Hunting / Farm Land, Country Homes & Estates for sale in Benzie County, MI

Benzie County lies in the northwestern region near the center of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. Benzie County has a land area of 319.70 square miles and a water area of 539.86 square miles. The county is ranked 65th in population for the state of Michigan. The county contains over 62,000 acres of State Forest Land, accounting for approximately 31% of the total land in the county. The terrain is mostly flat with small pockets of hills. The State Forest is located in a north/south tract towards the county’s center.

The county’s soils range from a mixture of well-drained sand to mucky soil and poorly drained peat. Wetland ecosystems thrive in the poorly drained soils. The shoreline is primarily covered with row crop cultivation and orchards. On the outwash plains to the south, drier soils support a mix of pine, oak, aspen, and red maple, while the moraine hills to the north support northern hardwoods. The most important winter yarding complexes in the area are Grass Lake (or Bendon Swamp) in the southeast and Deadstream Swamp in the northwest. Other historic winter yarding habitats may be found in riparian corridors such as the Platte and Little Betsie Rivers, as well as streams such as Dair Creek.

Riparian corridors also serve as crucial migration pathways for deer and other wildlife. Herring Swamp is another large yarding area, however it is completely on private property. Thermal shelter is also provided by numerous pine stands in highland locations. Recent demographic trends show that the deer population is gradually expanding. Most likely as a result of frequent mild winters and a slow but consistent drop in hunters or hunting effort. Whitetail deer, grouse, bear, ducks, turkey, and geese are among the game species available for hunting along the farm land, vacant land, waterfront, and hunting land for sale by Michigan Whitetail Properties in Benzie County, Michigan.