Carlton County, Minnesota: public hunting land
Carlton County has 81,554 acres of public land open to the public, 14.6% of the county, the largest share state forest and other DNR land (63,601 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). The DNR's map shows 10 wildlife management areas here covering 8,490 acres, the largest Blackhoof River WMA (4,028 acres in the county). Deer here are counted by deer permit area: DPA 156 (1,900 deer in 2025), DPA 153 (1,144 deer in 2025), DPA 199 (110 deer in 2025) and DPA 154 (502 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 landState parksCounty, city and regional landCarlton CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 560,021 acres (875 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Public land | 14.6% (81,554 acres) |
| WMAs | 10 (8,490 acres) |
| Walk-In Access | None mapped this year |
| Deer permit areas | DPA 156, DPA 153, DPA 199, DPA 154, DPA 182, DPA 173, DPA 181 |
| Towns | Cloquet, Carlton, Moose Lake, Cromwell, Sturgeon Lake and Tamarack |
How much public hunting land is in Carlton County?
81,554 of the county's 560,021 acres are public land open to the public (14.6%). 72,727 acres of that are state wildlife, state forest or federal land, where hunting is the rule rather than the exception.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Carlton County |
|---|---|---|
| State forest and other DNR land | 63,601 | 11.4% |
| State wildlife management areas | 9,126 | 1.6% |
| State parks | 8,532 | 1.5% |
| County, city and regional land | 295 | 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 81,554 | 14.6% |
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 Carlton County by PAD-US, besides the WMAs: Fond Du Lac State Forest (41,276 acres), Nemadji State Forest (9,526 acres) and Pine Valley Park (162 acres).
Which wildlife management areas are in Carlton County?
10, largest first.
| WMA | Acres in the county | DNR lists for hunting |
|---|---|---|
| Blackhoof River WMA | 4,028 | deer, wild turkey, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Kettle Lake WMA | 1,313 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Gichigami Ziibi WMA | 895 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Firebird WMA | 728 | deer, wild turkey, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Sawyer WMA | 600 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Red Clover WMA | 323 | deer and small game |
| Mervin WMA | 242 | deer, wild turkey, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Dye WMA | 161 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Wrenshall WMA | 160 | deer, wild turkey, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Carl Sandell WMA | 40 | deer, wild turkey, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
How many deer are taken in Carlton County?
The DNR counts deer by permit area, not by county. Carlton County lies in 7 permit areas; the largest share is in DPA 156 (40.9% 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 156 | 40.9% | 1,900 | 2025 |
| DPA 153 | 23.2% | 1,144 | 2025 |
| DPA 199 | 9.8% | 110 | 2025 |
| DPA 154 | 8% | 502 | 2025 |
| DPA 182 | 7% | 824 | 2025 |
| DPA 173 | 6.3% | 528 | 2025 |
| DPA 181 | 4.9% | 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 Carlton County?
Highways: I-35 (about 64 miles in the county), MN 210 (about 39 miles in the county), MN 73 (about 31 miles in the county), MN 23 (about 20 miles in the county) and MN 27 (about 16 miles in the county). Towns: Cloquet, Carlton, Moose Lake, Cromwell, Wrenshall, Wright, Barnum and Scanlon.
Questions hunters ask
What is the largest public land in Carlton County besides the WMAs?
By PAD-US 4.1: Fond Du Lac State Forest (41,276 acres in the county), Nemadji State Forest (9,526 acres in the county) and Pine Valley Park (162 acres in the county). The largest kind of public land here is state forest and other DNR land, 63,601 acres.
What is the largest WMA in Carlton County?
Blackhoof River WMA, with 4,028 acres inside the county. The county has 10 WMAs in all.
Does Carlton 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 Carlton County in?
DPA 156 (40.9%), DPA 153 (23.2%), DPA 199 (9.8%), DPA 154 (8%), DPA 182 (7%), DPA 173 (6.3%) and DPA 181 (4.9%). 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 156 DPA 199 DPA 182 DPA 173 DPA 181 Pine County Aitkin County St. Louis County