Cass County, Minnesota: public hunting land
Cass County has 480,240 acres of public land open to the public, 31.1% of the county, the largest share national forest (275,652 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). The DNR's map shows 14 wildlife management areas here covering 27,226 acres, the largest Mud Goose WMA (17,021 acres in the county). Deer here are counted by deer permit area: DPA 197 (1,098 deer in 2025), DPA 172 (1,687 deer in 2025), DPA 246 (3,143 deer in 2025) and DPA 259 (1,643 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 forestOther federal landState parksCounty, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landCass CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 1,544,845 acres (2,414 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Public land | 31.1% (480,240 acres) |
| WMAs | 14 (27,226 acres) |
| Walk-In Access | None mapped this year |
| Deer permit areas | DPA 197, DPA 172, DPA 246, DPA 259, DPA 171, DPA 604, DPA 679, DPA 248 |
| Towns | Lake Shore, East Gull Lake, Walker, Chickamaw Beach, Motley and Jenkins |
How much public hunting land is in Cass County?
480,240 of the county's 1,544,845 acres are public land open to the public (31.1%). 479,869 acres of that are state wildlife, state forest or federal land, where hunting is the rule rather than the exception.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Cass County |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 275,652 | 17.8% |
| State forest and other DNR land | 174,803 | 11.3% |
| State wildlife management areas | 29,410 | 1.9% |
| State parks | 371 | under 0.1% |
| Other federal land | 4 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 480,240 | 31.1% |
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 Cass County by PAD-US, besides the WMAs: Chippewa National Forest (282,192 acres), Bowstring State Forest (58,424 acres), Land O'Lakes State Forest (28,655 acres), Foot Hills State Forest (18,632 acres), Battleground State Forest (9,644 acres), Pillsbury State Forest (9,360 acres), Welsh Lake State Forest (6,266 acres) and Remer State Forest (2,470 acres).
Which wildlife management areas are in Cass County?
14, largest first.
| WMA | Acres in the county | DNR lists for hunting |
|---|---|---|
| Mud Goose WMA | 17,021 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Meadow Brook WMA | 5,752 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Nuthatch WMA | 2,167 | deer, wild turkey, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Daggett Brook WMA | 632 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Dry Sand WMA | 430 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Mule Lake WMA | 351 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Ah-gwah-ching WMA | 228 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Farnham Lake WMA | 191 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| George Cook WMA | 151 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Woman Lake WMA | 108 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Laura Lake WMA | 67 | ducks and geese |
| Big Rice WMA | 53 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Willow Lake Deer Yard WMA | 40 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Steamboat WMA | 35 |
How many deer are taken in Cass County?
The DNR counts deer by permit area, not by county. Cass County lies in 8 permit areas; the largest share is in DPA 197 (31.5% 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 197 | 31.5% | 1,098 | 2025 |
| DPA 172 | 28.2% | 1,687 | 2025 |
| DPA 246 | 22.5% | 3,143 | 2025 |
| DPA 259 | 6% | 1,643 | 2025 |
| DPA 171 | 5.1% | 1,165 | 2025 |
| DPA 604 | 4.3% | 3,509 | 2025 |
| DPA 679 | 1.7% | 2,146 | 2025 |
| DPA 248 | 0.7% | 1,109 | 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 Cass County?
Highways: MN 371 (about 55 miles in the county), US 2 (about 38 miles in the county), MN 64 (about 34 miles in the county), MN 6 (about 30 miles in the county) and MN 87 (about 19 miles in the county). Towns: Lake Shore, East Gull Lake, Walker, Chickamaw Beach, Federal Dam, Remer, Pine River and Cass Lake.
Questions hunters ask
What is the largest public land in Cass County besides the WMAs?
By PAD-US 4.1: Chippewa National Forest (282,192 acres in the county), Bowstring State Forest (58,424 acres in the county) and Land O'Lakes State Forest (28,655 acres in the county). The largest kind of public land here is national forest, 275,652 acres.
What is the largest WMA in Cass County?
Mud Goose WMA, with 17,021 acres inside the county. The county has 14 WMAs in all.
Does Cass 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 Cass County in?
DPA 197 (31.5%), DPA 172 (28.2%), DPA 246 (22.5%), DPA 259 (6%), DPA 171 (5.1%), DPA 604 (4.3%), DPA 679 (1.7%) and DPA 248 (0.7%). 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 197 DPA 172 DPA 246 DPA 259 DPA 171 DPA 604 DPA 679 DPA 248 Todd County Aitkin County Itasca County Wadena County Hubbard County Beltrami County Morrison County Crow Wing County