Carl T. Johnson Hunting & Fishing Center

10/23/2026

🦌 FREE class - New to whitetail hunting or want learn more? Join us! Help spread the word to folks who'd like to learn more about hunting!!

🦌Learn to Hunt Whitetail Deer - DNR Outdoor Skills Academy
WHEN: October 31, 2026 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
LOC: Carl T. Johnson Hunting and Fishing Center, Cadillac

Want to try something new in Michigan’s great outdoors and need some help getting started? Let us help in this free clinic.

Topics: Find prime deer hunting locations using online maps, including MiHunt and OnX, to locate public land open to hunting. Learn how to use scents, look for deer sign and tracks, check wind direction and how to control unwanted scents. Instructors will discuss tips for managing your property to create optimal wildlife habitat for deer and other species, along with a comprehensive overview of the gear you'll need to succeed in the field.

FREE registration and details are available at https://dnr.idloom.events/learn-to-hunt-whitetails

10/20/2026

Now booking Spring field trips! (... we can even book winter snowshoeing, Nature Awaits, salmon, or other field trips for your students!) Message your email address to get on our notification list of FREE educational offerings and reserve your spot TODAY!)

Spring Registration is now open for Nature Awaits! This exciting field trip opportunity for fourth graders leads students onto the trails to discover how to make observations and think like a scientist about their surroundings. We hope to see you and your students in April, May or June! Sign up today at www.Michigan.gov/NatureAwaits

10/17/2026

Spring registration is now open!

10/08/2026

🦌Learn to Hunt Whitetail Deer - DNR Outdoor Skills Academy
WHEN: October 31, 2026 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
LOC: Carl T. Johnson Hunting and Fishing Center, Cadillac

Want to try something new in Michigan’s great outdoors and need some help getting started? Let us help in this free clinic.

Topics: Find prime deer hunting locations using online maps, including MiHunt and OnX, to locate public land open to hunting. Learn how to use scents, look for deer sign and tracks, check wind direction and how to control unwanted scents. Instructors will discuss tips for managing your property to create optimal wildlife habitat for deer and other species, along with a comprehensive overview of the gear you'll need to succeed in the field.

FREE registration and details are available at https://dnr.idloom.events/learn-to-hunt-whitetails

10/08/2026

The next episode airs tonight. Tune-in and ask your questions!

Have a question about Michigan’s great outdoors?

On Ask the Specialists: Ask the DNR, experts from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources are ready to answer your questions about wildlife, fishing, hunting, conservation, state parks, and more.

Tune in and hear directly from the people who help care for Michigan’s natural resources, and learn a little more about the places and wildlife that make our state special.

Watch Ask the Specialists: Ask the DNR on WCMU Public Television! Thursday, Oct. 8th at 7:00 pm on WCMU!

10/07/2026

🍁Did you know 1 in 12 men and 1 in 200 women are color blind? If you're on a fall leaf color tour this weekend, stop into the visitor center. We have a few pairs of glasses that correct color-blindness. Try them for free. Specially adapted EnChroma lenses help people who have red-green colorblindness to see color more clearly, distinctly and vibrantly. Scenic viewers or glasses are currently available at several Michigan state parks, with hopes to expand into additional parks in the future. Learn more about DNR locations with color blind scenic viewers or glasses at https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/about/accessibility/color-blind-scenic-viewers

🍂Leaves in the Cadillac area are just beginning to change. Reds are showing in sumac and red maples; yellows are showing on the cherries. Be sure to grab a copy of the Fall Color Guide by the Cadillac Area Visitors Bureau! This wonderful brochure features suggested routes for day trips around Cadillac’s lakes and the greater-Cadillac area.

The Carl T. Johnson Hunting & Fishing Center is open from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays through November 8.

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10/06/2026

𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥! 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞:
Labor Day - Nov. 8: Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Nov. 9 - Dec. 31: Closed*
(*𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴)

𝑺𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒎𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒐𝒐𝒏:
🦉Cryptid Walk, Night Hike & Storytelling
🦌Deer Hunting Clinic
🎣DIY Fish Lure Crafting (makes great gifts!)
🦌Hunter Safety Field Day
🐟Carvers Show
👧School Field Trips

If you're out touring the fall colors, don't forget our visitor center has color-vision correction glasses available to see the park! Glasses are available at the front desk and details can be found at: https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/about/accessibility/color-blind-scenic-viewers

Pick up a program schedule for details. It's available at our visitor center or campground kiosks. You can also find them online: https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/education/public/nature-programs/-/media/DBB4CA14EEC840F5BF0C67233A1CDE0E.ashx

10/04/2026

What a great weekend of activities! Help us wrap it up by casting your vote!

10/01/2026

🍎🎃Oh, NO! Someone fed the bear!!! Or perhaps he stole a picnic basket!!?

🐻🧺Happy Hay Days! …and Harvest Fest and fall fun at Wm. Mitchell State Park! So much to do this weekend here at the visitor center, campground, and throughout Cadillac West! Here’s our entry into the hay bale contest — a happy, hungry bear! Special thanks goes to our friends at the Cadillac Area Land Conservancy, who partnered to create this guy! Stop by this weekend and join in the great family fun — and don’t forget to vote for your favorite of the 23 hay bale decorations around town!!