Kalamazoo County, Michigan: deer harvest and public hunting land
Kalamazoo County covers 580 square miles around Portage. Hunters reported 3,329 deer here in the 2025 license year, 1,814 of them antlered, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is up 3% from 2024. 3.9% of Kalamazoo County is public land open to the public, the largest share land trusts and other open land (4,064 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and the DNR's state forest records.
Data updated October 2026. Harvest: the DNR's reported deer totals, 2022 to 2025. Land: PAD-US 4.1, the DNR's land ownership records and its wildlife, parks, Commercial Forest and HAP layers.
State game and wildlife areasState forest and other DNR landNational wildlife refugesState parks and recreation areasNational park landCounty, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landCommercial Forest (private, open to hunting by law)Kalamazoo CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 371,377 acres (580 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer reported, 2025 | 3,329 (1,814 antlered, 1,515 antlerless) |
| Regular firearm season, 2025 | 1,228 deer |
| Public land | 3.9% (14,467 acres) |
| Wildlife areas and parks | 4 (6,232 acres inside Kalamazoo County) |
| Hunting Access Program land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Portage, Kalamazoo, Vicksburg, Mattawan, Plainwell and Otsego |
How many deer are harvested in Kalamazoo County?
Hunters reported 3,329 deer in Kalamazoo County in 2025: 1,814 antlered and 1,515 antlerless. By season: 1,228 in the regular firearm season, 1,150 by archers (early and late segments) and 350 in the muzzleloader season.
| License year | Deer reported | Antlered | Antlerless | Regular firearm | Archery, early | Archery, late | Muzzleloader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3,329 | 1,814 | 1,515 | 1,228 | 1,101 | 49 | 350 |
| 2024 | 3,230 | 1,653 | 1,577 | 1,250 | 925 | 81 | 380 |
| 2023 | 3,689 | 2,112 | 1,577 | 1,553 | 1,275 | 70 | 270 |
| 2022 | 3,716 | 2,155 | 1,561 | 1,569 | 1,319 | 70 | 319 |
Source: Michigan DNR reported deer harvest (license years 2022 to 2025), Kalamazoo County. These are deer hunters reported; seasons not shown (youth, Liberty, antlerless and others) are in the total. The DNR's survey estimates, which count deer that were not reported, are higher.
How much public land is in Kalamazoo County?
14,467 of Kalamazoo County's 371,377 acres are public land open to the public (3.9%). The biggest share is land trusts and other open land: 4,064 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Kalamazoo County |
|---|---|---|
| Land trusts and other open land | 4,064 | 1.1% |
| County, city and regional land | 3,686 | 1% |
| State game and wildlife areas | 3,227 | 0.9% |
| State forest and other DNR land | 2,932 | 0.8% |
| State parks and recreation areas | 477 | 0.1% |
| National park land | 81 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 14,467 | 3.9% |
| Commercial Forest (private, open to hunting by law) | 101 | under 0.1% |
101 acres of Kalamazoo County (under 0.1%) 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.
Measured by FilledTag inside the county line from USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public) and the DNR's land ownership records (state forest). Hunting rules differ by manager: state game areas and state forest land are open to hunting in season unless posted; national forests are open; refuges follow U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rules; state parks and recreation areas are open, open with restrictions or closed by the DNR's map; national park land is closed to most hunting; city and county land sets its own rules.
DNR wildlife areas and parks open to hunting in Kalamazoo County
DNR wildlife areas and parks open to hunting in Kalamazoo County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Fort Custer Recreation Area: 2,865 acres
- Gourdneck State Game Area: 2,297 acres
- Fulton State Game Area: 680 acres
- Gordon E. Guyer - Augusta Creek State Wildlife Area: 390 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Kellogg Biological Station and Experimental forest (1,661 acres), Kellogg Forest (735 acres), Asylum Lake (254 acres) and Arboretum (173 acres).
How do you get to Kalamazoo County?
Highways through it: I-94 (about 50 miles inside), US 131 (about 47 miles inside), M 43 (about 24 miles inside), M 96 (about 16 miles inside) and M 89 (about 14 miles inside). Towns inside: Portage, Kalamazoo, Vicksburg, Galesburg, Climax and Augusta. Nearby: Mattawan (2 miles), Plainwell (2 miles), Otsego (3 miles) and Athens (3 miles).
Which counties border Kalamazoo County?
Kalamazoo County touches 7 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | Hunting Access Program land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cass County | 1,713 | 2025 | 2.6% | |
| Barry County | 3,695 | 2025 | 8.4% | |
| Branch County | 5,674 | 2025 | 0.3% | |
| Allegan County | 6,450 | 2025 | 10.3% | |
| Calhoun County | 5,784 | 2025 | 1.1% | 2 |
| Van Buren County | 3,648 | 2025 | 1.6% | |
| St. Joseph County | 2,370 | 2025 | 1.3% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Kalamazoo County in 2025?
Hunters reported 3,329 deer: 1,814 antlered and 1,515 antlerless (DNR reported deer totals). In 2024: 3,230.
Is there public hunting land in Kalamazoo County?
Yes. 14,467 acres, 3.9% of the county, are public land open to the public by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and the DNR's state forest records, the largest share land trusts and other open land (4,064 acres). The DNR's maps show 4 wildlife areas and parks open to hunting here.
Does Kalamazoo County have Hunting Access Program land?
Not on the DNR's 2026 layer of active HAP properties.
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Where these numbers come from
- Deer harvest: Michigan DNR reported deer harvest (license years 2022 to 2025).
- Public land: USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public) and the DNR's land ownership records (state forest). state game areas: Michigan DNR wildlife property project areas. Hunting Access Program land: Michigan DNR Hunting Access Program properties.
- Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 cartographic county boundaries. Highways and towns: U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 primary and secondary roads; U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer, places.
FilledTag is not part of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Numbers are copied from the DNR and the federal sources above, or measured from their maps; nothing on this page is estimated by FilledTag.
Michigan hunting Cass County Barry County Branch County Allegan County Calhoun County Van Buren County St. Joseph County