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.
Sept. 29 – Oct. 6
Temperatures remained well above average for the end of September and beginning of October. Monday, Sept. 29, had a high temperature of 81 degrees and a morning low of 48. Tuesday through Thursday, high temperatures were 75 degrees with nightly lows at 50 degrees. Friday and Saturday had high temperatures in the upper 80s with nighttime lows in the lower 60s. Clear skies prevailed both day and night throughout the week, with light variable winds. Dry, drought conditions are currently in place for the area as well as the Saginaw Bay region.
Refuge count numbers as of Sept. 29 were: 750 mallards, 100 black ducks, 500 wood ducks, 900 wigeon, 600 gadwall, 300 pintails, 75 green-winged teal, 5 ruddy ducks, 300 ring-necked ducks, and 250 Canada geese.
Water levels on rivers and waterways within the game area are low due to Lake Huron water levels being low, as well as the geographic area still being recognized in a drought by the National Weather Service. This has caused the Bad River, Shiawassee River, Flint River, Marsh Creek, and others to have lower water levels, as water readily drains out of these waterways and into Saginaw Bay. Take notice that some access channels are dry or have little to no water in them.
Units 9–14 and 1–4 fields are full corn and won’t be huntable until these units are harvested in late October. The 30s are soybeans with strips of planted corn and will be huntable after the soybeans are harvested. Soybean harvest in the 30s began on Monday, Oct. 6. The huntable corn strips in Units 9–14 and 1–4 will vary from 6 to 8 feet in height. The corn in Units 6–8 is only 5.5 to 6.5 feet tall. The corn strips in the 40s vary from 5.5 to 8 feet tall depending on the zone. The 40s and Units 6–8 are corn strips with moist soils; corn in these units has reached about 6 feet tall and can be dry hunted.
North Prior (Units 55–60), South Prior (Units 61–66), and the 40s have begun their flooding regimen.
Wahl Road Marsh unit water levels are at full pool. The Rookery (Units 137–150) is just about at full pool levels.
Prior Road units had their corn take damage early in the growing season, and a replant of corn was necessary. Some units had sorghum planted for supplemental cover as well. The southern portion of South Prior had moist soil disturbance treatment. North Prior has buckwheat and barley planted as well. Corn in both units varies from 4 to 7 feet in height. These units are currently being flooded for the South Zone opener.
The Flooded Woods (Units 77–117) had radial arm gates and tilting weir gate closed the Tuesday after Labor Day. Huntable and floatable water continues to build in the woods.
Zone 29 has had some Marshmaster mowing performed and is complete. Water levels in Zone 29 are about 6 inches lower than normal. Once the 30s soybeans are harvested, the 30s will begin flooding, and we will be able to pump into Zone 29 and bring that unit back to full pool.
No open waterfowl season is currently underway until the South Zone opener. Archery season for deer opened on Oct. 1, and the area has been seeing archery hunters who were drawn for a Deer Access Permit this past summer.
Waterfowl Harvest
Early season teal, goose, and youth/veterans/active military hunt totals are: 27 ducks and 26 geese, with 132 hunter trips, averaging 0.4 waterfowl per hunt.
High temperatures will peak on Monday, with daytime highs in the mid-80s and evening lows in the mid-60s. A cold front bringing rain is expected late Monday night into midday Tuesday, with accumulations of up to 1 inch possible. Tuesday will be cloudy with a high around 57 and nighttime lows in the 40s. Wednesday will bring clear, sunny skies with highs in the upper 50s to low 60s. A frost warning is predicted for Wednesday night. Thursday and Friday will have clear skies with highs in the 60s and nighttime lows in the mid-30s. Rain is predicted to begin Friday night and continue into Saturday morning. Highs for Friday and Saturday will be in the 60s. Sunday will be mostly sunny with highs in the upper 60s and nighttime lows around the mid-40s with overcast skies.
Thursday, Oct. 9, is the Open House at Shiawassee River State Game Area. The event will be held at the main office at 225 E. Spruce Street and begins at 6 p.m. It is open to all members of the public.
The regular waterfowl season begins on Oct. 18 and runs through Dec. 14, with a two-day split on Dec. 27–28. The waterfowl check station will be open from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day during the regular season. Opening weekend at SRSGA is done by pre-registered draw. Leftover draws will be held. On Saturday, Oct. 18, the afternoon reserved draw is a youth draw; to be eligible for the leftover draw, you must have a youth in your party.
Saturday, Nov. 1, is a youth pheasant hunt. This requires signing up and registering through the Saginaw County Conservation District. Please call 989-781-1720 ext. 5 to register your youth pheasant hunter.
