Houghton Lake Flats South Flooding State Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Houghton Lake Flats South Flooding State Wildlife Management Area is 992 acres of land the Michigan DNR manages for wildlife in Roscommon County, 4 miles from Houghton Lake, a state wildlife management area by the DNR's map. 992 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)Houghton Lake Flats South Flooding State Wildlife Management AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 992 acres in 2 pieces |
|---|---|
| County | Roscommon County |
| Deer harvest unit | Roscommon County |
| Kind (DNR) | state wildlife management area |
| DNR region | Northern Lower Peninsula |
| Open to general hunting | 992 acres (100%) |
| Nearest towns | Houghton Lake (4 mi), Prudenville (7 mi) and Roscommon (13 mi) |
What are the rules on Houghton Lake Flats South Flooding State Wildlife Management Area?
The DNR's map marks each piece of Houghton Lake Flats South Flooding State Wildlife Management Area: 992 acres open to general hunting.
How many deer are taken around Houghton Lake Flats South Flooding State Wildlife Management Area?
Houghton Lake Flats South Flooding State Wildlife Management Area lies in Roscommon County. Hunters reported 1,993 deer in Roscommon County in 2025, against 2,201 in 2024.
| County | Houghton Lake Flats South Flooding State Wildlife Management Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roscommon County | 992 | 1,993 | 2,201 | 2,013 |
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 Houghton Lake Flats South Flooding State Wildlife Management Area?
Nearest towns: Houghton Lake (4 miles), Prudenville (7 miles), Roscommon (13 miles) and Falmouth (15 miles). Highways within 5 miles: US 27 and M 55.
What other public land is near Houghton Lake Flats South 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, next to it
- Houghton Lake State Wildlife Research Area: 12,141 acres, 0.6 miles away
- Dead Stream Flooding State Wildlife Management Area: 1,024 acres, 0.8 miles away
- Osceola-Missaukee Grasslands State Game Area: 1,260 acres, 5.9 miles away
- South Higgins Lake State Park: 1,369 acres, 6.3 miles away
- Wraco Lodge Lake Flooding State Wildlife Management Area: 2,019 acres, 6.6 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Houghton Lake Flats South Flooding State Wildlife Management Area
Counting Houghton Lake Flats South Flooding State Wildlife Management Area itself, 14,990 of the 29,785 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (50.3%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and the DNR's state forest records.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State forest and other DNR land | 8,312 |
| State game and wildlife areas | 6,523 |
| Land trusts and other open land | 155 |
Another 36 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 Houghton Lake Flats South Flooding State Wildlife Management Area?
In Roscommon County, 4 miles from Houghton Lake.
How much of Houghton Lake Flats South Flooding State Wildlife Management Area is open to hunting?
992 acres are marked general hunting, by the DNR's map.
How much public land is around Houghton Lake Flats South Flooding State Wildlife Management Area?
14,990 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Houghton Lake Flats South 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 (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).
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