Clinton County, Michigan: deer harvest and public hunting land
Clinton County covers 575 square miles around St. Johns. Hunters reported 6,947 deer here in the 2025 license year, 3,311 of them antlered, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is up 5% from 2024, and the most in the 4 years shown. 4% of Clinton County is public land open to the public, the largest share state game and wildlife areas (8,244 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and the DNR's state forest records.
Data updated October 2026. Harvest: the DNR's reported deer totals, 2022 to 2025. Land: PAD-US 4.1, the DNR's land ownership records and its wildlife, parks, Commercial Forest and HAP layers.
State game and wildlife areasState forest and other DNR landState parks and recreation areasCounty, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landHunting Access Program landClinton CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 367,727 acres (575 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer reported, 2025 | 6,947 (3,311 antlered, 3,636 antlerless) |
| Regular firearm season, 2025 | 2,792 deer |
| Public land | 4% (14,681 acres) |
| Wildlife areas and parks | 5 (10,885 acres inside Clinton County) |
| Hunting Access Program land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | St. Johns, DeWitt, Maple Rapids, Hubbardston, Pewamo and Laingsburg |
How many deer are harvested in Clinton County?
Hunters reported 6,947 deer in Clinton County in 2025: 3,311 antlered and 3,636 antlerless. By season: 2,792 in the regular firearm season, 1,759 by archers (early and late segments) and 760 in the muzzleloader season.
| License year | Deer reported | Antlered | Antlerless | Regular firearm | Archery, early | Archery, late | Muzzleloader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 6,947 | 3,311 | 3,636 | 2,792 | 1,696 | 63 | 760 |
| 2024 | 6,613 | 3,341 | 3,272 | 2,880 | 1,671 | 50 | 629 |
| 2023 | 5,935 | 3,236 | 2,699 | 2,707 | 1,729 | 59 | 487 |
| 2022 | 6,215 | 3,441 | 2,774 | 2,829 | 1,908 | 66 | 560 |
Source: Michigan DNR reported deer harvest (license years 2022 to 2025), Clinton County. These are deer hunters reported; seasons not shown (youth, Liberty, antlerless and others) are in the total. The DNR's survey estimates, which count deer that were not reported, are higher.
How much public land is in Clinton County?
14,681 of Clinton County's 367,727 acres are public land open to the public (4%). The biggest share is state game and wildlife areas: 8,244 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Clinton County |
|---|---|---|
| State game and wildlife areas | 8,244 | 2.2% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 2,796 | 0.8% |
| State parks and recreation areas | 2,686 | 0.7% |
| County, city and regional land | 955 | 0.3% |
| All public land open to the public | 14,681 | 4% |
Measured by FilledTag inside the county line from USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public) and the DNR's land ownership records (state forest). Hunting rules differ by manager: state game areas and state forest land are open to hunting in season unless posted; national forests are open; refuges follow U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rules; state parks and recreation areas are open, open with restrictions or closed by the DNR's map; national park land is closed to most hunting; city and county land sets its own rules.
DNR wildlife areas and parks open to hunting in Clinton County
DNR wildlife areas and parks open to hunting in Clinton County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Maple River State Game Area: 4,895 acres
- Rose Lake State Wildlife Area: 3,157 acres
- Sleepy Hollow State Park: 2,398 acres
- Muskrat Lake State Game Area: 252 acres
- Portland State Game Area: 183 acres
How do you get to Clinton County?
Highways through it: I-69 (about 36 miles inside), US 127 (about 32 miles inside), M 21 (about 24 miles inside), US 27 (about 20 miles inside) and I-96 (about 20 miles inside). Towns inside: St. Johns, DeWitt, Maple Rapids, Fowler, Elsie and Westphalia. Nearby: Hubbardston (on the line), Pewamo (on the line), Laingsburg (on the line) and Grand Ledge (on the line).
Which counties border Clinton County?
Clinton County touches 6 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | Hunting Access Program land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eaton County | 5,870 | 2025 | 1% | |
| Ionia County | 6,145 | 2025 | 3.6% | 2 |
| Ingham County | 5,420 | 2025 | 3.7% | 3 |
| Gratiot County | 6,925 | 2025 | 5.5% | 10 |
| Montcalm County | 7,412 | 2025 | 6.3% | |
| Shiawassee County | 6,577 | 2025 | 1.8% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Clinton County in 2025?
Hunters reported 6,947 deer: 3,311 antlered and 3,636 antlerless (DNR reported deer totals). In 2024: 6,613.
Is there public hunting land in Clinton County?
Yes. 14,681 acres, 4% of the county, are public land open to the public by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and the DNR's state forest records, the largest share state game and wildlife areas (8,244 acres). The DNR's maps show 5 wildlife areas and parks open to hunting here.
Does Clinton County have Hunting Access Program land?
Not on the DNR's 2026 layer of active HAP properties.
Get a Michigan hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for Michigan are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Michigan included.
Where these numbers come from
- Deer harvest: Michigan DNR reported deer harvest (license years 2022 to 2025).
- Public land: USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public) and the DNR's land ownership records (state forest). state game areas: Michigan DNR wildlife property project areas. Hunting Access Program land: Michigan DNR Hunting Access Program properties.
- Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 cartographic county boundaries. Highways and towns: U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 primary and secondary roads; U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer, places.
FilledTag is not part of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Numbers are copied from the DNR and the federal sources above, or measured from their maps; nothing on this page is estimated by FilledTag.
Michigan hunting Eaton County Ionia County Ingham County Gratiot County Montcalm County Shiawassee County