Rhody Creek offers black bear hunting on 67 private acres of Upper Peninsula big woods near Grand Marais, Michigan. The property sits in Alger County in the Newberry Bear Management Unit, off the Rhody Creek Truck Trail in the Lake Superior State Forest region, right in the heart of Michigan's bear country.

Most of Michigan's black bears live in the Upper Peninsula, and this is the kind of country they favor: dense pine, glacial ridges, and swampy bottoms along Rhody Creek with plenty of cover and very few people. Bears travel thick timber and wet ground where they feel secure, and a quiet, low-traffic property gives you a real chance to close the distance.

Michigan bear tags come through a preference-point drawing and can take years to draw. When yours comes through, Rhody Creek is ready to hunt. One party of up to two hunters has the property at a time, with two ground blinds in place and tree blinds available. Park anywhere along the Rhody Creek Truck Trail and hunt the east side of the road, and bears come out by backpack or sled.

Each booking is a 5-day hunt with archery or firearm. You will need a Michigan base license and a bear license for the unit and hunt period you drew. Harvested bears must be registered with the DNR within 72 hours.

Fall is feeding season for Upper Peninsula black bears as they put on weight ahead of denning, moving between food sources, thick timber, and wet lowlands. Rhody Creek's swampy bottomland and creek corridor offer the cover and travel routes bears rely on, and the surrounding big woods region keeps human disturbance low. Early hunt periods in September find bears focused on fall foods, while later periods into October catch them fattening up before winter.

After your hunt, you will be sent an automated Harvest Report. To assist Infinite Outdoors in maintaining the quality of properties, and to continue to put conservation at the forefront, we require that the harvest report be completely filled out and returned. Failure to fill out the harvest report within 2 weeks of the hunt taking place will result in a $25 fine. If you are unsuccessful in filling your tag, Infinite Outdoors still needs to have that information provided to them. This is how we make changes to future harvest quotas and continue to be the most well managed access and conservation platform in the country.

5-Day Hunt. By booking the first day of your hunt, you are automatically booked for the following 4 days as well.

Upper Peninsula bear season runs in three hunt periods from early September through late October. Your license is valid only for the bear management unit and hunt period you drew. Check current season dates at https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/things-to-do/hunting/bear.

Michigan bear licenses are limited and awarded through an annual preference-point drawing. Applications are accepted each spring and drawing results post in late June. You may buy one bear application per year, either for a specific hunt or for a preference point only. If drawn, buy a base license and a bear license. Apply at michigan.gov/dnrlicenses or in the Michigan DNR Hunt Fish app, or from any license agent. Hunter education is required for hunters born on or after January 1, 1960. One bear per license. Cubs (bears under 42 inches from nose to base of tail) and sows with cubs may not be taken. Harvested bears must be presented at a DNR registration station within 72 hours.

In the 2025 Michigan bear drawing, residents needed 9 to 10 preference points for a Newberry first hunt period license, 5 to 6 points for the second period, and 1 to 2 points for the third period. Nonresidents can receive no more than 5% of the licenses in any hunt. Applying for a later hunt period is the fastest way to a tag. Full statistics are at michigan.gov/bear.

Reservation fees are due at the time of booking and are non-refundable. 50% of the outdoorsman fee will process 2 weeks after Michigan bear drawing results are posted. If you are unsuccessful in the draw, reach out to IO and the situation will be handled accordingly. The remaining 50% will process 1 month prior to the hunt.

Cancellations made prior to placing a deposit will be taken care of immediately. Any cancellations needing made after placing a deposit will result in attempts to reschedule the hunt for a different season, or a different year. Please note that refunds are not guaranteed.

If there is a lapse in availability, please do not be discouraged to reach out to IO. All calendars are set and managed by landowners, and unavailability is set by them. However, IO is willing to reach out on your behalf, to check on available dates. Other reasons for unavailable dates include biologist recommended hunter/harvest quotas that landowners implement, as well as state season dates not being released.

You are not legally allowed to access the property, for any adventure, prior to your selected access day. If you try to access the property at all before your selected date(s), without prior approval from IO, you will be subject to trespassing and punishments therein