O'Neal Lake Flooding State Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
O'Neal Lake Flooding State Wildlife Management Area is 1,251 acres of land the Michigan DNR manages for wildlife in Emmet County, 6 miles from Carp Lake, a state wildlife management area by the DNR's map. 1,251 acres are marked open to general hunting. Hunters reported 1,158 deer in Emmet 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 landO'Neal Lake Flooding State Wildlife Management AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 1,251 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Emmet County |
| Deer harvest unit | Emmet County |
| Kind (DNR) | state wildlife management area |
| DNR region | Northern Lower Peninsula |
| Open to general hunting | 1,251 acres (100%) |
| Nearest towns | Carp Lake (6 mi), Levering (7 mi) and Mackinaw City (7 mi) |
What are the rules on O'Neal Lake Flooding State Wildlife Management Area?
The DNR's map marks each piece of O'Neal Lake Flooding State Wildlife Management Area: 1,251 acres open to general hunting.
How many deer are taken around O'Neal Lake Flooding State Wildlife Management Area?
O'Neal Lake Flooding State Wildlife Management Area lies in Emmet County. Hunters reported 1,158 deer in Emmet County in 2025, against 1,292 in 2024.
| County | O'Neal Lake Flooding State Wildlife Management Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emmet County | 1,251 | 1,158 | 1,292 | 1,072 |
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 O'Neal Lake Flooding State Wildlife Management Area?
Nearest towns: Carp Lake (6 miles), Levering (7 miles), Mackinaw City (7 miles) and Cross Village (7 miles). Highways within 5 miles: US 31.
What other public land is near O'Neal Lake Flooding State Wildlife Management Area?
DNR wildlife areas and parks open to hunting within 10 miles:
- Wilderness State Park: 11,165 acres, next to it
- French Farm Flooding State Wildlife Management Area: 2,950 acres, 3.6 miles away
- Dingman Marsh Flooding State Wildlife Management Area: 4,866 acres, 6.9 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of O'Neal Lake Flooding State Wildlife Management Area
Counting O'Neal Lake Flooding State Wildlife Management Area itself, 11,559 of the 31,676 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (36.5%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and the DNR's state forest records.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State parks and recreation areas | 7,413 |
| State forest and other DNR land | 4,104 |
| Land trusts and other open land | 42 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is O'Neal Lake Flooding State Wildlife Management Area?
In Emmet County, 6 miles from Carp Lake.
How much of O'Neal Lake Flooding State Wildlife Management Area is open to hunting?
1,251 acres are marked general hunting, by the DNR's map.
How much public land is around O'Neal Lake Flooding State Wildlife Management Area?
11,559 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, O'Neal Lake 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 Wilderness State Park (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).
FilledTag is not part of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Check the DNR's rules and posted signs before you go.