Get all your fishing information here, including rules and regulations, license info, the weekly fishing report and much more. Use the link above to visit the fishing home page, or go directly to your area of interest below:
Get all your hunting information here, including hunting season dates, rules and regulations, and much more. Use the button above to visit the hunting home page, or go directly to your area of interest below:
Information on DNR shooting and archery ranges, rules and regulations, resources to get started and more. Use the button above to visit the target shooing and archery home page, or go directly to one of the pages below:
Find snowmobile trail permit info, maps, rules and regulations and more. USE THE BUTTON ABOVE TO VISIT THE SNOWMOBILE HOMEPAGE or go directly to you area of interest below:
Want to find tasty morel mushrooms in the forest? Click the box above for tips and tricks to fill your basket.
Find cross-country ski, ice fishing , snowmobiling info and much more.
Find facility info, overnight info, an event calendar and much more.
Find a great trail experience near you - whether you want to hike, bike, snowmobile or ride an ORV. From long, paved linear trails to rugged forest terrain, Michigan offers trail opportunities for all abilities and interests.
Visitor Centers across the state provide education programs, field trips, archery, fishing, trails and much more. Click the box above to see all our locations, or click the individual location below.
We administer grants that enable our local partners to promote the lifestyles we all enjoy by providing recreational opportunities, enhancing wildlife habitat and ensuring public safety. Visit the grants home page by clicking on the button above, or view a specific area of interest below:
Recreational Safety and Hunter Education
Learn about Michigan's diverse range of fish, plants, trees, reptiles, amphibians, insects and mammals. Click the box above to see all species, or click the species group below.
DNR educators across the state provide fun, educational activities, programs and workshops year-round for adults, families and kids. Click the box above to see all our offerings, or click the program below.
DNR educators provide classroom lessons, field trip opportunities, professional development and experiential programs to teachers around the state. Click the box above to see all our offerings, or click the program below.
DNR forest resources professionals maintain healthy forests, manage wildfire, maintain responsible harvesting certifications and improve wildlife habitat. Click the box above to learn more about Michigan's state forests.
All DNR-related boards, committees, and advisory groups
Find seasonal, part-time and full-time job openings with the DNR
Search is currently unavailable. Please try again later.
The web Browser you are currently using is unsupported, and some features of this site may not work as intended. Please update to a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox or Edge to experience all features Michigan.gov has to offer.
Oct. 6 – Oct. 12, 2025
Last week’s weather was hot and sunny, with highs in the mid-80s to start on Monday. A cold front moved in that night, bringing a much-needed shower of around an inch leading into the Tuesday morning hunt period. After the rain cleared out, highs were mainly in the upper 50s to low 60s, with no additional precipitation for the rest of the week.
The refuge count on Wednesday, Oct. 8, was much more hopeful than our last couple of counts. We observed a substantial increase in both ducks and geese. Primary duck species included mallards, pintails, wigeon, gadwall, and blue-winged and green-winged teal. There were also plenty of black ducks and a few diving ducks, mainly ringnecks, redheads, and a few scaup. Goose numbers increased by a few hundred, including a single snow goose floating above us during the count and a small group of tundra swans.
1–3: 4–6 feet corn on average; Zone 3 corn had the most deer/goose damage and has spotty areas. Water levels are currently at 4–16 inches.
4–8: Marsh zones with blinds. Water varies from 6–18 inches.
9–13: Corn heights are 6–7 feet on average throughout the field. Water levels are between 4–18 inches.
14–19: Corn heights 6–7 feet. Water currently at 4–18 inches throughout.
20–32: Corn heights are 5–7 feet on average. Most of the deer damage in this field is in the southern half of Zone 22 and a little on the north end of 21. Water levels are currently at 4–20 inches.
39–44: Marsh habitat; pond is around 6–12 inches.
45–49: Corn averages 6–7 feet in Zones 45–48. Zone 49 corn is heavily goose/deer damaged, but there is a blind.
50–56: Average corn heights around 4–6 feet. Water is still being added to these zones, with flooding throughout and shallower water toward the southern zones.
58–63: Average corn heights around 4–6 feet. Water is still being added to these zones, with sheet water over all zones except the southern end of Zone 63.
64–69: Average corn heights around 4–6 feet. Water is currently being slowly added to this field, with some water starting in Zones 66, 67, and 68.
70–77: Corn heights are 6–8 feet throughout, and this entire field is dry.
Zones with Marginal Cover: 3 (spotty), north end of 21, south end of 22, and 49.
We had 1,015 hunter trips this week. This number was likely inflated due to a rainy, ducky day on Tuesday and the Zone 2 opener, which made the Saginaw Bay area a popular option for waterfowlers across the state.
Waterfowl Harvest
This week, there were 1,204 ducks and 60 geese harvested, averaging approximately 1.02 ducks per hunter trip.
Ducks: 1,656
Geese: 255
Hunters: 1,624
Ducks per hunter trip: 1.01
The weather outlook for the week starts out mild, with temperatures in the mid-60s until Tuesday, then dropping back into the upper 50s. No substantial chances of precipitation are forecasted for the week.
Saginaw Bay, as well as the entire watershed of the Upper Midwest, is either in drought stages or, in some cases, severe drought. As water levels continue to recede this fall, be sure to have a plan in place when heading out on the bay or Great Lakes. Be aware of where you are navigating, as many hunters are discovering sand flats, boulders, and other hazards where there was once water. While the lower water levels of the Wiscoggin Drain have made it challenging at times to pump water into our zones and fields, staff have been extremely attentive to northerly wind days and have capitalized on running pumps around the clock to ensure we can provide as much water and quality hunting as possible this season.
