Anoka County, Minnesota: public hunting land
Anoka County has 32,556 acres of public land open to the public, 11.4% of the county, the largest share state wildlife management areas (18,928 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). The DNR's map shows 7 wildlife management areas here covering 18,812 acres, the largest Carlos Avery WMA (15,903 acres in the county). Deer here are counted by deer permit area: DPA 601 (2,588 deer in 2025), DPA 227 (4,198 deer in 2025), DPA 236 (2,388 deer in 2025) and DPA 235 (191 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 wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areasCounty, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landAnoka CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 285,532 acres (446 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Public land | 11.4% (32,556 acres) |
| WMAs | 7 (18,812 acres) |
| Walk-In Access | None mapped this year |
| Deer permit areas | DPA 601, DPA 227, DPA 236, DPA 235 |
| Towns | Columbus, East Bethel, Ham Lake, Oak Grove, Champlin and St. Anthony |
How much public hunting land is in Anoka County?
32,556 of the county's 285,532 acres are public land open to the public (11.4%). 20,468 acres of that are state wildlife, state forest or federal land, where hunting is the rule rather than the exception.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Anoka County |
|---|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 18,928 | 6.6% |
| County, city and regional land | 12,080 | 4.2% |
| State forest and other DNR land | 1,540 | 0.5% |
| National park land | 8 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 32,556 | 11.4% |
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 Anoka County by PAD-US, besides the WMAs: Cedar Creek Nha (3,170 acres), Sandhill Crane Natural Area (628 acres), Bunker Hills Regional (County) (559 acres), Rum River Central Regional Park (421 acres), Rice Creek North Regional Trail Corridor (361 acres), Columbus Lake Conservation Area (259 acres), Lake George Regional Park (258 acres), Oakridge Park (186 acres), Kelsey Round Lake (152 acres) and Ham Lake Park (142 acres).
Which wildlife management areas are in Anoka County?
7, largest first.
| WMA | Acres in the county | DNR lists for hunting |
|---|---|---|
| Carlos Avery WMA | 15,903 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and mourning doves |
| Lamprey Pass WMA | 1,035 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and mourning doves |
| Gordie Mikkelson WMA | 860 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Bethel WMA | 676 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and bear |
| Robert and Marilyn Burman WMA | 204 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and mourning doves |
| Carl E. Bonnell WMA | 78 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Mallard Marsh WMA | 56 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and bear |
How many deer are taken in Anoka County?
The DNR counts deer by permit area, not by county. Anoka County lies in 4 permit areas; the largest share is in DPA 601 (47.6% 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 601 | 47.6% | 2,588 | 2025 |
| DPA 227 | 36.5% | 4,198 | 2025 |
| DPA 236 | 10.4% | 2,388 | 2025 |
| DPA 235 | 5.6% | 191 | 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 Anoka County?
Highways: MN 65 (about 52 miles in the county), MN 47 (about 49 miles in the county), I-35 (about 41 miles in the county), US 10 (about 35 miles in the county) and US 8 (about 27 miles in the county). Towns: Columbus, East Bethel, Ham Lake, Oak Grove, Andover, Nowthen, Blaine and Ramsey.
Questions hunters ask
What is the largest public land in Anoka County besides the WMAs?
By PAD-US 4.1: Cedar Creek Nha (3,170 acres in the county), Sandhill Crane Natural Area (628 acres in the county) and Bunker Hills Regional (County) (559 acres in the county). The largest kind of public land here is state wildlife management areas, 18,928 acres.
What is the largest WMA in Anoka County?
Carlos Avery WMA, with 15,903 acres inside the county. The county has 7 WMAs in all.
Does Anoka 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 Anoka County in?
DPA 601 (47.6%), DPA 227 (36.5%), DPA 236 (10.4%) and DPA 235 (5.6%). 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.
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