Gratiot-Saginaw State Game Area: hunting and access
Gratiot-Saginaw State Game Area is 16,742 acres of land the Michigan DNR manages for wildlife in Gratiot and Saginaw counties, next to Ashley, a state game area by the DNR's map. 16,742 acres are marked open to general hunting. Hunters reported 6,925 deer in Gratiot 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 landGratiot-Saginaw State Game AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 16,742 acres in 11 pieces |
|---|---|
| Counties | Gratiot County and Saginaw County |
| Deer harvest unit | Gratiot County, Saginaw County |
| Kind (DNR) | state game area |
| DNR region | Southwest Lower Peninsula |
| Open to general hunting | 16,742 acres (100%) |
| Nearest towns | Ashley (next to it), St. Charles (6 mi) and Elsie (7 mi) |
What are the rules on Gratiot-Saginaw State Game Area?
The DNR's map marks each piece of Gratiot-Saginaw State Game Area: 16,742 acres open to general hunting.
How many deer are taken around Gratiot-Saginaw State Game Area?
Gratiot-Saginaw State Game Area lies in 2 counties. Hunters reported 6,925 deer in Gratiot County in 2025, against 6,676 in 2024.
| County | Gratiot-Saginaw State Game Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gratiot County | 12,246 | 6,925 | 6,676 | 5,373 |
| Saginaw County | 4,496 | 9,369 | 7,932 | 6,232 |
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 Gratiot-Saginaw State Game Area?
Nearest towns: Ashley (next to it), St. Charles (6 miles), Elsie (7 miles) and Eureka (7 miles). Highways within 5 miles: M 57. 4 HAP propertys within 3 miles.
What other public land is near Gratiot-Saginaw State Game Area?
DNR wildlife areas and parks open to hunting within 10 miles:
- Maple River/Gratiot-Saginaw Connector State Game Area: 310 acres, 1 mile away
- Maple River State Game Area: 9,966 acres, 3.4 miles away
- Shiawassee River State Game Area: 10,153 acres, 6.6 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Gratiot-Saginaw State Game Area
Counting Gratiot-Saginaw State Game Area itself, 17,619 of the 108,158 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (16.3%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and the DNR's state forest records.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State game and wildlife areas | 17,012 |
| Land trusts and other open land | 552 |
| County, city and regional land | 55 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Gratiot-Saginaw State Game Area?
In Gratiot and Saginaw counties, next to Ashley.
How much of Gratiot-Saginaw State Game Area is open to hunting?
16,742 acres are marked general hunting, by the DNR's map.
How much public land is around Gratiot-Saginaw State Game Area?
17,619 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Gratiot-Saginaw State Game Area included, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and the DNR's state forest records. The closest other DNR area or park is Maple River/Gratiot-Saginaw Connector State Game Area (1 mile).
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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.