Becker County, Minnesota: public hunting land
Becker County has 119,652 acres of public land open to the public, 12.9% of the county, the largest share national wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas (61,176 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). The DNR's map shows 20 wildlife management areas here covering 7,796 acres, the largest Hubbel Pond WMA (3,515 acres in the county). Deer here are counted by deer permit area: DPA 258 (1,329 deer in 2025), DPA 298 (779 deer in 2025), DPA 241 (7,163 deer in 2025) and DPA 239 (3,595 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 areasState parksCounty, city and regional landBecker CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 924,727 acres (1,445 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Public land | 12.9% (119,652 acres) |
| WMAs | 20 (7,796 acres) |
| Walk-In Access | None mapped this year |
| Deer permit areas | DPA 258, DPA 298, DPA 241, DPA 239, DPA 666, DPA 297, DPA 251, DPA 287, DPA 684 |
| Towns | Detroit Lakes, Ogema, Frazee, Lake Park, Waubun and Menahga |
How much public hunting land is in Becker County?
119,652 of the county's 924,727 acres are public land open to the public (12.9%). 115,778 acres of that are state wildlife, state forest or federal land, where hunting is the rule rather than the exception.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Becker County |
|---|---|---|
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 61,176 | 6.6% |
| State forest and other DNR land | 45,382 | 4.9% |
| State wildlife management areas | 9,220 | 1% |
| State parks | 3,711 | 0.4% |
| County, city and regional land | 163 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 119,652 | 12.9% |
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 Becker County by PAD-US, besides the WMAs: Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge (43,498 acres), Smoky Hills State Forest (14,915 acres), Becker County Waterfowl Production Area (14,334 acres), Two Inlets State Forest (13,825 acres), White Earth State Forest (6,942 acres) and Hamden Slough National Wildlife Refuge (3,416 acres).
Which wildlife management areas are in Becker County?
20, largest first.
| WMA | Acres in the county | DNR lists for hunting |
|---|---|---|
| Hubbel Pond WMA | 3,515 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and mourning doves |
| Spring Creek WMA | 960 | deer, pheasants, bear and small game |
| Ogema Springs WMA | 680 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Frank WMA | 615 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, mourning doves and bear |
| Pickerel WMA | 321 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Coburn WMA | 321 | deer, ducks and geese and small game |
| Callaway WMA | 317 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Pednor WMA | 244 | deer and small game |
| Atlanta WMA | 182 | deer, ducks and geese and small game |
| Cuba WMA | 122 | ducks and geese |
| Shelly Island WMA | 103 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Bruce J. Schwartz WMA | 89 | wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Melbye WMA | 80 | deer and ducks and geese |
| Teiken-dalve WMA | 73 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Lunde WMA | 50 | deer and ducks and geese |
| White Earth WMA | 43 | deer and small game |
| Audubon WMA | 31 | deer |
| Stenseth WMA | 27 | deer |
| Sugarbush Lake WMA | 16 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Schultz Lake WMA | 7 | ducks and geese and small game |
How many deer are taken in Becker County?
The DNR counts deer by permit area, not by county. Becker County lies in 9 permit areas; the largest share is in DPA 258 (24.2% 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 258 | 24.2% | 1,329 | 2025 |
| DPA 298 | 18.9% | 779 | 2025 |
| DPA 241 | 18.5% | 7,163 | 2025 |
| DPA 239 | 12.2% | 3,595 | 2025 |
| DPA 666 | 12% | 686 | 2025 |
| DPA 297 | 8.7% | 224 | 2025 |
| DPA 251 | 4.7% | 103 | 2025 |
| DPA 287 | 0.4% | 85 | 2025 |
| DPA 684 | 0.2% | 3,267 | 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 Becker County?
Highways: US 10 (about 53 miles in the county), MN 34 (about 44 miles in the county), US 59 (about 33 miles in the county), MN 87 (about 28 miles in the county) and MN 113 (about 19 miles in the county). Towns: Detroit Lakes, Ogema, Frazee, Lake Park, Audubon, Callaway, Wolf Lake and Pine Point.
Questions hunters ask
What is the largest public land in Becker County besides the WMAs?
By PAD-US 4.1: Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge (43,498 acres in the county), Smoky Hills State Forest (14,915 acres in the county) and Becker County Waterfowl Production Area (14,334 acres in the county). The largest kind of public land here is national wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas, 61,176 acres.
What is the largest WMA in Becker County?
Hubbel Pond WMA, with 3,515 acres inside the county. The county has 20 WMAs in all.
Does Becker 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 Becker County in?
DPA 258 (24.2%), DPA 298 (18.9%), DPA 241 (18.5%), DPA 239 (12.2%), DPA 666 (12%), DPA 297 (8.7%), DPA 251 (4.7%), DPA 287 (0.4%) and DPA 684 (0.2%). 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 258 DPA 298 DPA 241 DPA 239 DPA 297 DPA 251 DPA 287 DPA 684 Clay County Norman County Wadena County Hubbard County Mahnomen County Clearwater County Otter Tail County