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Maple River State Game Area
Open at no charge to the public.
Open waterfowl hunting at this location during the regular season. No daily draws.
Address listed is office and not actual location.
Description of the area
Maple River State Game Area East Unit is nestled along both sides of US-127 in southern Gratiot County. The game area incorporates farm fields, woodlands, grasslands and cattail marshes. Maple River is a popular birding and wildlife viewing destination in the spring and summer and hunting and trapping destination in the fall and winter. Visit flooded ag fields and moist soil areas for dabbling ducks like Northern shovelers, Northern pintails and green-winged teal. Check out the larger ponds and marshes for diving ducks like ring-necked, redhead and ruddy ducks. Herons and egrets are common marsh visitors as well as bald eagles, ospreys, grebes, coots, muskrats and moorhens. Prothonotary warblers may be found nesting in wooded swamps. Extensive construction projects at Maple River including new pumping stations, improved water control structures and dike repairs were recently completed to improve wetland habitat and waterfowl hunting/viewing opportunities.
PDF map of area Waterfowl counts
Activities
- Wildlife Viewing
- Birding
- Canoeing and Kayaking
- Fishing
- Nature Trail Hiking
- Hunting and Trapping