Pointe Mouillee Waterfowl Draw Guide (2026)

Always verify current regulations with the Michigan DNR before you hunt. Pointe Mouillee's manager posts weekly updates, and access changed in 2026 because of a road washout. Everything below was checked against official DNR pages on November 11, 2026. This is a guide, not legal advice.

For most hunters in metro Detroit, Washtenaw and Livingston County, Pointe Mouillee State Game Area is the closest of Michigan's managed waterfowl areas. It sits on the western shore of Lake Erie at Rockwood, straddling Wayne and Monroe counties. The DNR describes it as about 4,040 acres and "one of the largest freshwater marsh restoration projects in the world" (the DNR's state game area list puts the whole game area at about 5,195 acres).

It's also a place where first-timers routinely show up on the wrong day. Unlike Harsens Island or Shiawassee River, Pointe Mouillee does not draw every day. Here's how it works in 2026.

2026 draw schedule

From the DNR's 2026 regulations summary and the Pointe Mouillee page:

There are no Monday, Wednesday, Friday or Saturday draws under the published schedule.

The manager's update for Nov. 2–8, 2026 restates the schedule as: Sunday a.m. and p.m., Tuesday p.m., Thursday all-day (a.m. draw), with registration beginning 30 minutes before each draw.

Upcoming dates for the rest of 2026

The same manager's update lists:

• Dec. 13: last day of the regular South Zone duck season.
• Dec. 26–27: South Zone split season, with draws for a.m. and p.m. hunts on both days. Note that Dec. 26 is a Saturday, so this is an exception to the usual Sunday/Tuesday/Thursday rhythm — confirm with the office (734-379-9692) as the date approaches.

Late in the season, the DNR says normal drawings can be canceled when extreme weather drives turnout down, with at least two days' posted notice. Call ahead in late December.

How the draw works, step by step

1. Arrive and register before draw time. Registration opens 30 minutes before the draw. Your party — up to four hunters — registers together on one card. Up to three absentee hunters can be listed, but the party can't exceed four, and everyone's information has to be complete before the drawing.
2. The draw. Parties are drawn in random order. On busy days (above roughly 30–40 parties), staff use random-number draw sheets instead of lottery balls to speed things up.
3. Pick your zone. When your party is called, you pick from the zones still open. You may hunt only in the zone on your permit.
4. Hunt with no more than 25 shells per hunting period, non-toxic shot only.
5. Check out. Return your permit to the check station when your hunt period ends or when you stop hunting, whichever comes first, and present your birds for examination.

How busy is it? For the week of Nov. 2–8, 2026, the manager reported 31 parties at the Tuesday p.m. draw, 36 on Thursday, 44 on Sunday a.m. and 29 on Sunday p.m., with an average of 20 of 22 zones filled.

I haven't hunted Pointe Mouillee, so I don't have personal arrival times or draw-room tips. Use the official process above: registration opens 30 minutes before the draw, and the manager's weekly update is the best read on how many parties to expect. For the week of Nov. 2–8, 2026, Sunday morning was the busiest draw (44 parties).

The draw units (zones 2–22)

The managed draw area is split into three units. Conditions below are from the manager's Nov. 2–8, 2026 update and will change — treat them as a snapshot, not a forecast.

Long Pond (Zones 2–10) — Cattail marsh, reachable on foot and by boat over the pullover. Depths ran about 1.5–3 feet and were navigable by small craft, though some spots needed poling or pushing. Cattails were healthy but noticeably thinner than last year.

Nelson (Zones 11–14) — Flooded agriculture, foot access only. Corn was standing 7–8 feet, with millet and buckwheat up. Water was being added slowly and the zones were expected to stay wadeable. Zone 11 has the ADA-accessible blind platform, which can be reserved in advance by visiting or calling the office.

Walpatich (Zones 15–22) — A mix of agriculture and cattail marsh, foot access only. Zone 15 was dry ag with a pocket of water to the east; Zones 19 and 21 were flooded ag; Zones 16, 17–18, 20 and 22 were cattail marsh and moist soil, with Zones 16 and 18 showing more wetland vegetation than last year.

The non-draw (open) units

Pointe Mouillee also has units that are open to hunting during all legal seasons without a draw. Per the manager's update:

• Vermet — Better water levels this year for small to mid-size flat-bottom boats; some shallow areas. Managed with early drawdowns and low summer water to grow vegetation.
• Humphries — Shallower and more vegetated to the west (good dabbler habitat), deeper to the east where you'll need a boat. Water was significantly lower than in past years after a hot, dry summer and falling Great Lakes levels. Its boat launch is cut off by the Roberts Road closure (below).
• Bad Creek — Walk-in. Vegetation was cleared to start moist-soil management; water is mostly shallow with pockets to 2–2.5 feet.
• Cripple Point — Walk-in. The manager called conditions "very good," with water deeper to the east.
• Mouillee Creek — Mostly upland, best suited for deer, with some waterfowl opportunity near the creek.

Remember that general rules for state game areas still apply in the open units, and the WCO's Pointe Mouillee section requires non-toxic shot across the game area's listed sections. If you're unsure where the managed draw area ends, use the DNR's area map and ask at the office.

2026 access change: Roberts Road is closed

This is the big one for 2026. Because of failed culverts and a road washout at the Mouillee Creek crossing, Roberts Road is closed to traffic south of Reaume Road for the entire 2026 waterfowl season. The DNR says there's no alternate route and no safe temporary fix, and reconstruction requires engineering, surveys and permitting with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Monroe County Road Commission.

What it means for you:

• One of the two main boat launches is unreachable.
• To reach the Humphries Unit by boat, launch at the Pointe Mouillee SGA headquarters boat launch, then use the pullovers at the Huron River/Vermet unit (north causeway) and the Vermet/Humphries unit (middle causeway). They're marked with unit signs and flashing yellow lights.
• The DNR warns that wind and weather can make the north causeway pullover unusable. Have a plan B on windy days.

Rules that are specific to Pointe Mouillee

From Section 13.3a of the Wildlife Conservation Order, inside the managed waterfowl hunting area:

• No more than 25 shells in your possession or use during any hunting period.
• Non-toxic shot only. It's unlawful to use or possess any other shot, loose or loaded, except single-projectile loads.
• A hunting permit is required for all waterfowl hunting, and permits must be returned to the check station right after your hunting period ends or when you quit.
• No small-game or deer hunting in the managed waterfowl hunting area during the regular waterfowl season.

And from Section 13.2, which covers all managed state game areas: don't hunt outside your assigned zone; don't hunt or shoot from dikes, trails, safety zones or retrieving zones posted against it; stay out of areas posted "wildlife refuge – do not enter"; and don't leave without returning your permit and submitting your game for examination.

All the statewide rules apply too: shotgun 10-gauge or smaller holding no more than three shells, one firearm per hunter, no electronic calls, and the South Zone bag limits in our season dates page.

What's been showing up

For context only (this changes weekly), the manager reported for Nov. 2–8, 2026: mallards made up most of the birds, black ducks were common, pintails and green-winged teal were present in decent numbers, and there were reports of redheads and canvasbacks moving into the Detroit River and Lake Erie. Managed-unit harvest ran about 1.11 ducks per hunter trip that week (1.14 season to date), mostly mallards with some pintails and green-winged teal. Read the current manager's update before every trip instead of relying on this.

What to bring

The basics the DNR recommends for managed areas — waders, decoys and calls, plus a small boat for the boat-access zones. For Pointe Mouillee specifically:

• Shells counted out to 25 or fewer, all non-toxic
• Your base license, waterfowl license (with HIP) and federal duck stamp (electronic is fine — the DNR says you must be able to show it on your phone)
• A pole or push-pole for shallow boat zones in Long Pond
• A dry bag for your phone and licenses

Full list: Michigan waterfowl license and gear checklist.

I haven't hunted Pointe Mouillee, so I don't have a preferred unit. The unit descriptions and conditions above are from the manager's Nov. 2–8, 2026 update — read the current update before you go, because they change week to week.

Disclaimer: Always verify current regulations with the Michigan DNR before every hunt, including the Pointe Mouillee manager's update and the DNR waterfowl regulations summary. The Marsh Brief is independent and not affiliated with the DNR. Last verified November 11, 2026.

Sources

• Michigan DNR, Pointe Mouillee State Game Area page (description, 2026 draw schedule, Roberts Road closure): https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/things-to-do/hunting/where/wetland-wonders/pointe-mouillee-sga — retrieved Nov. 11, 2026
• Michigan DNR, Pointe Mouillee manager's update, week of Nov. 2–8, 2026 (units, conditions, draw counts, harvest, upcoming dates): https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/things-to-do/hunting/where/wetland-wonders/pointe-mouillee-sga/manager-update — retrieved Nov. 11, 2026
• Michigan DNR, 2026 Waterfowl Hunting Regulations Summary (draw schedule, youth and veterans dates, reserved hunts, equipment rules): https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/managing-resources/laws/regulations/waterfowl
• Michigan DNR, Wildlife Conservation Order Chapter XIII (sections 13.2, 13.3, 13.3a): https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/-/media/Project/Websites/dnr/Documents/Orders/Wildlife-Conservation-Order/ChapterXIII.pdf
• Michigan DNR, State Game/Wildlife Areas list (acreage): https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/things-to-do/hunting/where/state-wildlife-game-areas-list