Lake-36 State Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Lake-36 State Wildlife Management Area is 968 acres of land the Michigan DNR manages for wildlife in Dickinson and Marquette counties, 11 miles from Gwinn, a state wildlife management area by the DNR's map. 968 acres are marked open to general hunting. Hunters reported 1,964 deer in Dickinson 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 landCommercial Forest (private, open to hunting by law)Lake-36 State Wildlife Management AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 968 acres |
|---|---|
| Counties | Dickinson County and Marquette County |
| Deer harvest unit | Dickinson County, Marquette County |
| Kind (DNR) | state wildlife management area |
| DNR region | Upper Peninsula |
| Open to general hunting | 968 acres (100%) |
| Nearest towns | Gwinn (11 mi), K. I. Sawyer (16 mi) and Palmer (18 mi) |
What are the rules on Lake-36 State Wildlife Management Area?
The DNR's map marks each piece of Lake-36 State Wildlife Management Area: 968 acres open to general hunting.
How many deer are taken around Lake-36 State Wildlife Management Area?
Lake-36 State Wildlife Management Area lies in 2 counties. Hunters reported 1,964 deer in Dickinson County in 2025, against 2,181 in 2024.
| County | Lake-36 State Wildlife Management Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dickinson County | 960 | 1,964 | 2,181 | 1,542 |
| Marquette County | 8 | 1,502 | 1,666 | 1,248 |
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 Lake-36 State Wildlife Management Area?
Nearest towns: Gwinn (11 miles), K. I. Sawyer (16 miles), Palmer (18 miles) and Ishpeming (20 miles).
What other public land is near Lake-36 State Wildlife Management Area?
DNR wildlife areas and parks open to hunting within 10 miles:
- Bill Rollo Memorial Grouse Enhanced Management System: 6,599 acres, 2 miles away
- Ralph Grouse Enhanced Management System: 5,308 acres, 5.5 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Lake-36 State Wildlife Management Area
Counting Lake-36 State Wildlife Management Area itself, 25,012 of the 28,667 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (87.3%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and the DNR's state forest records.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State forest and other DNR land | 24,025 |
| State game and wildlife areas | 987 |
Another 1,321 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 Lake-36 State Wildlife Management Area?
In Dickinson and Marquette counties, 11 miles from Gwinn.
How much of Lake-36 State Wildlife Management Area is open to hunting?
968 acres are marked general hunting, by the DNR's map.
How much public land is around Lake-36 State Wildlife Management Area?
25,012 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Lake-36 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 Bill Rollo Memorial Grouse Enhanced Management System (2 miles).
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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.