Bakale Wildlife Unit of Bass River State Recreation Area: hunting and access
Bakale Wildlife Unit of Bass River State Recreation Area is 653 acres of land the Michigan DNR manages for wildlife in Ottawa County, 2 miles from Allendale, a state wildlife management area by the DNR's map. 653 acres are marked open to general hunting. Hunters reported 3,610 deer in Ottawa County in 2025.
Data updated October 2026. Area facts: the DNR's state game area data, read 2026-10. Harvest: DNR reported deer harvest, 2022 to 2025.
State parks and recreation areasCounty, city and regional landBakale Wildlife Unit of Bass River State Recreation AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 653 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Ottawa County |
| Deer harvest unit | Ottawa County |
| Kind (DNR) | state wildlife management area |
| DNR region | Southwest Lower Peninsula |
| Open to general hunting | 653 acres (100%) |
| Nearest towns | Allendale (2 mi), Lamont (3 mi) and Coopersville (4 mi) |
What is Bakale Wildlife Unit of Bass River State Recreation Area like?
The DNR's map names one unit within Bakale Wildlife Unit of Bass River State Recreation Area: primitive.
Counted by FilledTag from the unit names on the DNR's wildlife property map.
What are the rules on Bakale Wildlife Unit of Bass River State Recreation Area?
The DNR's map marks each piece of Bakale Wildlife Unit of Bass River State Recreation Area: 653 acres open to general hunting.
How many deer are taken around Bakale Wildlife Unit of Bass River State Recreation Area?
Bakale Wildlife Unit of Bass River State Recreation Area lies in Ottawa County. Hunters reported 3,610 deer in Ottawa County in 2025, against 3,263 in 2024.
| County | Bakale Wildlife Unit of Bass River State Recreation Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ottawa County | 653 | 3,610 | 3,263 | 3,443 |
Harvest for the whole county, not the game area alone: Michigan DNR reported deer harvest (license years 2022 to 2025).
How do you get to Bakale Wildlife Unit of Bass River State Recreation Area?
Nearest towns: Allendale (2 miles), Lamont (3 miles), Coopersville (4 miles) and Nunica (6 miles). Highways within 5 miles: I-96, M 45 and M 231.
What other public land is near Bakale Wildlife Unit of Bass River State Recreation Area?
DNR wildlife areas and parks open to hunting within 10 miles:
- Bass River Recreation Area: 1,663 acres, next to it
- Blendon Township State Game Area: 180 acres, 5.8 miles away
- Grand Haven State Game Area: 1,450 acres, 5.9 miles away
- Olive Township State Game Area: 247 acres, 7.4 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Bakale Wildlife Unit of Bass River State Recreation Area
Counting Bakale Wildlife Unit of Bass River State Recreation Area itself, 1,110 of the 28,692 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (3.9%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and the DNR's state forest records.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| County, city and regional land | 919 |
| State parks and recreation areas | 191 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Bakale Wildlife Unit of Bass River State Recreation Area?
In Ottawa County, 2 miles from Allendale.
How much of Bakale Wildlife Unit of Bass River State Recreation Area is open to hunting?
653 acres are marked general hunting, by the DNR's map.
How much public land is around Bakale Wildlife Unit of Bass River State Recreation Area?
1,110 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Bakale Wildlife Unit of Bass River State Recreation Area included, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and the DNR's state forest records. The closest other DNR area or park is Bass River Recreation Area (next to it).
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 facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: Michigan DNR wildlife property project areas.
- Boundary and acres: the DNR's map layer above. Surrounding public land: USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public) and the DNR's land ownership records (state forest).
- Deer harvest: Michigan DNR reported deer harvest (license years 2022 to 2025).
FilledTag is not part of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Check the DNR's rules and posted signs before you go.