Dead Stream Flooding State Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Dead Stream Flooding State Wildlife Management Area is 1,024 acres of land the Michigan DNR manages for wildlife in Roscommon and Missaukee counties, 6 miles from Houghton Lake, a state wildlife management area by the DNR's map. 1,024 acres are marked open to general hunting. Hunters reported 1,993 deer in Roscommon 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 landState parks and recreation areasCounty, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landCommercial Forest (private, open to hunting by law)Dead Stream Flooding State Wildlife Management AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 1,024 acres |
|---|---|
| Counties | Roscommon County and Missaukee County |
| Deer harvest unit | Roscommon County, Missaukee County |
| Kind (DNR) | state wildlife management area |
| DNR region | Northern Lower Peninsula |
| Open to general hunting | 1,024 acres (100%) |
| Nearest towns | Houghton Lake (6 mi), Prudenville (10 mi) and Roscommon (13 mi) |
What are the rules on Dead Stream Flooding State Wildlife Management Area?
The DNR's map marks each piece of Dead Stream Flooding State Wildlife Management Area: 1,024 acres open to general hunting.
How many deer are taken around Dead Stream Flooding State Wildlife Management Area?
Dead Stream Flooding State Wildlife Management Area lies in 2 counties. Hunters reported 1,993 deer in Roscommon County in 2025, against 2,201 in 2024.
| County | Dead Stream Flooding State Wildlife Management Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roscommon County | 840 | 1,993 | 2,201 | 2,013 |
| Missaukee County | 184 | 2,503 | 2,967 | 2,641 |
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 Dead Stream Flooding State Wildlife Management Area?
Nearest towns: Houghton Lake (6 miles), Prudenville (10 miles), Roscommon (13 miles) and Falmouth (13 miles). Highways within 5 miles: US 27 and M 55.
What other public land is near Dead Stream Flooding State Wildlife Management Area?
DNR wildlife areas and parks open to hunting within 10 miles:
- Houghton Lake Flats North Flooding State Wildlife Management Area: 839 acres, 0.5 miles away
- Houghton Lake Flats South Flooding State Wildlife Management Area: 992 acres, 0.8 miles away
- Houghton Lake State Wildlife Research Area: 12,141 acres, 1.4 miles away
- Osceola-Missaukee Grasslands State Game Area: 1,260 acres, 4.1 miles away
- South Higgins Lake State Park: 1,369 acres, 6.7 miles away
- Bear Creek Flooding State Wildlife Management Area: 943 acres, 7.4 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Dead Stream Flooding State Wildlife Management Area
Counting Dead Stream Flooding State Wildlife Management Area itself, 21,795 of the 33,788 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (64.5%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and the DNR's state forest records.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State forest and other DNR land | 15,542 |
| State game and wildlife areas | 6,253 |
Another 39 acres within 3 miles are Commercial Forest land: privately owned, but under state law (MCL 324.51113) the owner may not deny the public hunting and fishing unless the DNR or the legislature closes it.
Questions hunters ask
Where is Dead Stream Flooding State Wildlife Management Area?
In Roscommon and Missaukee counties, 6 miles from Houghton Lake.
How much of Dead Stream Flooding State Wildlife Management Area is open to hunting?
1,024 acres are marked general hunting, by the DNR's map.
How much public land is around Dead Stream Flooding State Wildlife Management Area?
21,795 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Dead Stream 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 Houghton Lake Flats North Flooding State Wildlife Management Area (0.5 miles).
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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.