Bentley Marsh Flooding State Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Bentley Marsh Flooding State Wildlife Management Area is 1,445 acres of land the Michigan DNR manages for wildlife in Gladwin and Arenac counties, 7 miles from Sterling, a state wildlife management area by the DNR's map. 1,445 acres are marked open to general hunting. Hunters reported 4,585 deer in Gladwin 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 game and wildlife areasState forest and other DNR landCounty, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landHunting Access Program landBentley Marsh Flooding State Wildlife Management AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 1,445 acres |
|---|---|
| Counties | Gladwin County and Arenac County |
| Deer harvest unit | Gladwin County, Arenac County |
| Kind (DNR) | state wildlife management area |
| DNR region | Northern Lower Peninsula |
| Open to general hunting | 1,445 acres (100%) |
| Nearest towns | Sterling (7 mi), Standish (10 mi) and Skidway Lake (13 mi) |
What are the rules on Bentley Marsh Flooding State Wildlife Management Area?
The DNR's map marks each piece of Bentley Marsh Flooding State Wildlife Management Area: 1,445 acres open to general hunting.
How many deer are taken around Bentley Marsh Flooding State Wildlife Management Area?
Bentley Marsh Flooding State Wildlife Management Area lies in 2 counties. Hunters reported 4,585 deer in Gladwin County in 2025, against 4,530 in 2024.
| County | Bentley Marsh Flooding State Wildlife Management Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gladwin County | 1,444 | 4,585 | 4,530 | 3,743 |
| Arenac County | 1 | 3,671 | 3,368 | 2,940 |
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 Bentley Marsh Flooding State Wildlife Management Area?
Nearest towns: Sterling (7 miles), Standish (10 miles), Skidway Lake (13 miles) and Pinconning (13 miles). Highways within 5 miles: M 61 and I-75.
What other public land is near Bentley Marsh Flooding State Wildlife Management Area?
DNR wildlife areas and parks open to hunting within 10 miles:
- Molasses River Flooding No.5 State Wildlife Management Area: 1,460 acres, next to it
- Molasses River Flooding No.3 State Wildlife Management Area: 1,886 acres, next to it
- Lame Duck Grouse Enhanced Management System: 8,175 acres, 2.5 miles away
- Molasses River Flooding No.1 State Wildlife Management Area & part of Lame Duck GEMS (SWMA): 1,653 acres, 3 miles away
- Molasses River Flooding No.2 State Wildlife Management Area & part of Lame Duck GEMS (SWMA): 1,510 acres, 3.7 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Bentley Marsh Flooding State Wildlife Management Area
Counting Bentley Marsh Flooding State Wildlife Management Area itself, 20,283 of the 34,426 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (58.9%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and the DNR's state forest records.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State forest and other DNR land | 15,813 |
| State game and wildlife areas | 2,905 |
| Land trusts and other open land | 1,565 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Bentley Marsh Flooding State Wildlife Management Area?
In Gladwin and Arenac counties, 7 miles from Sterling.
How much of Bentley Marsh Flooding State Wildlife Management Area is open to hunting?
1,445 acres are marked general hunting, by the DNR's map.
How much public land is around Bentley Marsh Flooding State Wildlife Management Area?
20,283 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Bentley Marsh Flooding State Wildlife Management Area included, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and the DNR's state forest records. The closest other DNR area or park is Molasses River Flooding No.5 State Wildlife Management Area (next to it).
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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.