SE Michigan Public-Land Duck Hunting: Livingston, Washtenaw & Oakland

Always verify current regulations with the Michigan DNR before you hunt. Boundaries, closures and land-use rules can change, and the DNR's Mi-HUNT map shows only approximate boundaries. We checked the facts below against official DNR pages on November 11, 2026. This is a guide, not legal advice.

You don't have to drive to Lake Erie or Saginaw Bay to hunt ducks on public land. The three counties around Howell, Brighton, Pinckney, Ann Arbor and Holly hold a patchwork of state game areas, state wildlife areas and state recreation areas with lakes, marshes, creeks and flooded timber. The catch is that they don't all follow the same rules, and a few close parts of their ground to waterfowl hunting at certain times.

This guide sorts out which properties are which, what rules change between them, and how the South Zone's late season lines up.

Two kinds of state land, two rule sets

State game areas (SGAs) and state wildlife areas (SWAs) are run by the DNR Wildlife Division and bought largely with hunting dollars. They're open to hunting under statewide rules plus the DNR's land-use rules. According to the DNR Wildlife Division's parking guidance, no special state parking permit is needed in the prepared lots of dedicated wildlife and game areas.

State recreation areas are run by DNR Parks and Recreation. The DNR's rule of thumb: state recreation areas are open to hunting unless closed by law; state parks are closed to hunting unless opened by law. About 92% of state park and recreation-area land is open to hunting. But recreation areas come with two extra wrinkles:

1. You need a Recreation Passport on any motor vehicle entering or parking in a state park or recreation area — including the wildlife units inside recreation areas — and at designated state boating access sites. Walking or biking in doesn't require one.
2. Several have seasonal or permanent waterfowl closures on parts of their ground (details below).

Livingston County public land

From the DNR's State Game/Wildlife Areas list:

Gregory SGA is split into west and east units (the Unadilla Township recreation plan puts the west unit around 1,747 acres). The DNR's Gregory map carries a pointed warning: "Always be careful around water and ditch/dikes for deep water!"

Livingston County is also home to big chunks of Pinckney Recreation Area and Brighton Recreation Area, and Island Lake Recreation Area sits on the Livingston–Oakland line. All three have waterfowl closures in early fall (table below).

I hunt puddle ducks on water and Canada geese in fields in Livingston and Ingham counties. I'm not going to name specific properties or holes here — the table above is the official DNR list of public land in the county, and Mi-HUNT is the place to start scouting it.

Washtenaw County public land

Remember that the Waterloo Wildlife Unit is part of a recreation area, so the Recreation Passport rule and recreation-area closures apply there.

Oakland County public land

Oakland also has several recreation areas — Highland, Proud Lake, Ortonville, Pontiac Lake, Holly and part of Island Lake — with the waterfowl closures listed next.

Recreation-area waterfowl closures (2026)

From the DNR's 2026 waterfowl regulations summary, for recreation areas in or near our three counties:

The practical takeaway: these closures mostly bite during the early teal season (Sept. 1–9) and early September goose hunting. By the regular South Zone duck opener in mid-October, the dated closures have ended — but Highland and Proud Lake have portions that stay closed, and any recreation area can have posted safety zones and no-hunting areas around campgrounds, beaches and buildings. Call the park office or check the posted maps before hunting a recreation area for the first time.

Rules that catch people on inland public land

All from the DNR's 2026 summary and land-use rules:

• Blinds on public land must carry your name and address, or your driver's license or DNR Sportcard number, permanently attached in legible English.
• Blinds on public waters need your name and address in waterproof letters at least 3 inches high, and can't be left anchored or attached to bottomlands before Aug. 15 or after Jan. 16.
• Don't cut branches, trees or other vegetation for shooting lanes on public land, and don't block gates, roads or trails.
• Don't use phragmites (common reed) in your blind. The DNR says you can't move or possess invasive plants, including for blinds.
• Safety zones: no hunting within 150 yards of an occupied building or farm building without written permission.
• Float hunting: on waterways protected by the recreational trespass law, you need landowner permission to hunt along private frontage. You can float-hunt waterways surrounded by public land that's open to hunting.
• Road rights-of-way are huntable only where the adjoining land is public. Railroad and private utility rights-of-way are off limits without written permission.
• Camping on state game areas requires a free permit where it's allowed at all, and dispersed camping isn't allowed in state parks or recreation areas.
• Clean your gear. Before trailering a boat, pull drain plugs, drain bilges and live wells, and remove aquatic plants — that's state law, with fines up to $100.

Finding the boundaries

The DNR points hunters to Mi-HUNT, its free interactive public-land map, and each state game area has a downloadable PDF map on the DNR's game area list. The DNR is explicit that Mi-HUNT boundaries are approximate and that you're responsible for knowing the rules where you're standing. A phone mapping app with public-land layers helps in the field, but treat any third-party boundary as a guide, not a guarantee.

The South Zone late season from SE Michigan

Every county in this guide is in the South Zone. For 2026–27:

• Ducks, coots and mergansers: Oct. 17 – Dec. 13 and Dec. 26–27, 2026.
• Dark and light geese: Sept. 1–30, Oct. 17 – Dec. 13, Dec. 26, 2026 – Jan. 3, 2027, and Feb. 6–15, 2027.
• Scaup: 2 per day from Nov. 2 through the end of the season.

Shooting hours are a half-hour before sunrise to sunset. The DNR's Zone A table, which you adjust by your area's offset on the hunting-hours map, lists 7:23 a.m. – 5:10 p.m. for Dec. 13 and 7:30 a.m. – 5:16 p.m. for Dec. 26. We haven't reproduced those offsets here, so check the map on the DNR waterfowl regulations page for your spot before you go.

A few late-season realities that follow directly from the calendar:

• Between Dec. 14 and Dec. 25, duck season is closed in the South Zone, and so is goose season. Don't scout with a gun.
• Dec. 26–27 is a two-day duck window. If small inland water is locked up, the larger rivers and big water are where open water tends to remain — see our late-season Great Lakes diver guide.
• Dec. 28 – Jan. 3 is geese only. Know what you're shooting at.
• Ice is a real hazard. The DNR's Gregory map warns about deep water at ditches and dikes. Don't walk on ice you haven't checked, don't send a dog onto thin ice, and tell someone where you're going.

I don't have specific freeze-up notes to add from my own late-season hunts. The calendar realities above still apply: inland water can lock up before the late South Zone window, ice is a real hazard, and the DNR's Gregory map already warns about deep water at ditches and dikes.

Licenses and gear

Same as anywhere in Michigan: base license, Michigan waterfowl license (with HIP) and a federal duck stamp if you're 16 or older. Our license and gear checklist has 2026 prices and a packing list. If you want a managed-area hunt within a day trip, start with our Pointe Mouillee draw guide.

Disclaimer: Always verify current regulations with the Michigan DNR before every hunt, including recreation-area closures, posted safety zones and the land-use rules for the specific property. The Marsh Brief is independent and not affiliated with the DNR. Last verified November 11, 2026.

Sources

• Michigan DNR, 2026 Waterfowl Hunting Regulations Summary (state parks and recreation areas, closures, blind rules, safety zones, waterways, rights-of-way, public land rules, invasive species, hunting hours, South Zone dates): https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/managing-resources/laws/regulations/waterfowl — retrieved Nov. 11, 2026
• Michigan DNR, State Game/Wildlife Areas list (area names, acreage, offices): https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/things-to-do/hunting/where/state-wildlife-game-areas-list — retrieved Nov. 11, 2026
• Michigan DNR, Gregory State Game Area map (PDF): https://michigandnr.com/publications/pdfs/huntingwildlifehabitat/sga/Gregory_SGA_map.pdf
• Michigan DNR Wildlife Division, Helpful Notes on Parking (PDF; no parking permit for dedicated wildlife/game areas, Recreation Passport for recreation-area wildlife units): https://www.dnr.state.mi.us/publications/pdfs/huntingwildlifehabitat/SWGAs/_DNR-WLD_help_notes_on_parking.doc.pdf
• Michigan DNR, Recreation Passport: https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/buy-and-apply/rec-pp
• Unadilla Township Recreation Plan 2024–2028 (Gregory SGA west/east unit acreage; local government source, not DNR): https://www.twp.unadilla.mi.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Unadilla-Township-Recreation-Plan-2024-2028.pdf