Whitetail Hunting InfoPennsylvania · Wisconsin · Michigan

Public land

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Nine public tracts, three in each launch state. Each one is here because an official page says it is open to hunting or names white-tailed deer on public hunting land. There is no best-of list and no promise about how many deer you will see.

Archery dates and equipment are on the state guide. None of these areas has a separate archery closure in the sources reviewed.

The list is the accessible version of this page. The map is optional. Pins are approximate OpenStreetMap centers, checked November 7, 2026. They are not legal boundaries and they do not imply permission to cross private land.

9 public areas

  • Sullivan and Columbia counties, Pennsylvania

    The Game Commission map names white-tailed deer as a principal species and describes the tract as public State Game Lands. State Game Lands are acquired and managed primarily for wildlife habitat and lawful hunting. That is the selection reason. It is not a harvest ranking.

    Habitat evidence. The map text describes 50,744.42 acres in the Northeast Region and says the principal species hunted include white-tailed deer, black bear, and eastern wild turkey, with small-game and furbearer opportunity as well. A live query of the public PGC map service on November 7, 2026 returned no features, so this acreage was taken from the map PDF rather than remeasured.

    Access. Public State Game Lands. Lawful deer hunting follows the statewide and WMU 3B season rules and the license in your pocket. The map shows roads, gates, and parking. Those symbols are the access picture, not this pin.

    • The map is the boundary reference. Adjoining land is private unless the map says otherwise. Purple paint can mark a private boundary in Pennsylvania.
    • From October 1 through January 31, someone on State Game Lands who is not engaged in lawful hunting, trapping, or fishing that does not require orange must wear fluorescent orange. Archery deer season itself does not require orange.
    • Baiting is unlawful, including residue from the previous 30 days, with the farming-practice exception described in the digest.
    • Food plots shown on game-lands maps are habitat work. Hunting near them is not the same thing as hunting over bait, which the digest distinguishes. Read that section before you set up.

    Approximate center of the OpenStreetMap feature named State Game Lands Number 13, in Davidson Township, Sullivan County. The Game Commission map says the tract also covers part of Columbia County and is entirely in WMU 3B. This pin is not a boundary, a parking area, or a survey.

    PGC map PDF, State Game Lands 13

    Source: PGC map PDF, State Game Lands 13; PGC, State Game Lands purpose. Checked November 7, 2026.

  • Luzerne and Wyoming counties, Pennsylvania

    The July 2023 Game Commission map says the primary game species include deer, and it describes public game lands managed for sport hunting. The terrain note — rolling to very steep and forested — is habitat evidence from that map. It is not a success claim.

    Habitat evidence. 46,671.5 acres. The map says the terrain is rolling to very steep and forested, and lists deer, turkey, bear, snowshoe hare, and ruffed grouse as primary game species. The map was revised July 2023. Later boundary changes would appear on a newer edition or in the PGC mapping center, which this pin does not replace.

    Access. Public State Game Lands. The map PDF shows roads, parking, and gates. Deer seasons and tags still follow the WMU you are standing in. The paragraph captured from this map does not name the WMU, so look it up before you buy an antlerless license.

    • Steep ground is a travel and recovery issue. The map says the terrain reaches very steep.
    • Private inholdings and neighboring land are not opened by a game-lands parking lot. Purple paint marks private land in most Pennsylvania counties.
    • The same State Game Lands orange, baiting, and safety-zone rules in the 2026–27 digest apply here.

    Approximate center of the OpenStreetMap feature named State Game Lands Number 57, in Forkston Township, Wyoming County. The July 2023 Game Commission map says the tract is in Luzerne and Wyoming counties. This pin is not the boundary.

    PGC map PDF, State Game Lands 57 (revised July 2023)

    Source: PGC map PDF, State Game Lands 57. Checked November 7, 2026.

  • Centre and Clearfield counties, Pennsylvania

    The Game Commission map lists deer among the primary game species on a public hunting tract. That is an official access and habitat statement. No harvest total or ranking is attached.

    Habitat evidence. 21,054 acres. The June 2018 map says the terrain is typically hilly with broad level areas, and lists bear, deer, turkey, and grouse as primary game species. Northcentral Pennsylvania also has an elk management area. This map paragraph does not say elk use this tract. If you hunt near elk range, be sure of the animal and read the elk rules in the digest. This guide does not draw the elk boundary.

    Access. Public State Game Lands. Use the map PDF for parking and gates. Antlerless licenses are WMU-specific, and this map paragraph does not name the WMU.

    • The map revision is June 2018. Do not treat it as a survey of every acre acquired or sold since then. Check the PGC mapping center for a newer picture.
    • Disease Management Area rules can cover parts of Centre and Clearfield counties and can change. The digest tells hunters to use the current CWD materials rather than an old brochure. This guide does not restate DMA boundaries.
    • DMAP, when a tract is enrolled, is a separate permit for that property. Older news mentions habitat work and DMAP on this game lands in a past season. That is not evidence it is enrolled for 2026–27. Check the current DMAP list before you count on a permit.

    Approximate center of the OpenStreetMap feature named State Game Lands Number 100, in Burnside Township, Centre County. The June 2018 Game Commission map says the tract is in Centre and Clearfield counties. This pin is not the boundary.

    PGC map PDF, State Game Lands 100 (revised June 2018)

    Source: PGC map PDF, State Game Lands 100; PGC, 2026–27 digest (CWD and elk guidance). Checked November 7, 2026.

  • Sawyer, Price, and Rusk counties, Wisconsin

    The DNR hunting page says the forest is open to public hunting in designated seasons and names white-tailed deer among the species the habitat holds. Selection uses that access statement and the species list. It is not a ranking of deer activity.

    Habitat evidence. The DNR describes backcountry woods along about 75 miles of the North and South Forks of the Flambeau River, with hunting and fishing both listed. This guide did not find a single acreage figure on the hunting page, so none is repeated here.

    Access. State forest land open to public hunting with the appropriate license and harvest authorization. A vehicle admission sticker is required. Headquarters is in the town of Winter. The DNR public access lands map is the way to see public land against private land.

    • Hunting is not allowed in the Connors Lake and Lake of the Pines campgrounds, the Connors Lake picnic area, areas signed closed, or on private land inside the boundary unless the owner allows it or the land is open under a private-forest tax program.
    • The property page lists hours of 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Legal shooting hours can start earlier. This guide does not resolve that conflict. Read the property page and the shooting-hours sheet together.
    • Deer management unit and public-versus-private authorization rules still apply. The PAL map has a DMU layer.

    Approximate center of the OpenStreetMap nature-reserve feature for Flambeau River State Forest, falling in Rusk County. The DNR says the forest is in Sawyer, Price, and Rusk counties. The pin is not a boundary or a landing.

    Wisconsin DNR, Flambeau River State Forest

    Source: Wisconsin DNR, Flambeau hunting page; Wisconsin DNR, Flambeau location and fees. Checked November 7, 2026.

  • Central Wisconsin; OpenStreetMap center is in Jackson County

    The DNR hunting page lists whitetail deer and says the forest is open during designated seasons with the appropriate license. The property page adds habitat: pine and oak woods on 68,000 acres. Those are the reasons it is listed.

    Habitat evidence. The DNR describes 68,000 acres of pine and oak woods along two forks of the Black River, under high sandstone abutments. Elk were released here in 2015 and 2016. The property page says visitors may see them. A deer hunter needs to be sure of the target. Wisconsin’s deer page also says not to shoot an elk.

    Access. Open to public hunting during designated seasons with the appropriate license. A vehicle admission sticker is required. Hours on the property page are 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Campgrounds and signed day-use areas are not hunting areas.

    • Closed to hunting: Castle Mound, Pigeon Creek, and East Fork campgrounds; Oxbow Pond and Perry Creek day-use areas; any area signed closed; and private land inside the boundary unless you have permission or the land is open under a private tax-law program.
    • Elk are present. Identification is the hunter’s job. This page does not restate elk-season rules.
    • The 6 a.m. opening may not match the start of legal shooting hours. Confirm both before you plan an early sit.

    Approximate center of the OpenStreetMap protected-area feature for Black River State Forest, in Jackson County. Confirm the county and deer management unit on the DNR public access lands map. This pin is not the forest boundary.

    Wisconsin DNR, Black River State Forest hunting

    Source: Wisconsin DNR, Black River State Forest; Wisconsin DNR, deer hunting (elk warning). Checked November 7, 2026.

  • Southern Wisconsin; OpenStreetMap center is in Waukesha County

    The DNR hunting page says most of the Southern Unit’s 22,000 acres are open to hunting during established seasons. That is an official access statement for a large public forest near a lot of private land. It is not a claim about deer numbers.

    Habitat evidence. The hunting page describes a 22,000-acre southern unit and a hunting map available from forest headquarters and the Ottawa Lake and Whitewater Lake visitor centers. Kettle terrain is the landform the forest is named for. This guide does not add a habitat survey of its own.

    Access. Most of the unit is open during established seasons. The hunting map, not this pin, shows where. Private parcels are scattered through the forest. Staying on state land is the hunter’s responsibility. This guide did not confirm a vehicle-sticker rule on the hunting page itself; check the property page before you drive in.

    • No hunting in intensive-use areas such as parking lots and picnic areas, wildlife refuges, posted special-use areas, Old World Wisconsin, the Paradise Springs Nature Trail, the Scuppernong Springs Nature Area, the Rice Lake Nature Trail, or within 100 yards of a campground, picnic area, or posted special-use area.
    • Target shooting is only at the McMiller Sports Center in Eagle, not in the woods.
    • Holiday and extended archery rules depend on the county and DMU. Southern farmland counties are where those exceptions live. Look up the unit rather than assuming the statewide date.

    Approximate center of the OpenStreetMap feature for Kettle Moraine State Forest — Southern Unit, in the towns of Whitewater and Eagle, Waukesha County. The unit is larger than that center. This pin is not a boundary and is not a parking lot.

    Wisconsin DNR, Kettle Moraine Southern Unit hunting

    Source: Wisconsin DNR, Kettle Moraine Southern Unit hunting. Checked November 7, 2026.

  • Allegan County, Michigan

    It is a DNR state game area, listed with an official acreage and map links, in a county where the 2026 deer regulations set a universal-antlerless use limit. State game areas are managed for wildlife habitat, watching, and hunting. That is the evidence. No harvest total is attached.

    Habitat evidence. The state game-area list gives 50,656 acres in Allegan County and points to an area map plus maps for Bravo, Fennville farm, Highbanks and Swan Creek, and Ottawa Marsh. Those names are a mix of woods, river, and marsh units. Use the area map for the cover you want. This guide does not rank the units.

    Access. DNR-managed public land. The deer regulations say state game areas do not require a Recreation Passport. Mi-HUNT shows approximate boundaries of land open to public hunting. The game-area list is where the DNR posts the area maps.

    • Allegan County has a universal antlerless deer license use limit of five in the 2026 regulations. That is a county license rule, not a line on the game-area fence. Other tags have their own rules.
    • You cannot cut shooting lanes or block a gate, road, or trail. Portable elevated platforms on public land may go up beginning September 1 and must be off by March 1. They cannot be nailed, screwed, or bolted to a tree. A name and address, driver-license number, or Sportcard number must be on a platform left on public land.
    • Zone 3 ground-blind rules are stricter for blinds left out. Read the blind types in the deer regulations before you leave a blind overnight.
    • The marker is not permission to cross private land to reach a parking area.

    Approximate center of the OpenStreetMap nature-reserve feature for Allegan State Game Area, in Heath Township, Allegan County. The DNR lists the area at about 50,656 acres. This pin is not the boundary.

    Michigan DNR, state game and wildlife areas list

    Source: Michigan DNR, state game and wildlife areas; Michigan DNR, 2026 deer regulations (public land and use limits). Checked November 7, 2026.

  • Barry County, Michigan

    The DNR lists it as a state game area with a published acreage, an area map, and a master plan. It is public hunting land in a county with a published antlerless-license use limit. Those are the reasons. Nearby Yankee Springs Recreation Area is a different property with its own rules and is not what this pin marks.

    Habitat evidence. 16,692 acres in Barry County, with an area map and a Fish Lake unit map linked from the state list. The list does not, in the table, describe forest type. Use the area map and Mi-HUNT for cover. This guide does not invent a habitat description the table does not give.

    Access. State game area. No Recreation Passport is required for state game areas under the 2026 deer regulations. Confirm parking on the DNR area map. Mi-HUNT boundaries are approximate, and the DNR says users are responsible for the regulations at that location.

    • Barry County has a universal antlerless deer license use limit of five in the 2026 regulations. Confirm you are in Barry County, not a neighboring county with a different limit.
    • The same public-land rules on cutting, blocking roads, and tree stands apply.
    • Some Barry County townships restrict firearm discharge. The deer regulations name Barry among counties where township restrictions are posted. Contact the township before you assume every acre inside the county is open to rifles.

    Approximate center of the OpenStreetMap nature-reserve feature for Barry State Game Area, in Yankee Springs Township, Barry County. The DNR lists about 16,692 acres. This pin is not the boundary.

    Michigan DNR, state game and wildlife areas list

    Source: Michigan DNR, state game and wildlife areas; Michigan DNR, 2026 deer regulations. Checked November 7, 2026.

  • North-central Lower Peninsula, northeast of Gaylord

    Michigan’s state-forest page says the state forests are open for hunting, and it singles out this 109,000-acre forest. The 2026 elk regulations say the elk herd is centered here and that more than 4.5 million acres of DNR public land are open to hunting. Deer hunting follows deer regulations. Elk hunting is a separate, limited draw. The forest is listed because the access and the elk-overlap warning are both documented, not because it produces more deer.

    Habitat evidence. The DNR calls it a largely undeveloped block, about 109,000 acres on the state-forests page and over 110,000 acres in the elk regulations. Both figures are official and they do not match exactly. Use Mi-HUNT for the mapped extent. Cell service is patchy. The forest is managed to stay less developed than other state forests.

    Access. State forest. State forests do not require a Recreation Passport under the deer regulations. Camping rules are separate and, outside designated campgrounds, follow the dispersed-camping permit rules linked by the DNR. Deer licenses are valid on public land under the deer regulations. An elk license is a drawing license and is a different document.

    • Elk live here. A deer hunter who cannot tell a deer from an elk should not shoot. Elk licenses are limited and available through a drawing. The 2026 elk seasons are not deer seasons.
    • Otsego County has a universal antlerless use limit of three. If part of your hunt is in another county, that county’s limit may differ. Montmorency County, which is nearby, is on the use-limit-of-10 list. Confirm the county you are standing in.
    • Do not cut shooting lanes. Do not block gates or trails. Elevated platforms left on public land need identification and must follow the September 1 to March 1 window.
    • The two official acreage figures differ. Neither number in this guide is a surveyed boundary.

    Approximate center of the OpenStreetMap nature-reserve feature, which falls in Otsego County. The DNR describes the forest as northeast of Gaylord and about 12 miles wide by 20 miles long. It can cross county lines. This pin is not the boundary.

    Michigan DNR, Pigeon River Country State Forest

    Source: Michigan DNR, state forests; Michigan DNR, Pigeon River Country; Michigan DNR, 2026 elk regulations. Checked November 7, 2026.

Map

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