Quanicassee State Wildlife Area: hunting and access
Quanicassee State Wildlife Area is 5,209 acres of land the Michigan DNR manages for wildlife in Bay and Tuscola counties, 2 miles from Essexville, a state wildlife management area by the DNR's map. 4,333 acres are marked open to general hunting. Hunters reported 2,573 deer in Bay 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 landQuanicassee State Wildlife AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 5,209 acres in 8 pieces |
|---|---|
| Counties | Bay County and Tuscola County |
| Deer harvest unit | Bay County, Tuscola County |
| Kind (DNR) | state wildlife management area |
| DNR region | Southeast Lower Peninsula |
| Open to general hunting | 4,333 acres (83.2%) |
| Nearest towns | Essexville (2 mi), Bay City (5 mi) and Reese (7 mi) |
What is Quanicassee State Wildlife Area like?
The DNR's map names 12 units within Quanicassee State Wildlife Area: Cass-Ave_end, N_of_Schoof, Old-State, Knight-Finn, Jones_Rd, Warner_Rd, Long Point, South, Bay_edge, Coryeon_Pt, Finn-Meilan and adj.water.
Counted by FilledTag from the unit names on the DNR's wildlife property map.
What are the rules on Quanicassee State Wildlife Area?
The DNR's map marks each piece of Quanicassee State Wildlife Area: 4,333 acres open to general hunting, and 876 acres not marked.
How many deer are taken around Quanicassee State Wildlife Area?
Quanicassee State Wildlife Area lies in 2 counties. Hunters reported 2,573 deer in Bay County in 2025, against 2,321 in 2024.
| County | Quanicassee State Wildlife Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bay County | 1,275 | 2,573 | 2,321 | 1,844 |
| Tuscola County | 339 | 7,100 | 7,136 | 6,208 |
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 Quanicassee State Wildlife Area?
Nearest towns: Essexville (2 miles), Bay City (5 miles), Reese (7 miles) and Fairgrove (8 miles). Highways within 5 miles: M 25, M 138, M 15, M 247 and M 84.
What other public land is near Quanicassee State Wildlife Area?
DNR wildlife areas and parks open to hunting within 10 miles:
- Fish Point State Wildlife Area: 9,519 acres, 1.1 miles away
- Tobico Marsh Unit of Bay City State Park: 2,089 acres, 5.3 miles away
- Bay City State Park: 1,044 acres, 5.9 miles away
- Denmark Township State Game Area: 92 acres, 6.5 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Quanicassee State Wildlife Area
Counting Quanicassee State Wildlife Area itself, 4,249 of the 68,491 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (6.2%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and the DNR's state forest records.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State game and wildlife areas | 3,673 |
| Land trusts and other open land | 381 |
| County, city and regional land | 135 |
| State forest and other DNR land | 60 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Quanicassee State Wildlife Area?
In Bay and Tuscola counties, 2 miles from Essexville.
How much of Quanicassee State Wildlife Area is open to hunting?
4,333 acres are marked general hunting, by the DNR's map.
How much public land is around Quanicassee State Wildlife Area?
4,249 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Quanicassee State Wildlife Area included, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and the DNR's state forest records. The closest other DNR area or park is Fish Point State Wildlife Area (1.1 miles).
Get a Michigan hunt plan when they open
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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.