 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.9 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.9 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 1.0 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 1.9 mi from the centreDirections
- Lake Michigamme Boat LaunchBoat ramp · 2.6 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.
What the records say about Van Riper State Park
On the map Van Riper State Park sits in Marquette County. On paper it is a state park with land open to hunting. That puts it in the Upper Peninsula, the DNR Upper Peninsula Region. Stewardship falls to the DNR Parks and Recreation Division. Measured at 1,018 acres, it lands 18th of the 37 state parks we cover. Michigamme is the closest town we cover, about 1 mile away; the area lies east of it.
- Mapped hunting status: 1,018 open and 94 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 Van Riper State Park
Public tracts within a drive of Van Riper State Park
Besides Van Riper State Park, the map carries 10 public tracts within driving range. The neighbors add 322,729 acres between them.
| Nearby | Kind | Acres | Miles | Heading |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Craig Lake | State park | 10,802 | 8.8 mi | northwest |
| Nestoria Creek Flooding | Flooding or WMA | 124 | 12 mi | west |
| Deer River Flooding | Flooding or WMA | 53 | 22 mi | southwest |
| Gwinn Forest Management Unit | Forest unit | 281,509 | 22 mi | east |
| Net River Flooding | Flooding or WMA | 298 | 26 mi | west |
| Baraga Plains | Flooding or WMA | 13,361 | 29 mi | west |
| Ralph | GEMS | 5,290 | 29 mi | south |
| Lake-36 | Flooding or WMA | 968 | 31 mi | southeast |
| Bill Rollo Memorial | GEMS | 6,874 | 33 mi | southeast |
| Genes Pond | Flooding or WMA | 3,450 | 33 mi | south |
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.
What Van Riper State Park asks of hunters
Access rules for Van Riper State Park
Only the zones the DNR park hunting map marks open may be hunted or trapped. Vehicles need a Recreation Passport, and the 450-foot safety zone around occupied buildings applies. The default for a state park is closed; this one has designated open land.
- Standard 450' Safety Zones apply around occupied buildings (not shown).
- September goose season: open in part, 9/1 – 9/15.
The statewide fine print, applied to Van Riper State Park
- Tree stands on public land are portable only, go up no earlier than Sept. 1 and come down by March 1, carry the owner's name and address or license or Sportcard number, and use no nails, screws, bolts or screw-in steps.
- Ground blinds may stand from Sept. 1 to the end of the deer seasons; portable blinds come out daily, and constructed blinds need ID and are barred on Zone 3 game areas, parks and recreation areas.
- Orange season runs Aug. 15 to April 30. Exempt: archery deer and bear, turkey, falconry and migratory birds other than woodcock.
- Use the Hunt Fish app or the DNR harvest report page within 72 hours for deer and turkey.
- Safety zone: 450 feet from any occupied building for firearm hunting.
- Public land: no food plots.
- In the UP deer bait is allowed from Sept. 15 to Jan. 1, 2 gallons at most, scattered.
- Bear baiters on state and Commercial Forest land: no barrels or containers, bait on the ground only.
What licenses Van Riper State Park needs
The base license covers small game; deer hunters pick a single or combo license at purchase, and universal antlerless licenses follow the use limit where you hunt.
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.
What hunters chase at Van Riper State Park
Nothing narrows the game at Van Riper State Park: the county season rows and zone units below are the guide.
For Marquette County the regulation summaries carry 47 dated hunting rows covering 23 species, among them White-tailed deer, Black bear, Wild turkey, Ruffed grouse and Woodcock.
Watch the park's weapon limits, which can rule out rifles or some game.
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.
Zones and units that take in Van Riper State Park
The DNR zone line puts it in Zone 1. The 2026 deer rules removed DMU 352, which older layers still draw. The 2026 deer summary closes DMU 007 and DMU 036 to universal antlerless licenses. The Baraga BMU drawing covers 3 hunt periods; the first (Sept. 9 – Oct. 21) has 305 licenses. Spring unit M, fall unit M. Spring 2026 dates were the last ones published. Duck dates follow the North Zone: Sep 26-Nov 22 and Nov 28-Nov 29.
Antlerless rules near Van Riper State Park
| Deer unit | Name | Antlerless | Limit per hunter | Point rule |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DMU 007 | Big Bay unit | Closed | Closed | None |
| DMU 036 | Amasa-Michigamme unit | Open | Closed | None |
Bear permits for Van Riper State Park
Spring and fall units for Van Riper State Park
| Turkey unit | Birds reported | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Spring M | 1,254 | Spring 2026, unit |
| Fall M | 124 | Whole unit, in progress |
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.
Every hunt that reaches Van Riper State Park
For Van Riper State Park, 47 segments cover deer, small game, waterfowl and furbearers this license year.
| Species | Hunt type | Zone or unit | Opening | Closing | 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 | Baraga 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 | Baraga 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 | Baraga 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 Van Riper State Park area
Deer reported in Marquette County for 2025: 1,502. The reporting era peaked at 2,087 in 2022 and bottomed at 1,248 in 2023. The starred 2026 bar (223) is partial. 92 spring turkeys were reported in Marquette County in 2026. No harvest is published for Van Riper State Park itself, so county and DMU totals are the finest level.
Reported deer around Van Riper State Park
| Year | Antlered | Antlerless | Sum |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026* | 175 | 48 | 223 |
| 2025 | 1,241 | 261 | 1,502 |
| 2024 | 1,512 | 154 | 1,666 |
| 2023 | 1,126 | 122 | 1,248 |
| 2022 | 1,836 | 251 | 2,087 |
Unit totals near Van Riper State Park
Marquette County turkey table
| Measure | Birds |
|---|---|
| Spring 2026 | 92 |
| Fall so far | 22 |
| Fall 2025 estimate | 46 |
| Hunters, fall 2025 | 195 |
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 Van Riper State Park hunters
Covered towns come first, measured straight-line, then shops, processors and DNR desks.
| Base town | County | Away | Residents | Public acres near |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigamme | Marquette | 1.5 mi | – | 28,253 |
| Three Lakes | Baraga | 9.0 mi | – | 33,479 |
| West Ishpeming | Marquette | 14 mi | – | 17,139 |
| Covington | Baraga | 26 mi | – | 88,223 |
County write-ups on this site: Marquette County.
Butcher shops and taxidermists for Van Riper State Park trips
Agency offices closest to Van Riper State Park
Service center for Marquette County: DNR Marquette 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.
Sighting in before Van Riper State Park
Skoglund-Erickson Shooting Range, 24 miles off, is the DNR range nearest Van Riper State Park. Club ranges within 30 miles follow.
Disciplines: handgun, rifle, shotgun, archery
Disciplines: sporting clays, 5-stand, shotgun
Disciplines: rifle
From the DNR shooting page and its range pages, checked October 22, 2026.
Legal shooting light at Van Riper State Park
Deer hunters at Van Riper State Park get legal light from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset, read from the DNR table for the date.
| 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.
Van Riper State Park questions with data-backed answers
Is hunter orange required on Van Riper State Park?
Aug. 15 through April 30, in daylight shooting hours.
Does the deer baiting rule allow bait at Van Riper State Park?
Yes, Sept. 15 to Jan. 1, up to 2 gallons scattered. The county is missing from the 18-county CWD list.
Are screw-in steps allowed on Van Riper State Park?
Yes: name and address, license or Sportcard number.
How do I report a deer from Van Riper State Park?
Within 72 hours, online or in the Hunt Fish app; keep the confirmation number.
Where can I hunt inside Van Riper State Park?
No: only the parts shown open on the DNR park hunting map. About 94 acres stay closed.
Which Michigan licenses do I need for Van Riper State Park?
eLicense or the Hunt Fish app sells everything needed; nonresidents pay $151 for the base license.
Who writes the rules for Van Riper State Park?
The DNR Parks and Recreation Division treats it as a state park with land open to hunting.
What other state or federal land is near Van Riper State Park?
The closest alternatives are Craig Lake State Park (9 miles), Nestoria Creek Flooding State Wildlife Management Area (12 miles) and Deer River Flooding State Wildlife Management Area (22 miles).
Where do Van Riper State Park hunters stay?
Marquette County holds it, 1 mile from Michigamme.
What is the acreage figure for Van Riper State Park?
Roughly 1,018 acres.
Which DMU numbers apply on Van Riper State Park?
Deer unit 007 and 036.
What game does Van Riper State Park hold, per the DNR?
Any species in an open season, as long as you follow the area rules.
Which turkey units cover Van Riper State Park?
Fall unit none; spring 2027 dates are not out yet.
Van Riper State Park: what to confirm
Refuges, closures and drawing schedules at Van Riper State Park can change during the season; the agency page and Mi-HUNT have the current picture.
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: rkramer62 (CC BY 2.0); USFWS/Southeast (Public domain).