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Lapeer County, Michigan: deer harvest and public hunting land

Lapeer County covers 663 square miles around Lapeer. Hunters reported 7,241 deer here in the 2025 license year, 3,656 of them antlered, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is up 4% from 2024, and the most in the 4 years shown. 5.9% of Lapeer County is public land open to the public, the largest share state game and wildlife areas (8,557 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.

Map of Michigan's Lapeer County: public land by manager, the counties around it, highways I-69, M 24 and M 53; towns: Lapeer, Imlay City, Clifford, Brown City and Mayville

State game and wildlife areasState forest and other DNR landState parks and recreation areasCounty, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landCommercial Forest (private, open to hunting by law)Lapeer CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway

Lapeer County at a glance
Size424,209 acres (663 square miles)
Deer reported, 20257,241 (3,656 antlered, 3,585 antlerless)
Regular firearm season, 20252,831 deer
Public land5.9% (25,024 acres)
Wildlife areas and parks3 (12,955 acres inside Lapeer County)
Hunting Access Program landNone mapped this year
Towns in and near itLapeer, Imlay City, Clifford, Brown City, Mayville and Leonard

How many deer are harvested in Lapeer County?

Hunters reported 7,241 deer in Lapeer County in 2025: 3,656 antlered and 3,585 antlerless. By season: 2,831 in the regular firearm season, 2,060 by archers (early and late segments) and 763 in the muzzleloader season.

License yearDeer reportedAntleredAntlerlessRegular firearmArchery, earlyArchery, lateMuzzleloader
20257,2413,6563,5852,8311,942118763
20246,9813,5143,4672,6321,906163683
20236,3043,5012,8032,8001,957127422
20226,9763,8323,1443,0182,286146559

Source: Michigan DNR reported deer harvest (license years 2022 to 2025), Lapeer 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 Lapeer County?

25,024 of Lapeer County's 424,209 acres are public land open to the public (5.9%). The biggest share is state game and wildlife areas: 8,557 acres.

ManagerAcresShare of Lapeer County
State game and wildlife areas8,5572%
Land trusts and other open land8,5422%
State parks and recreation areas4,3061%
County, city and regional land3,1560.7%
State forest and other DNR land4630.1%
All public land open to the public25,0245.9%
Commercial Forest (private, open to hunting by law)108under 0.1%

108 acres of Lapeer 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 Lapeer County

DNR wildlife areas and parks open to hunting in Lapeer County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:

Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Forest Reserve (135 acres).

How do you get to Lapeer County?

Highways through it: I-69 (about 49 miles inside), M 24 (about 36 miles inside), M 53 (about 28 miles inside) and M 90 (about 17 miles inside). Towns inside: Lapeer, Imlay City, Clifford, North Branch, Almont and Dryden. Nearby: Brown City (on the line), Mayville (on the line), Leonard (2 miles) and Marlette (2 miles).

Which counties border Lapeer County?

Lapeer County touches 6 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:

CountyDeer harvestedYearPublic landHunting Access Program land sites
Macomb County2,36020255.4%
Genesee County4,95720255.1%
Oakland County3,783202510.4%
Sanilac County8,78420252.5%7
Tuscola County7,10020256.9%
St. Clair County6,12820256.7%1

Questions hunters ask

How many deer were harvested in Lapeer County in 2025?

Hunters reported 7,241 deer: 3,656 antlered and 3,585 antlerless (DNR reported deer totals). In 2024: 6,981.

Is there public hunting land in Lapeer County?

Yes. 25,024 acres, 5.9% 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 state game and wildlife areas (8,557 acres). The DNR's maps show 3 wildlife areas and parks open to hunting here.

Does Lapeer 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

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 Macomb County Genesee County Oakland County Sanilac County Tuscola County St. Clair County