Van Buren County, Michigan: deer harvest and public hunting land
Van Buren County covers 623 square miles around Mattawan. Hunters reported 3,648 deer here in the 2025 license year, 1,906 of them antlered, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is down 3% from 2024, and the fewest in the 4 years shown. 1.6% of Van Buren County is public land open to the public, the largest share land trusts and other open land (2,880 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 wildlife refugesState parks and recreation areasCounty, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landCommercial Forest (private, open to hunting by law)Van Buren CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 398,669 acres (623 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer reported, 2025 | 3,648 (1,906 antlered, 1,742 antlerless) |
| Regular firearm season, 2025 | 1,592 deer |
| Public land | 1.6% (6,447 acres) |
| Wildlife areas and parks | 6 (1,656 acres inside Van Buren County) |
| Hunting Access Program land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Mattawan, South Haven, Paw Paw, Watervliet, Marcellus and Coloma |
How many deer are harvested in Van Buren County?
Hunters reported 3,648 deer in Van Buren County in 2025: 1,906 antlered and 1,742 antlerless. By season: 1,592 in the regular firearm season, 1,034 by archers (early and late segments) and 377 in the muzzleloader season.
| License year | Deer reported | Antlered | Antlerless | Regular firearm | Archery, early | Archery, late | Muzzleloader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3,648 | 1,906 | 1,742 | 1,592 | 989 | 45 | 377 |
| 2024 | 3,743 | 1,905 | 1,838 | 1,653 | 974 | 49 | 399 |
| 2023 | 4,463 | 2,459 | 2,004 | 2,070 | 1,398 | 35 | 325 |
| 2022 | 4,521 | 2,543 | 1,978 | 2,165 | 1,378 | 35 | 413 |
Source: Michigan DNR reported deer harvest (license years 2022 to 2025), Van Buren 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 Van Buren County?
6,447 of Van Buren County's 398,669 acres are public land open to the public (1.6%). The biggest share is land trusts and other open land: 2,880 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Van Buren County |
|---|---|---|
| Land trusts and other open land | 2,880 | 0.7% |
| State parks and recreation areas | 2,134 | 0.5% |
| County, city and regional land | 525 | 0.1% |
| State game and wildlife areas | 482 | 0.1% |
| State forest and other DNR land | 342 | 0.1% |
| National wildlife refuges | 84 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 6,447 | 1.6% |
| Commercial Forest (private, open to hunting by law) | 202 | 0.1% |
202 acres of Van Buren County (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 Van Buren County
DNR wildlife areas and parks open to hunting in Van Buren County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Cornish State Game Area: 490 acres
- Keeler State Game Area: 397 acres
- Paw Paw River State Game Area: 362 acres
- Van Buren State Park: 212 acres
- Kinney Waterfowl Production Area: 110 acres
- Fuller Woods State Game Area: 85 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery (279 acres).
How do you get to Van Buren County?
Highways through it: I-94 (about 48 miles inside), M 43 (about 28 miles inside), US 31 (about 27 miles inside), I-196 (about 27 miles inside) and M 40 (about 26 miles inside). Towns inside: Mattawan, South Haven, Paw Paw, Lawton, Lawrence and Bangor. Nearby: Watervliet (2 miles), Marcellus (3 miles), Coloma (4 miles) and Otsego (4 miles).
Which counties border Van Buren County?
Van Buren County touches 5 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | Hunting Access Program land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cass County | 1,713 | 2025 | 2.6% | |
| Allegan County | 6,450 | 2025 | 10.3% | |
| Berrien County | 2,546 | 2025 | 2.9% | 6 |
| Kalamazoo County | 3,329 | 2025 | 3.9% | |
| St. Joseph County | 2,370 | 2025 | 1.3% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Van Buren County in 2025?
Hunters reported 3,648 deer: 1,906 antlered and 1,742 antlerless (DNR reported deer totals). In 2024: 3,743.
Is there public hunting land in Van Buren County?
Yes. 6,447 acres, 1.6% 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 land trusts and other open land (2,880 acres). The DNR's maps show 6 wildlife areas and parks open to hunting here.
Does Van Buren 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 Cass County Allegan County Berrien County Kalamazoo County St. Joseph County