Devil's Lake and Devil's River Flooding State Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Devil's Lake and Devil's River Flooding State Wildlife Management Area is 911 acres of land the Michigan DNR manages for wildlife in Alpena County, 3 miles from Ossineke, a state wildlife management area by the DNR's map. 911 acres are marked open to general hunting. Hunters reported 3,989 deer in Alpena 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 landDevil's Lake and Devil's River Flooding State Wildlife Management AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 911 acres in 2 pieces |
|---|---|
| County | Alpena County |
| Deer harvest unit | Alpena County |
| Kind (DNR) | state wildlife management area |
| DNR region | Northern Lower Peninsula |
| Open to general hunting | 911 acres (100%) |
| Nearest towns | Ossineke (3 mi), Alpena (4 mi) and Hubbard Lake (10 mi) |
What are the rules on Devil's Lake and Devil's River Flooding State Wildlife Management Area?
The DNR's map marks each piece of Devil's Lake and Devil's River Flooding State Wildlife Management Area: 911 acres open to general hunting.
How many deer are taken around Devil's Lake and Devil's River Flooding State Wildlife Management Area?
Devil's Lake and Devil's River Flooding State Wildlife Management Area lies in Alpena County. Hunters reported 3,989 deer in Alpena County in 2025, against 4,299 in 2024.
| County | Devil's Lake and Devil's River Flooding State Wildlife Management Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpena County | 911 | 3,989 | 4,299 | 3,374 |
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 Devil's Lake and Devil's River Flooding State Wildlife Management Area?
Nearest towns: Ossineke (3 miles), Alpena (4 miles), Hubbard Lake (10 miles) and Lost Lake Woods (10 miles). Highways within 5 miles: US 23 and M 32.
What other public land is near Devil's Lake and Devil's River Flooding State Wildlife Management Area?
DNR wildlife areas and parks open to hunting within 10 miles:
- Negwegon State Park: 4,080 acres, 4.9 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Devil's Lake and Devil's River Flooding State Wildlife Management Area
Counting Devil's Lake and Devil's River Flooding State Wildlife Management Area itself, 13,531 of the 41,257 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (32.8%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and the DNR's state forest records.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State forest and other DNR land | 12,578 |
| State game and wildlife areas | 912 |
| County, city and regional land | 41 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Devil's Lake and Devil's River Flooding State Wildlife Management Area?
In Alpena County, 3 miles from Ossineke.
How much of Devil's Lake and Devil's River Flooding State Wildlife Management Area is open to hunting?
911 acres are marked general hunting, by the DNR's map.
How much public land is around Devil's Lake and Devil's River Flooding State Wildlife Management Area?
13,531 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Devil's Lake and Devil's River 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 Negwegon State Park (4.9 miles).
Get a Michigan hunt plan when they open
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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.