Northern Michigan is one of the best places in the Midwest to own hunting and recreational land. Around Lake City, Cadillac and Kalkaska, private land often borders thousands of acres of the Pere Marquette State Forest, with deer, turkey, grouse and trout streams close by. Here is what to look for when you buy.
What Makes a Good Hunting Property
- Habitat: a mix of cover, food and water. Edges where woods meet fields or swamps are where deer move.
- Access: a legal road or recorded easement, and a way to get in quietly without spooking game.
- Neighbors: land bordering state forest or Commercial Forest land extends where you can hunt and scout.
- Building sites: if you want a cabin later, check that a well and septic can be permitted. See Buying Land in Northern Michigan.
- Power and internet: optional for a camp, important if you plan to stay longer.
Public Land Nearby
The Pere Marquette State Forest covers large parts of Missaukee, Wexford, Kalkaska, Lake and Osceola counties. State forest land is open for hunting, and dispersed camping is allowed with a posted camp registration card when you are more than a mile from a state forest campground. The DNR Cadillac Forest Management Unit can be reached at 231.775.9727.
Land enrolled in Michigan’s Commercial Forest program is privately owned but must be open to the public on foot for hunting, trapping and fishing. Owners pay a low specific tax per acre. If you buy land already in the program, the public access rules come with it.
Ways to Lower Property Taxes on Forest Land
- Qualified Forest Program: parcels of 20 acres or more that are mostly productive forest can be exempt from up to 18 school operating mills with an approved forest management plan. There is no public access requirement. Leaving the program early can trigger a recapture tax, and sellers must disclose it, so ask about it on any forest land you buy.
- Qualified agricultural property: working farmland may qualify for its own exemption.
Hunting Rules to Know
- You cannot hunt with a firearm within 450 feet of an occupied home, cabin, barn or other farm building without written permission. On smaller parcels, that safety zone can cover much of the property.
- Hunter education is required to buy a license if you were born on or after January 1, 1960.
- For 2026, the regular firearm deer season runs November 15 to 30, archery runs October 1 to November 14 and December 1 to January 1, and harvest reporting is mandatory. Always check the current DNR regulations.
Financing Recreational Land
Hunting and recreational land is usually financed through local banks, credit unions or Farm Credit lenders, often with a larger down payment than a home loan. If the property includes a home you will live in full time, more loan options open up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I hunt near my own cabin?
Yes, the 450 foot safety zone protects occupied buildings, and as the owner you can hunt within it on your own land. You need written permission to hunt within 450 feet of someone else’s occupied building.
What is Commercial Forest land?
Private forest land enrolled in a state program. Owners pay a low per acre tax, and the land must be open to the public on foot for hunting, trapping and fishing.
Can I lower the property taxes on my hunting land?
Possibly. Forest land of 20 acres or more may qualify for the Qualified Forest Program, which can exempt it from up to 18 school operating mills with an approved management plan.
Is there public hunting land near Lake City and Cadillac?
Yes. Large parts of the Pere Marquette State Forest surround both towns and are open for public hunting.
Looking for hunting land or a camp up north? Send me a message or call or text 231.920.7579.