Oakland County, Michigan: deer harvest and public hunting land
Oakland County covers 907 square miles around Troy. Hunters reported 3,783 deer here in the 2025 license year, 2,226 of them antlered, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is up 27% from 2024, and the most in the 4 years shown. 10.4% of Oakland County is public land open to the public, the largest share county, city and regional land (25,894 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 landState parks and recreation areasCounty, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landOakland CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 580,588 acres (907 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer reported, 2025 | 3,783 (2,226 antlered, 1,557 antlerless) |
| Regular firearm season, 2025 | 1,109 deer |
| Public land | 10.4% (60,244 acres) |
| Wildlife areas and parks | 11 (29,836 acres inside Oakland County) |
| Hunting Access Program land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Troy, Farmington Hills, Rochester Hills, Northville, Fenton and Goodrich |
How many deer are harvested in Oakland County?
Hunters reported 3,783 deer in Oakland County in 2025: 2,226 antlered and 1,557 antlerless. By season: 1,109 in the regular firearm season, 1,774 by archers (early and late segments) and 302 in the muzzleloader season.
| License year | Deer reported | Antlered | Antlerless | Regular firearm | Archery, early | Archery, late | Muzzleloader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3,783 | 2,226 | 1,557 | 1,109 | 1,593 | 181 | 302 |
| 2024 | 2,973 | 1,678 | 1,295 | 780 | 1,302 | 127 | 220 |
| 2023 | 3,222 | 1,911 | 1,311 | 1,013 | 1,461 | 165 | 149 |
| 2022 | 3,442 | 2,054 | 1,388 | 1,091 | 1,608 | 171 | 194 |
Source: Michigan DNR reported deer harvest (license years 2022 to 2025), Oakland 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 Oakland County?
60,244 of Oakland County's 580,588 acres are public land open to the public (10.4%). The biggest share is county, city and regional land: 25,894 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Oakland County |
|---|---|---|
| County, city and regional land | 25,894 | 4.5% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 18,183 | 3.1% |
| State parks and recreation areas | 15,482 | 2.7% |
| State game and wildlife areas | 528 | 0.1% |
| State forest and other DNR land | 157 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 60,244 | 10.4% |
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 Oakland County
DNR wildlife areas and parks open to hunting in Oakland County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Holly Recreation Area: 8,091 acres
- Bald Mountain Recreation Area: 4,520 acres
- Highland Recreation Area: 4,460 acres
- Pontiac Lake Recreation Area: 3,760 acres
- Holly Wildlife Unit of Holly State Recreation Area: 3,226 acres
- Proud Lake Recreation Area: 2,435 acres
- Seven Lakes State Park: 1,482 acres
- Ortonville Recreation Area: 1,150 acres
- Horseshoe Lake State Game Area: 420 acres
- Island Lake Recreation Area: 182 acres
- Davisburg State Game Area: 110 acres
How do you get to Oakland County?
Highways through it: I-75 (about 93 miles inside), M 59 (about 50 miles inside), I-696 (about 40 miles inside), US 24 (about 39 miles inside) and I-96 (about 31 miles inside). Towns inside: Troy, Farmington Hills, Rochester Hills, Novi, Southfield and Pontiac. Nearby: Northville (on the line), Fenton (2 miles), Goodrich (3 miles) and Highland Park (3 miles).
Which counties border Oakland County?
Oakland County touches 6 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | Hunting Access Program land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne County | 693 | 2025 | 7.4% | |
| Lapeer County | 7,241 | 2025 | 5.9% | |
| Macomb County | 2,360 | 2025 | 5.4% | |
| Genesee County | 4,957 | 2025 | 5.1% | |
| Washtenaw County | 4,412 | 2025 | 8.1% | |
| Livingston County | 5,472 | 2025 | 9.3% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Oakland County in 2025?
Hunters reported 3,783 deer: 2,226 antlered and 1,557 antlerless (DNR reported deer totals). In 2024: 2,973.
Is there public hunting land in Oakland County?
Yes. 60,244 acres, 10.4% 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 county, city and regional land (25,894 acres). The DNR's maps show 11 wildlife areas and parks open to hunting here.
Does Oakland County have Hunting Access Program land?
Not on the DNR's 2026 layer of active HAP properties.
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 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 Wayne County Lapeer County Macomb County Genesee County Washtenaw County Livingston County