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Osceola County, Michigan: deer harvest and public hunting land

Osceola County covers 573 square miles around Evart. Hunters reported 4,180 deer here in the 2025 license year, 2,217 of them antlered, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is down 8% from 2024, and the fewest in the 4 years shown. 8.1% of Osceola County is public land open to the public, the largest share state forest and other DNR land (17,868 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 Osceola County: public land by manager, the counties around it, highways US 131, US 10 and M 66; towns: Evart, Reed City, Marion, McBain and Barryton

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

Osceola County at a glance
Size366,766 acres (573 square miles)
Deer reported, 20254,180 (2,217 antlered, 1,963 antlerless)
Regular firearm season, 20252,046 deer
Public land8.1% (29,660 acres)
Wildlife areas and parks2 (5,197 acres inside Osceola County)
Hunting Access Program landNone mapped this year
Towns in and near itEvart, Reed City, Marion, McBain, Barryton and Cadillac

How many deer are harvested in Osceola County?

Hunters reported 4,180 deer in Osceola County in 2025: 2,217 antlered and 1,963 antlerless. By season: 2,046 in the regular firearm season, 1,171 by archers (early and late segments) and 361 in the muzzleloader season.

License yearDeer reportedAntleredAntlerlessRegular firearmArchery, earlyArchery, lateMuzzleloader
20254,1802,2171,9632,0461,12051361
20244,5482,5152,0332,2951,29056403
20234,3562,4141,9422,2961,22943114
20224,6672,5262,1412,5851,32358124

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

29,660 of Osceola County's 366,766 acres are public land open to the public (8.1%). The biggest share is state forest and other DNR land: 17,868 acres.

ManagerAcresShare of Osceola County
State forest and other DNR land17,8684.9%
Land trusts and other open land9,3882.6%
County, city and regional land1,2830.3%
State game and wildlife areas1,0880.3%
National forest33under 0.1%
All public land open to the public29,6608.1%
Commercial Forest (private, open to hunting by law)7720.2%

772 acres of Osceola County (0.2%) 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 Osceola County

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

Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Cadillac State Forest Area (17,303 acres) and Forest Reserve (266 acres).

How do you get to Osceola County?

Highways through it: US 131 (about 50 miles inside), US 10 (about 25 miles inside), M 66 (about 24 miles inside), M 115 (about 18 miles inside) and M 61 (about 4 miles inside). Towns inside: Evart, Reed City, Marion, Hersey, Le Roy and Tustin. Nearby: McBain (2 miles), Barryton (4 miles), Cadillac (6 miles) and Luther (6 miles).

Which counties border Osceola County?

Osceola County touches 7 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:

CountyDeer harvestedYearPublic landHunting Access Program land sites
Lake County1,820202546.9%
Clare County4,230202518.7%
Mecosta County4,35320255.7%
Newaygo County5,727202521.9%2
Wexford County1,658202541.8%
Isabella County5,45520251.5%4
Missaukee County2,503202529.3%

Questions hunters ask

How many deer were harvested in Osceola County in 2025?

Hunters reported 4,180 deer: 2,217 antlered and 1,963 antlerless (DNR reported deer totals). In 2024: 4,548.

Is there public hunting land in Osceola County?

Yes. 29,660 acres, 8.1% 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 forest and other DNR land (17,868 acres). The DNR's maps show 2 wildlife areas and parks open to hunting here.

Does Osceola 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 Clare County Mecosta County Newaygo County Wexford County Isabella County Missaukee County