Crow Wing County, Minnesota: public hunting land
Crow Wing County has 36,803 acres of public land open to the public, 5% of the county, the largest share state forest and other DNR land (25,005 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). The DNR's map shows 18 wildlife management areas here covering 6,797 acres, the largest Birchdale WMA (1,426 acres in the county). Deer here are counted by deer permit area: DPA 604 (3,509 deer in 2025), DPA 249 (3,126 deer in 2025), DPA 172 (1,687 deer in 2025) and DPA 171 (1,165 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 landLand trusts and other open landCrow Wing CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 740,314 acres (1,157 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Public land | 5% (36,803 acres) |
| WMAs | 18 (6,797 acres) |
| Walk-In Access | None mapped this year |
| Deer permit areas | DPA 604, DPA 249, DPA 172, DPA 171, DPA 155 |
| Towns | Emily, Fifty Lakes, Crosslake, Baxter, Chickamaw Beach and East Gull Lake |
How much public hunting land is in Crow Wing County?
36,803 of the county's 740,314 acres are public land open to the public (5%). 33,974 acres of that are state wildlife, state forest or federal land, where hunting is the rule rather than the exception.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Crow Wing County |
|---|---|---|
| State forest and other DNR land | 25,005 | 3.4% |
| State wildlife management areas | 8,967 | 1.2% |
| State parks | 1,997 | 0.3% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 486 | 0.1% |
| County, city and regional land | 346 | under 0.1% |
| Other federal land | 2 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 36,803 | 5% |
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 Crow Wing County by PAD-US, besides the WMAs: Crow Wing State Forest (6,542 acres), Land O'Lakes State Forest (739 acres), Emily State Forest (640 acres) and Northland Arboretum (495 acres).
Which wildlife management areas are in Crow Wing County?
18, largest first.
| WMA | Acres in the county | DNR lists for hunting |
|---|---|---|
| Birchdale WMA | 1,426 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Duck Lake WMA | 1,042 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Round-Rice Bed WMA | 979 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Little Nokasippi River WMA | 481 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Hesitation WMA | 370 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Indian Jack Lake WMA | 320 | deer, wild turkey, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Harold & Marie Deutsch WMA | 314 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Poor Farm WMA | 312 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Kim Hennings WMA | 275 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Ray Cook WMA | 252 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Lower Dean WMA | 243 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Loerch WMA | 207 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Lowell WMA | 158 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Mission Lake WMA | 147 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Uppgaard WMA | 111 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Roosevelt WMA | 80 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Telef Paulson WMA | 40 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Upper Dean WMA | 40 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
How many deer are taken in Crow Wing County?
The DNR counts deer by permit area, not by county. Crow Wing County lies in 5 permit areas; the largest share is in DPA 604 (57.4% 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 604 | 57.4% | 3,509 | 2025 |
| DPA 249 | 28.1% | 3,126 | 2025 |
| DPA 172 | 7.9% | 1,687 | 2025 |
| DPA 171 | 5.1% | 1,165 | 2025 |
| DPA 155 | 1.6% | 1,134 | 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 Crow Wing County?
Highways: MN 371 (about 73 miles in the county), MN 210 (about 33 miles in the county), MN 25 (about 31 miles in the county), MN 6 (about 25 miles in the county) and MN 18 (about 22 miles in the county). Towns: Emily, Fifty Lakes, Crosslake, Baxter, Pequot Lakes, Brainerd, Breezy Point and Nisswa.
Questions hunters ask
What is the largest public land in Crow Wing County besides the WMAs?
By PAD-US 4.1: Crow Wing State Forest (6,542 acres in the county), Land O'Lakes State Forest (739 acres in the county) and Emily State Forest (640 acres in the county). The largest kind of public land here is state forest and other DNR land, 25,005 acres.
What is the largest WMA in Crow Wing County?
Birchdale WMA, with 1,426 acres inside the county. The county has 18 WMAs in all.
Does Crow Wing 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 Crow Wing County in?
DPA 604 (57.4%), DPA 249 (28.1%), DPA 172 (7.9%), DPA 171 (5.1%) and DPA 155 (1.6%). 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.
Minnesota hunting DPA 604 DPA 249 DPA 172 DPA 171 DPA 155 Cass County Aitkin County Morrison County Mille Lacs County