Clearwater County, Minnesota: public hunting land
Clearwater County has 56,656 acres of public land open to the public, 8.6% of the county, the largest share state forest and other DNR land (29,457 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). The DNR's map shows 35 wildlife management areas here covering 4,714 acres, the largest Old Red Lake Trail WMA (1,255 acres in the county). Deer here are counted by deer permit area: DPA 684 (3,267 deer in 2025), DPA 210 (1,487 deer in 2025), DPA 298 (779 deer in 2025) and DPA 209 (1,486 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 areasOther federal landState parksCounty, city and regional landClearwater CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 659,420 acres (1,030 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Public land | 8.6% (56,656 acres) |
| WMAs | 35 (4,714 acres) |
| Walk-In Access | None mapped this year |
| Deer permit areas | DPA 684, DPA 210, DPA 298, DPA 209, DPA 287 |
| Towns | Bagley, Gonvick, Shevlin, Clearbrook, Gully and Solway |
How much public hunting land is in Clearwater County?
56,656 of the county's 659,420 acres are public land open to the public (8.6%). 34,404 acres of that are state wildlife, state forest or federal land, where hunting is the rule rather than the exception.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Clearwater County |
|---|---|---|
| State forest and other DNR land | 29,457 | 4.5% |
| State parks | 22,252 | 3.4% |
| State wildlife management areas | 4,947 | 0.8% |
| All public land open to the public | 56,656 | 8.6% |
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 Clearwater County by PAD-US, besides the WMAs: White Earth State Forest (17,802 acres), Mississippi Headwaters State Forest (1,939 acres) and Itasca Wilderness Sanctuary (1,601 acres).
Which wildlife management areas are in Clearwater County?
35, largest first.
| WMA | Acres in the county | DNR lists for hunting |
|---|---|---|
| Old Red Lake Trail WMA | 1,255 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Mosquito Creek WMA | 747 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Lower Rice WMA | 441 | deer, ducks and geese, bear and small game |
| Upper Rice WMA | 390 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Little Pine Lake WMA | 312 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Perch Lake WMA | 252 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Island Lake Fmha WMA | 212 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Le Blanc WMA | 159 | deer, sharp-tailed grouse and small game |
| Carter WMA | 105 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Frellsen Lake WMA | 56 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Long Lost Lake WMA | 54 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Mallard Lake WMA | 45 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Clearwater V & S 9 WMA | 42 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Little Rock Lake WMA | 40 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Wapatus Lake WMA | 40 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Sucker Lake WMA | 40 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Robinson Lake WMA | 40 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Spike Lake WMA | 37 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Little Bass Lake WMA | 36 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Stassen Lake WMA | 35 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Glanders Lake WMA | 35 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Mckenzie Lake WMA | 35 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Roy Lake WMA | 35 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Pickerel Lake WMA | 34 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Island Lake WMA | 33 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Gill Lake WMA | 33 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Gardner Lake WMA | 26 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Bagley Lake WMA | 25 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Daniel Lake WMA | 24 | deer, bear and small game |
| Upper Camp Lake WMA | 22 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| West 4 Legged Lake WMA | 21 | ducks and geese |
| Long Lost Lake South WMA | 20 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Sugar Bush Lake WMA | 20 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Minnow Lake WMA | 8 | ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Pine Lake WMA | 5 | ducks and geese |
How many deer are taken in Clearwater County?
The DNR counts deer by permit area, not by county. Clearwater County lies in 5 permit areas; the largest share is in DPA 684 (27% 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 684 | 27% | 3,267 | 2025 |
| DPA 210 | 22.9% | 1,487 | 2025 |
| DPA 298 | 14% | 779 | 2025 |
| DPA 209 | 13.8% | 1,486 | 2025 |
| DPA 287 | 3.7% | 85 | 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 Clearwater County?
Highways: MN 92 (about 35 miles in the county), US 2 (about 34 miles in the county), MN 89 (about 13 miles in the county), MN 1 (about 13 miles in the county) and MN 223 (about 8 miles in the county). Towns: Bagley, Gonvick, Shevlin, Clearbrook, Leonard, Rice Lake, South End and Ebro.
Questions hunters ask
What is the largest public land in Clearwater County besides the WMAs?
By PAD-US 4.1: White Earth State Forest (17,802 acres in the county), Mississippi Headwaters State Forest (1,939 acres in the county) and Itasca Wilderness Sanctuary (1,601 acres in the county). The largest kind of public land here is state forest and other DNR land, 29,457 acres.
What is the largest WMA in Clearwater County?
Old Red Lake Trail WMA, with 1,255 acres inside the county. The county has 35 WMAs in all.
Does Clearwater 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 Clearwater County in?
DPA 684 (27%), DPA 210 (22.9%), DPA 298 (14%), DPA 209 (13.8%) and DPA 287 (3.7%). 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 684 DPA 210 DPA 298 DPA 209 DPA 287 Polk County Becker County Hubbard County Beltrami County Mahnomen County Pennington County