Molasses River Flooding No.3 State Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Molasses River Flooding No.3 State Wildlife Management Area is 1,886 acres of land the Michigan DNR manages for wildlife in Gladwin County, 9 miles from Sterling, a state wildlife management area by the DNR's map. 1,886 acres are marked open to general hunting. Hunters reported 4,585 deer in Gladwin 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 landMolasses River Flooding No.3 State Wildlife Management AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 1,886 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Gladwin County |
| Deer harvest unit | Gladwin County |
| Kind (DNR) | state wildlife management area |
| DNR region | Northern Lower Peninsula |
| Open to general hunting | 1,886 acres (100%) |
| Nearest towns | Sterling (9 mi), Standish (10 mi) and Pinconning (12 mi) |
What are the rules on Molasses River Flooding No.3 State Wildlife Management Area?
The DNR's map marks each piece of Molasses River Flooding No.3 State Wildlife Management Area: 1,886 acres open to general hunting.
How many deer are taken around Molasses River Flooding No.3 State Wildlife Management Area?
Molasses River Flooding No.3 State Wildlife Management Area lies in Gladwin County. Hunters reported 4,585 deer in Gladwin County in 2025, against 4,530 in 2024.
| County | Molasses River Flooding No.3 State Wildlife Management Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gladwin County | 1,886 | 4,585 | 4,530 | 3,743 |
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 Molasses River Flooding No.3 State Wildlife Management Area?
Nearest towns: Sterling (9 miles), Standish (10 miles), Pinconning (12 miles) and Gladwin (14 miles). Highways within 5 miles: M 61. 1 HAP property within 3 miles.
What other public land is near Molasses River Flooding No.3 State Wildlife Management Area?
DNR wildlife areas and parks open to hunting within 10 miles:
- Bentley Marsh Flooding State Wildlife Management Area: 1,445 acres, next to it
- Molasses River Flooding No.5 State Wildlife Management Area: 1,460 acres, 0.5 miles away
- Lame Duck Grouse Enhanced Management System: 8,175 acres, 5.9 miles away
- Molasses River Flooding No.2 State Wildlife Management Area & part of Lame Duck GEMS (SWMA): 1,510 acres, 6.4 miles away
- Molasses River Flooding No.1 State Wildlife Management Area & part of Lame Duck GEMS (SWMA): 1,653 acres, 6.4 miles away
- Pinconning Township State Game Area: 51 acres, 9.3 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Molasses River Flooding No.3 State Wildlife Management Area
Counting Molasses River Flooding No.3 State Wildlife Management Area itself, 19,124 of the 34,061 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (56.1%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and the DNR's state forest records.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State forest and other DNR land | 15,560 |
| State game and wildlife areas | 2,738 |
| Land trusts and other open land | 826 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Molasses River Flooding No.3 State Wildlife Management Area?
In Gladwin County, 9 miles from Sterling.
How much of Molasses River Flooding No.3 State Wildlife Management Area is open to hunting?
1,886 acres are marked general hunting, by the DNR's map.
How much public land is around Molasses River Flooding No.3 State Wildlife Management Area?
19,124 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Molasses River Flooding No.3 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 Bentley Marsh Flooding State Wildlife Management Area (next to it).
Get a Michigan hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for Michigan are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
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.