Michigan is much like Florida, except the state has two peninsulas, and the entire state is covered in bodies of water. Of course, this makes it one of the most opportune states when it comes to duck hunting.
Michigan is full of open small lakes, and the coastal hunting is exceptional. It’s also situated right in the middle of the primary migratory lanes for ducks. You couldn’t be better positioned to fill your bags when the season rolls around each year.
Michigan also has a ton of WMAs (Wildlife Management Areas), along with several outfitters that will be more than happy to show you everything the great state of Michigan has to offer during waterfowl hunting season.
Michigan Duck Hunting Season
Michigan is split up into several zones, each of which has its starting and ending duck hunting dates. However, unlike a lot of other states that split up into zones, Michigan also allows a statewide duck hunt for a specific time.
North zone
Duck season opens for unspecified ducks, coots, and mergansers in mid to late September and runs until mid to late November. Two additional duck hunting days are tacked on at the end of November as well.
Middle zone
Ducks, coots, and mergansers open up just past the first week of October for most seasons. It doesn’t close again until the first week of December. Like the north zone, it opens up for an additional two days in mid-December.
South Zone
Ducks, coots, and mergansers open in the middle of October, and the season runs straight through the first week of December, ending at some point in the second week. Typically, the last day of December and New Year’s Day are the additional two days in the south zone.
Statewide
Early teal season lasts a little longer than two weeks and starts in the first week of September. After that, it’s a matter of waiting until sometime in October for the rest of duck season to open up.
Where to Hunt
The 29,000 acres that encompass Michigan’s Wetland Wonders is one of the best areas in the state, possibly the country, for duck hunting. Within this area, there are seven WMAs, including Nayanquing Point, Fish Point, Shiawassee River, Muskegon County Wastewater, Fennville Farm, Harsen’s Island, and Pointe Mouillee.
Saginaw Bay is another popular spot, along with just about any point along the Saginaw River. Like Florida, Michigan contains thousands of lakes, and wherever there are lakes, there will be ducks when the migration begins.
The best duck hunting spots in Michigan aren’t concentrated in a single location either. Duck hunting is fantastic all across the state. If you have a WMA near you and it’s sitting on a body of water, you will probably have some luck duck hunting.
What ducks can you shoot
Michigan duck hunting includes all of the most popular duck species for hunting throughout the United States. Like most other states, however, there is a bag limit that varies according to species, which we will cover more below.
- Wood ducks
- Redheads
- Canvasbacks
- Mallards
- Black ducks
- Pintails
- Scaups
- Mergansers
- Teals
Remember, the season for teal starts all on its own and doesn’t include any other species of duck outside of teals. Once regular duck season opens, teals are off-limits, but you can bag all of the ducks on the list above.
Bag Limits
While Michigan has bag limits on all the species of duck on the above list, scaups are treated according to the zones and specific dates within those zones.
- North Zone: No more than 2 scaups from late September to the end of the first week of November. No more than 1 scaup in November.
- Middle Zone: In the early portion of October, no more than 1 scaup is allowed, and at some point before October is up, 2 scaups are allowed.
- South Zone: The South Zone is essentially the same as the Middle Zone, except for the last day in December and the first day of January are added on.
The rest is pretty standard fare, with the possession limit being three times the daily bag limit.
- Mallards: No more than 4 (2 of which can be hens)
- Wood ducks: No more than 3
- Redheads: No more than 2
- Canvasbacks: No more than 2
- Black ducks: No more than 2
- Pintails: One only
- Mergansers: No more than five of which only 2 may be hooded
Bottom Line
Michigan is like a carbon copy of Florida, only with drastically different temperatures during the duck season. Unlike Florida, where you can dress in a thin, long-sleeve shirt for a duck hunter, dress warmly.
Michigan is an outstanding state for duck hunting because there is plenty of water, something that ducks simply have to have throughout their various pit stops. The daily bag limit is pretty standard as well.
You won’t find Michigan to be any more restrictive than most of the other states. If you are looking for some prime waterfowl hunting, it’s hard to find a better state than Michigan.
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