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Schoolcraft County, Michigan: deer harvest and public hunting land

Schoolcraft County covers 1,222 square miles around Manistique. Hunters reported 790 deer here in the 2025 license year, 652 of them antlered, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is up 3% from 2024. 66% of Schoolcraft County is public land open to the public, the largest share state forest and other DNR land (280,050 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 Schoolcraft County: public land by manager, the counties around it, highways US 2, M 94 and M 77; towns: Manistique, Garden and Munising

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

Schoolcraft County at a glance
Size781,875 acres (1,222 square miles)
Deer reported, 2025790 (652 antlered, 138 antlerless)
Regular firearm season, 2025498 deer
Public land66% (516,398 acres)
Wildlife areas and parks6 (16,663 acres inside Schoolcraft County)
Hunting Access Program landNone mapped this year
Towns in and near itManistique, Garden, Munising and Chatham

How many deer are harvested in Schoolcraft County?

Hunters reported 790 deer in Schoolcraft County in 2025: 652 antlered and 138 antlerless. By season: 498 in the regular firearm season, 192 by archers (early and late segments) and 63 in the muzzleloader season.

License yearDeer reportedAntleredAntlerlessRegular firearmArchery, earlyArchery, lateMuzzleloader
20257906521384981652763
20247696611085191241974
20237105801304921272950
20229287601686141913274

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

516,398 of Schoolcraft County's 781,875 acres are public land open to the public (66%). The biggest share is state forest and other DNR land: 280,050 acres.

ManagerAcresShare of Schoolcraft County
State forest and other DNR land280,05035.8%
National forest123,34515.8%
National wildlife refuges95,07412.2%
State game and wildlife areas15,9422%
State parks and recreation areas9190.1%
Land trusts and other open land8910.1%
County, city and regional land177under 0.1%
All public land open to the public516,39866%
Commercial Forest (private, open to hunting by law)64,6248.3%

64,624 acres of Schoolcraft County (8.3%) 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 Schoolcraft County

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

Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Shingleton State Forest Area (276,253 acres), Hiawatha National Forest (123,370 acres), Seney National Wildlife Refuge (95,235 acres), Thompson State Fish Hatchery (479 acres) and Wyman Nursery (125 acres).

How do you get to Schoolcraft County?

Highways through it: US 2 (about 38 miles inside), M 94 (about 34 miles inside), M 77 (about 30 miles inside), M 28 (about 24 miles inside) and M 149 (about 10 miles inside). Towns inside: Manistique. Nearby: Garden (5 miles), Munising (7 miles), Chatham (15 miles) and Newberry (17 miles).

Which counties border Schoolcraft County?

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

CountyDeer harvestedYearPublic landHunting Access Program land sites
Luce County260202556.5%
Alger County521202543.8%
Delta County3,565202542%
Mackinac County786202554.1%3

Questions hunters ask

How many deer were harvested in Schoolcraft County in 2025?

Hunters reported 790 deer: 652 antlered and 138 antlerless (DNR reported deer totals). In 2024: 769.

Is there public hunting land in Schoolcraft County?

Yes. 516,398 acres, 66% 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 (280,050 acres). The DNR's maps show 6 wildlife areas and parks open to hunting here.

Does Schoolcraft 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 Luce County Alger County Delta County Mackinac County