Tuscola County, Michigan: deer harvest and public hunting land
Tuscola County covers 814 square miles around Caro. Hunters reported 7,100 deer here in the 2025 license year, 3,380 of them antlered, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is down 1% from 2024. 6.9% of Tuscola County is public land open to the public, the largest share state game and wildlife areas (31,779 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 landCommercial Forest (private, open to hunting by law)Hunting Access Program landTuscola CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 520,875 acres (814 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer reported, 2025 | 7,100 (3,380 antlered, 3,720 antlerless) |
| Regular firearm season, 2025 | 2,911 deer |
| Public land | 6.9% (36,060 acres) |
| Wildlife areas and parks | 13 (31,595 acres inside Tuscola County) |
| Hunting Access Program land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Caro, Vassar, Cass City, Otter Lake, Clifford and Sebewaing |
How many deer are harvested in Tuscola County?
Hunters reported 7,100 deer in Tuscola County in 2025: 3,380 antlered and 3,720 antlerless. By season: 2,911 in the regular firearm season, 1,648 by archers (early and late segments) and 770 in the muzzleloader season.
| License year | Deer reported | Antlered | Antlerless | Regular firearm | Archery, early | Archery, late | Muzzleloader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 7,100 | 3,380 | 3,720 | 2,911 | 1,578 | 70 | 770 |
| 2024 | 7,136 | 3,365 | 3,771 | 2,834 | 1,642 | 85 | 710 |
| 2023 | 6,208 | 3,447 | 2,761 | 2,982 | 1,651 | 71 | 478 |
| 2022 | 6,651 | 3,711 | 2,940 | 3,164 | 1,854 | 80 | 588 |
Source: Michigan DNR reported deer harvest (license years 2022 to 2025), Tuscola 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 Tuscola County?
36,060 of Tuscola County's 520,875 acres are public land open to the public (6.9%). The biggest share is state game and wildlife areas: 31,779 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Tuscola County |
|---|---|---|
| State game and wildlife areas | 31,779 | 6.1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 3,067 | 0.6% |
| County, city and regional land | 1,145 | 0.2% |
| State forest and other DNR land | 69 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 36,060 | 6.9% |
| Commercial Forest (private, open to hunting by law) | 80 | under 0.1% |
80 acres of Tuscola County (under 0.1%) 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 Tuscola County
DNR wildlife areas and parks open to hunting in Tuscola County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Deford State Game Area: 10,026 acres
- Tuscola State Game Area: 9,097 acres
- Fish Point State Wildlife Area: 3,716 acres
- Vassar State Game Area: 3,435 acres
- Murphy Lake State Game Area: 2,716 acres
- Cass City State Game Area: 837 acres
- Gagetown State Game Area: 606 acres
- Quanicassee State Wildlife Area: 339 acres
- Elmwood Township State Game Area: 272 acres
- Columbia Township State Game Area: 210 acres
- Almer Township State Game Area: 160 acres
- Denmark Township State Game Area: 92 acres
- Clark Lake State Game Area: 89 acres
How do you get to Tuscola County?
Highways through it: M 81 (about 34 miles inside), M 46 (about 30 miles inside), M 24 (about 23 miles inside), M 138 (about 21 miles inside) and M 15 (about 18 miles inside). Towns inside: Caro, Vassar, Cass City, Millington, Reese and Fairgrove. Nearby: Otter Lake (on the line), Clifford (on the line), Sebewaing (on the line) and Marlette (on the line).
Which counties border Tuscola County?
Tuscola 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bay County | 2,573 | 2025 | 4.2% | 2 |
| Huron County | 5,455 | 2025 | 3.6% | 3 |
| Lapeer County | 7,241 | 2025 | 5.9% | |
| Genesee County | 4,957 | 2025 | 5.1% | |
| Saginaw County | 9,369 | 2025 | 7.1% | 4 |
| Sanilac County | 8,784 | 2025 | 2.5% | 7 |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Tuscola County in 2025?
Hunters reported 7,100 deer: 3,380 antlered and 3,720 antlerless (DNR reported deer totals). In 2024: 7,136.
Is there public hunting land in Tuscola County?
Yes. 36,060 acres, 6.9% 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 game and wildlife areas (31,779 acres). The DNR's maps show 13 wildlife areas and parks open to hunting here.
Does Tuscola 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 Bay County Huron County Lapeer County Genesee County Saginaw County Sanilac County