Shiawassee NWR vs. Shiawassee River SGA: 2026 Rules Side by Side

Always verify current regulations before you hunt — with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the refuge and the Michigan DNR for the state game area. We checked both on November 11, 2026. This is a guide, not legal advice.

There are two big public waterfowl properties in Saginaw County with almost the same name, and they run under completely different rules:

• Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge — federal land run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, near Saginaw. Locals call it the "Shiawassee Flats."
• Shiawassee River State Game Area — state land run by the Michigan DNR, at St. Charles. It's one of the DNR's managed "Wetland Wonders."

In 2026 the gap got wider, because the refuge dropped its weekly drawing. If you hunted the refuge before and are going off memory, read this first.

The quick comparison

Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge: the 2026 no-draw rules

The refuge's hunting page and the DNR's 2026 summary both say it plainly: new for 2026, hunters no longer apply for the weekly drawing. Waterfowl hunting is allowed within the designated waterfowl hunting unit — the refuge brochure's table lists "all state-listed migratory game birds" in Unit A.

The 2026 schedule:

• Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday: from the start of legal shooting hours until 12 p.m.
• Thursday: from 12 p.m. until the end of legal shooting hours.
• No other days. The refuge describes it as four days a week "with no limit on the number of parties participating."

Refuge-specific rules for migratory game birds, from the hunting page and the 2026 brochure:

• No more than 25 shotgun shells in your possession.
• Non-toxic shot only.
• Dogs are allowed.
• Access is permitted 2 hours before and after legal hunting hours.
• No hunting during the spring light goose season.
• Park in designated parking areas shown on the refuge map. Overnight parking is not allowed in the refuge or its lots. Don't block gates.
• Boating is allowed only on navigable waterways flowing through the refuge; the refuge maintains a boat launch on the Cass River off M-13.
• No cutting vegetation for blinds or any other purpose, and no paint, flagging, reflectors or tacks to mark trails or spots.
• Alcohol and controlled substances, including marijuana, are prohibited on the refuge, as are camping and fires.
• ATVs, UTVs and other off-road vehicles are prohibited.
• National wildlife refuges are closed to any activity not expressly permitted, and the brochure notes you're subject to inspection of licenses, equipment, bag, boats and vehicles by federal and state officers.

All Michigan licensing, season dates and bag limits still apply — you need your base license, Michigan waterfowl license (with HIP) and federal duck stamp exactly as you would anywhere else.

What changed and what didn't: the drawing went away; the days, half-day windows, 25-shell cap and non-toxic requirement are still in place. With no draw controlling numbers, expect the parking lots to be first-come, first-served — but that's our inference, not something the refuge has published.

I hunt the Shiawassee Flats, but I don't have a first-hand note on how crowded the refuge lots have been under the new no-draw system this fall. The refuge has not published lot-capacity guidance; the first-come, first-served inference above is ours, not an official rule. Check the refuge hunting page and map for designated parking before you go.

The refuge also hosts open-house days for scouting (in 2026: Sept. 5–7 and Sept. 25–27). Watch the refuge page for 2027 dates.

Shiawassee River State Game Area: still a daily draw

The state game area works like the other Wetland Wonders — see our managed waterfowl areas guide for the general process.

Draw times, with one discrepancy:

• Afternoon draw: daily at 11 a.m. (both sources agree).
• Morning draw: the 2026 DNR regulations summary says 5:30 a.m., but the Shiawassee River SGA page says 5:00 a.m. We couldn't confirm which is current. Call the office at 989-865-6211 before your first trip, check those pages before you go, and show up for the earlier time if in doubt.
• Opening weekend (Oct. 17–18, 2026) was by reservation, with 40 hunts per period in the 2026 reserved table.

Rules from Section 13.9 of the Wildlife Conservation Order (on lands posted "state game area – hunting by permit only"):

• A permit is required for all waterfowl hunting; return it to the check station when your hunting period ends or when you quit.
• No more than 25 shotshells per hunting period.
• Motion-winged decoys are prohibited.
• No camping on designated parking areas or posted lands Oct. 1 – Jan. 1.
• No small-game or firearm deer hunting in the managed waterfowl hunting area during waterfowl seasons.
• Party rules from Section 13.3 apply: register together, a maximum of four hunters, and up to three absentees may be listed.

Which zone is Saginaw County in?

Both properties are near the Saginaw River system south of Bay City. The Middle/South zone line follows M-20, U.S. 10 and M-25 through Midland and the Bay City area. The DNR's reserved hunt table puts Shiawassee River SGA's reserved opener on Oct. 17–18 — the South Zone opener — but zone boundaries are legal descriptions, so confirm your exact spot against the DNR's zone description and map. Our season dates page spells out the line.

A health note on Saginaw-area birds

The DNR's 2026 summary repeats a Michigan Department of Health and Human Services advisory: wild game from the floodplains of the Tittabawassee and Saginaw rivers downstream of Midland — including wood ducks and Canada geese that were tested — had high levels of dioxin and dioxin-like compounds. For waterfowl from that area, MDHHS advises:

• Remove the skin before cooking, and throw out the liver and other organs.
• Limit duck to two servings a month (skin removed) and goose to four servings a month.

Whether your particular hunting spot falls inside the advisory area is a map question. Check the Eat Safe Wild Game map before deciding what to keep and how to cook it.

The bottom line

• Hunting the refuge: no draw, four days a week, half-day windows (Thursday is the afternoon), 25 shells, non-toxic, designated parking, no overnight parking.
• Hunting the state game area: show up for the draw (confirm the morning time), 25 shells, no motion-wing decoys, return your permit.
• In both places: the season, bag limits and licenses are the regular Michigan ones.
• A mapping app with public-land layers can help you see where the refuge ends and state land begins, but treat any third-party boundary as a guide. Confirm the line on the refuge hunting page and the Shiawassee River SGA page before you go.

Disclaimer: Always verify current regulations with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Shiawassee NWR) and the Michigan DNR (Shiawassee River SGA and statewide rules) before every hunt. The Marsh Brief is independent and not affiliated with either agency. Last verified November 11, 2026.

Sources

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Shiawassee NWR Hunting page (2026 waterfowl hunt days/hours, 25 shells, non-toxic, dogs, access hours, open-house dates): https://www.fws.gov/refuge/shiawassee/visit-us/activities/hunting — retrieved Nov. 11, 2026
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2026 Shiawassee NWR Hunting and Fishing Regulations brochure (PDF, Sept. 8, 2026; Unit A, parking, boating, prohibited activities): https://doifwsnextprod.prod.acquia-sites.com/sites/default/files/2026-09/shiawassee_hunt26_online.pdf
• Michigan DNR, 2026 Waterfowl Hunting Regulations Summary (Wetland Wonders table incl. Shiawassee NWR no-draw note, reserved hunts, veterans draws, dioxin advisory, zone line): https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/managing-resources/laws/regulations/waterfowl
• Michigan DNR, Shiawassee River State Game Area page (acreage, 5:00 a.m./11 a.m. draw times): https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/things-to-do/hunting/where/wetland-wonders/shiawassee-river-sga
• Michigan DNR, Wildlife Conservation Order Chapter XIII (sections 13.2, 13.3, 13.9): https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/-/media/Project/Websites/dnr/Documents/Orders/Wildlife-Conservation-Order/ChapterXIII.pdf