Aitkin County, Minnesota: public hunting land
Aitkin County has 416,099 acres of public land open to the public, 32.6% of the county, the largest share state forest and other DNR land (323,550 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). The DNR's map shows 27 wildlife management areas here covering 59,305 acres, the largest Moose Willow WMA (16,957 acres in the county). Deer here are counted by deer permit area: DPA 171 (1,165 deer in 2025), DPA 155 (1,134 deer in 2025), DPA 173 (528 deer in 2025) and DPA 156 (1,900 deer in 2025).
Data updated October 2026. Land: PAD-US 4.1. Wildlife Management Areas and Walk-In Access: the DNR's map layers, read 2026-10. Harvest: DNR Deer Harvest Reports, 2021 to 2025.
State wildlife management areasState forest and other DNR landNational forestNational wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areasOther federal landState parksCounty, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landAitkin CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 1,276,628 acres (1,995 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Public land | 32.6% (416,099 acres) |
| WMAs | 27 (59,305 acres) |
| Walk-In Access | None mapped this year |
| Deer permit areas | DPA 171, DPA 155, DPA 173, DPA 156, DPA 249, DPA 157, DPA 679, DPA 604, DPA 181 |
| Towns | Tamarack, Aitkin, McGregor, Hill City, Garrison and Isle |
How much public hunting land is in Aitkin County?
416,099 of the county's 1,276,628 acres are public land open to the public (32.6%). 401,553 acres of that are state wildlife, state forest or federal land, where hunting is the rule rather than the exception.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Aitkin County |
|---|---|---|
| State forest and other DNR land | 323,550 | 25.3% |
| State wildlife management areas | 59,748 | 4.7% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 18,114 | 1.4% |
| State parks | 14,546 | 1.1% |
| Other federal land | 118 | under 0.1% |
| National forest | 23 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 416,099 | 32.6% |
Measured by FilledTag inside the county line from USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). State wildlife management areas, state forest land and national forests are open to hunting in season; refuges and waterfowl production areas follow U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rules; state parks allow hunting only in special hunts; national park land is closed to hunting; city and county parks set their own rules. PAD-US 4.1 leaves out most of the tax-forfeited land Minnesota counties manage, much of it open to hunting, so the public land here may be more than shown; the county land department has the maps.
The largest public areas in Aitkin County by PAD-US, besides the WMAs: Savanna State Forest (123,556 acres), Hill River State Forest (79,424 acres), Solana State Forest (57,501 acres), Waukenabo State Forest (22,943 acres), Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge (18,077 acres) and Wealthwood State Forest (5,116 acres).
Which wildlife management areas are in Aitkin County?
27, largest first.
| WMA | Acres in the county | DNR lists for hunting |
|---|---|---|
| Moose Willow WMA | 16,957 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Kimberly Marsh WMA | 10,564 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Grayling Marsh WMA | 9,960 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Ripple River WMA | 5,230 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Aitkin WMA | 3,415 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Salo Marsh WMA | 2,036 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Little Willow River WMA | 1,861 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Willowsippi WMA | 1,693 | deer, ducks and geese, sharp-tailed grouse and small game |
| Gun Lake WMA | 830 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, sharp-tailed grouse and mourning doves |
| Newstrom Lake WMA | 796 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Roberts-Wickstrom WMA | 786 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Pliny WMA | 704 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Deer Run WMA | 699 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Mcgregor WMA | 651 | deer and ducks and geese |
| Woross WMA | 620 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| French Lake WMA | 537 | deer, ducks and geese, bear and small game |
| Wold WMA | 425 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and bear |
| Rabbit Lake WMA | 390 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Hay Point WMA | 350 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Little Hill River WMA | 274 | ducks and geese |
| Lawler WMA | 235 | deer and ducks and geese |
| Jewett WMA | 103 | ducks and geese |
| Cedar Lake WMA | 97 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Farm Island Lake WMA | 35 | ducks and geese |
| Swamp Lake WMA | 28 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Sandy Lake Resevoir WMA | 24 | ducks and geese |
| Hill Lake WMA | 5 |
How many deer are taken in Aitkin County?
The DNR counts deer by permit area, not by county. Aitkin County lies in 9 permit areas; the largest share is in DPA 171 (29.5% of the county). Each figure below is for the whole permit area.
| DPA | Share of the county | Deer harvested in the whole DPA | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| DPA 171 | 29.5% | 1,165 | 2025 |
| DPA 155 | 25.1% | 1,134 | 2025 |
| DPA 173 | 16.2% | 528 | 2025 |
| DPA 156 | 14.9% | 1,900 | 2025 |
| DPA 249 | 4.9% | 3,126 | 2025 |
| DPA 157 | 3.6% | 4,606 | 2025 |
| DPA 679 | 2.9% | 2,146 | 2025 |
| DPA 604 | 2.9% | 3,509 | 2025 |
| DPA 181 | 0.1% | 964 | 2025 |
Harvest: Minnesota DNR Deer Harvest Reports (2021 to 2025, 2025 report). Share of the county measured by FilledTag from the DNR's deer permit areas and the Census county line.
How do you get around Aitkin County?
Highways: MN 65 (about 64 miles in the county), US 169 (about 55 miles in the county), MN 210 (about 41 miles in the county), MN 18 (about 41 miles in the county) and MN 200 (about 34 miles in the county). Towns: Tamarack, Aitkin, McGregor, Hill City, Palisade and McGrath.
Questions hunters ask
What is the largest public land in Aitkin County besides the WMAs?
By PAD-US 4.1: Savanna State Forest (123,556 acres in the county), Hill River State Forest (79,424 acres in the county) and Solana State Forest (57,501 acres in the county). The largest kind of public land here is state forest and other DNR land, 323,550 acres.
What is the largest WMA in Aitkin County?
Moose Willow WMA, with 16,957 acres inside the county. The county has 27 WMAs in all.
Does Aitkin County have Walk-In Access land?
Not on the DNR's 2026 Walk-In Access map. The program is mostly in western and southern Minnesota.
Which deer permit area is Aitkin County in?
DPA 171 (29.5%), DPA 155 (25.1%), DPA 173 (16.2%), DPA 156 (14.9%), DPA 249 (4.9%), DPA 157 (3.6%), DPA 679 (2.9%), DPA 604 (2.9%) and DPA 181 (0.1%). Bag limits and firearms dates follow the permit area.
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Where these numbers come from
- Public land: USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). Wildlife Management Areas: Minnesota DNR Wildlife Management Area boundaries, publicly accessible. Walk-In Access: Minnesota DNR Walk-In Access sites.
- Deer harvest: Minnesota DNR Deer Harvest Reports (2021 to 2025, 2025 report).
- County line: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 cartographic county boundaries. Highways and towns: U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 primary and secondary roads.
FilledTag is not part of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Numbers are copied from the DNR and the federal sources above, or measured from their maps.
Minnesota hunting DPA 171 DPA 155 DPA 173 DPA 156 DPA 249 DPA 157 DPA 679 DPA 604 DPA 181 Cass County Pine County Itasca County Carlton County Kanabec County Crow Wing County St. Louis County Mille Lacs County