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Oceana County, Michigan: deer harvest and public hunting land

Oceana County covers 546 square miles around Rothbury. Hunters reported 4,589 deer here in the 2025 license year, 2,289 of them antlered, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is about the same as 2024, and the fewest in the 4 years shown. 18.4% of Oceana County is public land open to the public, the largest share national forest (53,226 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 Oceana County: public land by manager, the counties around it, highways US 31, M 20 and M 120; towns: Rothbury, Hart, Shelby, Montague and Fremont

State game and wildlife areasNational forestState parks and recreation areasCounty, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landCommercial Forest (private, open to hunting by law)Oceana CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway

Oceana County at a glance
Size349,448 acres (546 square miles)
Deer reported, 20254,589 (2,289 antlered, 2,300 antlerless)
Regular firearm season, 20252,257 deer
Public land18.4% (64,368 acres)
Wildlife areas and parks2 (5,563 acres inside Oceana County)
Hunting Access Program landNone mapped this year
Towns in and near itRothbury, Hart, Shelby, Montague, Fremont and Whitehall

How many deer are harvested in Oceana County?

Hunters reported 4,589 deer in Oceana County in 2025: 2,289 antlered and 2,300 antlerless. By season: 2,257 in the regular firearm season, 1,268 by archers (early and late segments) and 336 in the muzzleloader season.

License yearDeer reportedAntleredAntlerlessRegular firearmArchery, earlyArchery, lateMuzzleloader
20254,5892,2892,3002,2571,23731336
20244,6072,2922,3152,1121,26849489
20234,8112,4072,4042,3791,35643330
20225,0242,5262,4982,6361,38134351

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

64,368 of Oceana County's 349,448 acres are public land open to the public (18.4%). The biggest share is national forest: 53,226 acres.

ManagerAcresShare of Oceana County
National forest53,22615.2%
State parks and recreation areas6,4531.8%
State game and wildlife areas2,4130.7%
County, city and regional land1,3580.4%
Land trusts and other open land9170.3%
State forest and other DNR land1under 0.1%
All public land open to the public64,36818.4%
Commercial Forest (private, open to hunting by law)1,3350.4%

1,335 acres of Oceana County (0.4%) 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 Oceana County

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

Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Manistee National Forest (53,226 acres).

How do you get to Oceana County?

Highways through it: US 31 (about 52 miles inside), M 20 (about 18 miles inside) and M 120 (about 4 miles inside). Towns inside: Rothbury, Hart, Shelby, Pentwater, Walkerville and New Era. Nearby: Montague (4 miles), Fremont (4 miles), Whitehall (5 miles) and Lakewood Club (6 miles).

Which counties border Oceana County?

Oceana County touches 4 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:

CountyDeer harvestedYearPublic landHunting Access Program land sites
Lake County1,820202546.9%
Mason County4,294202520.2%
Newaygo County5,727202521.9%2
Muskegon County2,819202511.7%

Questions hunters ask

How many deer were harvested in Oceana County in 2025?

Hunters reported 4,589 deer: 2,289 antlered and 2,300 antlerless (DNR reported deer totals). In 2024: 4,607.

Is there public hunting land in Oceana County?

Yes. 64,368 acres, 18.4% 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 national forest (53,226 acres). The DNR's maps show 2 wildlife areas and parks open to hunting here.

Does Oceana 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 Lake County Mason County Newaygo County Muskegon County