Roscommon County, Michigan: deer harvest and public hunting land
Roscommon County covers 580 square miles around Roscommon. Hunters reported 1,993 deer here in the 2025 license year, 1,043 of them antlered, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is down 9% from 2024, and the fewest in the 4 years shown. 63.1% of Roscommon County is public land open to the public, the largest share state forest and other DNR land (184,556 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 forestNational wildlife refugesOther federal landState parks and recreation areasCounty, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landCommercial Forest (private, open to hunting by law)Roscommon CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 371,254 acres (580 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer reported, 2025 | 1,993 (1,043 antlered, 950 antlerless) |
| Regular firearm season, 2025 | 974 deer |
| Public land | 63.1% (234,227 acres) |
| Wildlife areas and parks | 16 (22,468 acres inside Roscommon County) |
| Hunting Access Program land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Roscommon, Houghton Lake, St. Helen, West Branch, Grayling and Harrison |
How many deer are harvested in Roscommon County?
Hunters reported 1,993 deer in Roscommon County in 2025: 1,043 antlered and 950 antlerless. By season: 974 in the regular firearm season, 669 by archers (early and late segments) and 205 in the muzzleloader season.
| License year | Deer reported | Antlered | Antlerless | Regular firearm | Archery, early | Archery, late | Muzzleloader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,993 | 1,043 | 950 | 974 | 631 | 38 | 205 |
| 2024 | 2,201 | 1,159 | 1,042 | 1,104 | 693 | 38 | 211 |
| 2023 | 2,013 | 1,091 | 922 | 1,194 | 594 | 40 | 70 |
| 2022 | 2,917 | 1,510 | 1,407 | 1,659 | 922 | 72 | 107 |
Source: Michigan DNR reported deer harvest (license years 2022 to 2025), Roscommon 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 Roscommon County?
234,227 of Roscommon County's 371,254 acres are public land open to the public (63.1%). The biggest share is state forest and other DNR land: 184,556 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Roscommon County |
|---|---|---|
| State forest and other DNR land | 184,556 | 49.7% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 30,032 | 8.1% |
| State game and wildlife areas | 17,568 | 4.7% |
| State parks and recreation areas | 1,360 | 0.4% |
| County, city and regional land | 667 | 0.2% |
| National wildlife refuges | 41 | under 0.1% |
| National forest | 3 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 234,227 | 63.1% |
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 Roscommon County
DNR wildlife areas and parks open to hunting in Roscommon County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Houghton Lake State Wildlife Research Area: 5,347 acres
- Backus Creek State Game Area: 4,855 acres
- Robinson Creek Flooding State Wildlife Management Area: 2,574 acres
- Wraco Lodge Lake Flooding State Wildlife Management Area: 2,019 acres
- South Higgins Lake State Park: 1,369 acres
- Houghton Lake Flats South Flooding State Wildlife Management Area: 992 acres
- Bear Creek Flooding State Wildlife Management Area: 943 acres
- Dead Stream Flooding State Wildlife Management Area: 840 acres
- Houghton Lake Flats North Flooding State Wildlife Management Area: 839 acres
- Denton Creek Flooding State Wildlife Management Area: 806 acres
- Russell Lake / Lake St. Helen SWMA: 766 acres
- Marsh Creek / Beaver Lake Flooding State Wildlife Management Area: 554 acres
- Townline Creek Flooding State Wildlife Management Area: 364 acres
- Russell Lake / Lake St. Helen SWMA (open water; State owned portion of Russell Lake): 101 acres
- Russell Lake / Lake St. Helen SWMA (open water; State-owned portion of Lake St. Helen): 83 acres
- Gladwin Field Trial Area and Wildlife Unit of State Forest: 16 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Natural Area Dead Stream Swamp (5,774 acres) and Roscommon Forest Management Unit (767 acres).
How do you get to Roscommon County?
Highways through it: US 27 (about 49 miles inside), I-75 (about 47 miles inside), M 18 (about 30 miles inside), M 55 (about 14 miles inside) and M 76 (about 8 miles inside). Towns inside: Roscommon, Houghton Lake, St. Helen and Prudenville. Nearby: West Branch (7 miles), Grayling (10 miles), Harrison (10 miles) and Gladwin (12 miles).
Which counties border Roscommon County?
Roscommon 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clare County | 4,230 | 2025 | 18.7% | |
| Ogemaw County | 4,009 | 2025 | 28.7% | |
| Oscoda County | 1,605 | 2025 | 58.2% | |
| Gladwin County | 4,585 | 2025 | 27.6% | |
| Crawford County | 1,535 | 2025 | 59.8% | |
| Kalkaska County | 1,298 | 2025 | 44.7% | |
| Missaukee County | 2,503 | 2025 | 29.3% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Roscommon County in 2025?
Hunters reported 1,993 deer: 1,043 antlered and 950 antlerless (DNR reported deer totals). In 2024: 2,201.
Is there public hunting land in Roscommon County?
Yes. 234,227 acres, 63.1% 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 (184,556 acres). The DNR's maps show 16 wildlife areas and parks open to hunting here.
Does Roscommon 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 Clare County Ogemaw County Oscoda County Gladwin County Crawford County Kalkaska County Missaukee County