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December 15 - January 5, 2026
SRSGA froze from the end of regular waterfowl season and continued that way for the two-day split. There were some above-freezing days during the holidays, with Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in the low to mid-40s. This quick but brief warm-up was not enough to create any open water.
Duck numbers plummeted, with fewer than 500 ducks and fewer than 40 geese observed on open-water portions of the Bad River between the end of the 58-day season and before DNR staff went on leave for the holidays.
SRSGA was frozen and locked up before the two-day split. DNR staff lowered the tilting weir gate to bring down the water level in the flooded woods to increase current and break up ice, but to no avail. Zones in managed fields were drained by gravity flowing out and hunted dry for the two-day split due to ice accumulation.
Waterfowl hunting was done by self-registration for the two-day split, and the area was hunted as a scramble. For the two-day split, there were 11 parties on Saturday for a total of 23 hunters and 3 individual parties on Sunday, for a total of 26 hunters for both days.
0.96 ducks per hunter harvested for the split: 19 goldeneye, 4 mergansers, 1 mallard and 1 pintail.
For the 2025 season:
Ducks: 6,344
Geese: 825
Hunter trips: 4,916
Waterfowl per hunter trip: 1.46
Fields in the managed zones will continue to be gravity drained, and the tilting weir gate will be fully opened, with the radial arms gates opened thereafter once water levels in the flooded woods come down a bit.
The final Canada goose season is Jan. 31–Feb. 9. No permit is needed to hunt that season at SRSGA.
There is a MUCC wood duck box clean-out volunteer workday Jan. 17, 2026. Please sign up at Michigan United Conservation Club’s website.
SRSGA is open for the extended late-season antlerless-only firearm season until Jan. 11, 2026. No deer access permit is required. See the Deer Hunting Digest for equipment regulations and license information.
