Grand Rapids MI
Hunting
Report
Live conditions, season status, solunar ratings, WMA profiles, and community hunting coverage for Kent and Lower Peninsula.
In Season Now: Grand Rapids Hunting · Nov. 4
- Archery Deer (early segment) Oct 1 – Nov 14, 2026 · Statewide
- Squirrel (fox & gray) and Cottontail Rabbit Sep 15, 2026 – Mar 31, 2027 · Statewide
- Ruffed Grouse Sep 15 – Nov 14, 2026; Dec 1, 2026 – Jan 1, 2027 · Statewide
- Ring-necked Pheasant (males only) Oct 20 – Nov 14, 2026 · Lower Peninsula
- Duck, Coot & Merganser — South Zone Oct 17 – Dec 13, 2026; Dec 26 – 27, 2026 · South Zone
- Goose (dark & light) — South Zone Oct 17 – Dec 13, 2026; Dec 26, 2026 – Jan 3, 2027; Feb 6 – 15, 2027 · South Zone
- Fall Turkey (TMU I and TMU M) Sep 15 – Nov 14, 2026 · TMU I / M
- Regular Firearm Deer Nov 15 – 30, 2026 · Statewide
- Archery Deer (late segment) Dec 1, 2026 – Jan 1, 2027 · Statewide
- December Firearm Deer (Lower Peninsula) Dec 4 – 6, 2026 · Lower Peninsula
- Late Antlerless Firearm Deer Dec 7, 2026 – Jan 1, 2027 · Lower Peninsula
From this page's Michigan DNR season calendar. Always verify current regulations before you hunt.
Grand Rapids Hunting Season Status
Grand Rapids Hunting Weather Now
- Deer season is open — focus today's hunt on deer. Also open: Hog.
- Cool temps in the optimal range — deer are on their feet. Expect movement throughout shooting hours.
- Dark moon nights push deer to move in legal shooting hours at dawn and dusk. Be at your stand early.
- High humidity (87%) intensifies scent. Spray down thoroughly and hunt with wind in your face.
Grand Rapids Hunt Conditions Today
Grand Rapids Hunt Forecast — 5 Days
Grand Rapids Michigan Wildlife Management Areas
The Michigan DNR lists Rogue River State Game Area at about 6,135 acres in Kent County. Its local office is the Muskegon State Game Area.
Public hunting land. A Michigan hunting license and the right species license are required. Check MDNR rules for this area before you hunt.
The Michigan DNR lists Cannonsburg State Game Area at about 1,347 acres in Kent County. Its local office is the Muskegon State Game Area.
Public hunting land. A Michigan hunting license and the right species license are required. Check MDNR rules for this area before you hunt.
The Michigan DNR lists Saranac-Lowell State Game Area at about 1,863 acres in Ionia & Kent Counties. Its local office is the Flat River State Game Area Field Office.
Public hunting land. A Michigan hunting license and the right species license are required. Check MDNR rules for this area before you hunt.
The Michigan DNR lists Grand River State Game Area at about 870 acres in Ionia County. Its local office is the Flat River State Game Area Field Office.
Public hunting land. A Michigan hunting license and the right species license are required. Check MDNR rules for this area before you hunt.
The Michigan DNR lists Flat River State Game Area at about 11,235 acres in Ionia & Montcalm Counties. Its local office is the Flat River State Game Area Field Office.
Public hunting land. A Michigan hunting license and the right species license are required. Check MDNR rules for this area before you hunt.
The Michigan DNR lists Allegan State Game Area at about 50,656 acres in Allegan County. Its local office is the Allegan Wildlife Office.
Public hunting land. A Michigan hunting license and the right species license are required. Check MDNR rules for this area before you hunt.
Know a Grand Rapids-area hunting land, WMA, or public access parcel that should be on this list? Let us know.
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Grand Rapids Hunting News
Hunting Gear Guide
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Grand Rapids Hunting FAQ
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Michigan's 2026 deer seasons, per MDNR: early archery Oct. 1–Nov. 14 and late archery Dec. 1–Jan. 1; regular firearm Nov. 15–30; December firearm in Lower Peninsula DMUs Dec. 4–6; late antlerless firearm in open Lower Peninsula DMUs Dec. 7–Jan. 1. The Liberty Hunt ran Sept. 12–13 and the Independence Hunt for hunters with qualifying disabilities runs Oct. 15–18. The limited firearms deer zone is gone as of Sept. 12, 2026, so all legal firearms may be used across the Lower Peninsula. Source: MDNR 2026 deer regulations.
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The state game areas, wildlife areas and recreation-area wildlife units listed on this page are public land managed by MDNR. Michigan has no separate land-use permit for them: a base license plus the right species license covers hunting there, but each property can have its own rules, and vehicles entering state recreation areas need a Recreation Passport. Check each property's MDNR page before you go. MDNR where to hunt.
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Yes. Every hunter needs a Michigan base license (2026–27: $11 resident, $151 nonresident, valid through March 31, 2027), which covers small game. Deer hunters add a single deer license (one kill tag) or a deer combo license (two kill tags); universal antlerless deer licenses are sold separately. Turkey and bear need their own licenses, and bear licenses are drawing-only. Waterfowl hunters also need a Michigan waterfowl license, HIP registration and, at 16 and older, a federal duck stamp. Buy licenses at Michigan.gov/DNRLicenses or in the MDNR Hunt Fish app. Source: MDNR license information.
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Yes, in most of the state. Michigan has no statewide ban on Sunday hunting, but some counties and townships keep local hunting or firearm restrictions. Check MDNR's local controls list for Kent County before you hunt. MDNR local controls.
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Michigan's statewide limit is two antlered deer per license year (one in DMU 117). A single deer license carries one kill tag and a deer combo license carries two. Antlerless deer need a universal antlerless license in DMUs open to antlerless hunting, and antler point restrictions vary by DMU. Source: MDNR 2026 deer regulations summary.
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Not for hunting. MDNR allows bear hunting only in the Upper Peninsula and the northern half of the Lower Peninsula (the Baldwin, Gladwin and Red Oak units in the Lower Peninsula). Kent County is in the southern Lower Peninsula, outside those units. Bear licenses are drawing-only, with applications May 1–June 1. Source: MDNR 2026 bear regulations.
HUNTING NEWS NEAR GRAND RAPIDS MI
Latest Grand Rapids Hunting News
Michigan Bans Untreated Out-of-State Firewood
LANSING, Mich. — Campers, cabin owners and anyone else hauling firewood into Michigan have less than two months before a new state quarantine takes effect. On Jan. 1,…
Michigan Archery Deer Harvest Passes 42,000
LANSING, Mich. — Bowhunters heading into the Halloween weekend have already reported more than 42,000 deer across Michigan, four full weeks into the archery season. Bucks make up…
Bill to End Lower Peninsula Deer Baiting Ban Stalls
LANSING, Mich. — Hunters hoping to legally put out bait for deer in the Lower Peninsula this fall are out of luck, and a bill that would have…
EHD Kills Deer Across Southern Michigan
SAGINAW, Mich. — A fast-moving virus that kills white-tailed deer is turning up from the Saginaw Bay area south through most of the southern Lower Peninsula, and state…
Michigan DNR Offers Free Deer Aging
LANSING, Mich. — Michigan deer hunters who want to know just how old that buck really is can get an answer for free next month. The Department of…
Michigan Archery Hunters Near 30,000 Deer
LANSING, Mich. — Bowhunters across Michigan have reported close to 30,000 deer so far in the early archery season, and the mix is tilting more toward does and…
Michigan DNR Stocks 7,300 Pheasants as Season Opens
LANSING, Mich. — Bird hunters heading afield in the southern Lower Peninsula this fall will find more ring-necked pheasants than nature alone would supply. The Michigan Department of…
DNR: Early Archery Deer Kill Passes 18,000 Mark
LANSING, Mich. — Statewide DNR harvest logs showed 18,475 deer checked in for early archery by 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16, a figure that will keep rising because…
DNR Seeks CWD Deer Samples From Grand Rapids Area
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Grand Rapids-area hunters who take deer in Kent County or four nearby counties are being asked to help the state refresh chronic wasting disease…
