Hennepin County, Minnesota: public hunting land
Hennepin County has 37,899 acres of public land open to the public, 9.8% of the county, the largest share county, city and regional land (33,768 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). The DNR's map shows 1 wildlife management area here covering 197 acres, the largest Robina Lake WMA (197 acres in the county). Deer here are counted by deer permit area: DPA 601 (2,588 deer in 2025), DPA 338 (704 deer in 2025) and DPA 229 (1,039 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 parksNational park landCounty, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landHennepin CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 388,331 acres (607 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Public land | 9.8% (37,899 acres) |
| WMAs | 1 (197 acres) |
| Walk-In Access | None mapped this year |
| Deer permit areas | DPA 601, DPA 338, DPA 229 |
| Towns | Minneapolis, Corcoran, Bloomington, Plymouth, Lauderdale and Hanover |
How much public hunting land is in Hennepin County?
37,899 of the county's 388,331 acres are public land open to the public (9.8%). 3,246 acres of that are state wildlife, state forest or federal land, where hunting is the rule rather than the exception.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Hennepin County |
|---|---|---|
| County, city and regional land | 33,768 | 8.7% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 2,582 | 0.7% |
| State parks | 466 | 0.1% |
| State forest and other DNR land | 450 | 0.1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 379 | 0.1% |
| State wildlife management areas | 214 | 0.1% |
| National park land | 40 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 37,899 | 9.8% |
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 Hennepin County by PAD-US, besides the WMAs: Elm Creek Park Reserve (5,212 acres), Morris T Baker Park Reserve (2,729 acres), Crow-Hassan (2,586 acres), Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge (2,582 acres), Long Meadow Lake Unit Park (2,227 acres), Hyland Lake Park Reserve (956 acres), Theodore Wirth Regional Park (749 acres), Anderson Lakes Park Reserve (561 acres), Braemar Park (Courtney Fields) (443 acres) and Gale Woods Reg Park (377 acres).
Which wildlife management areas are in Hennepin County?
One: Robina Lake WMA.
| WMA | Acres in the county | DNR lists for hunting |
|---|---|---|
| Robina Lake WMA | 197 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
How many deer are taken in Hennepin County?
The DNR counts deer by permit area, not by county. Hennepin County lies in 3 permit areas; the largest share is in DPA 601 (98.7% 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 601 | 98.7% | 2,588 | 2025 |
| DPA 338 | 1.2% | 704 | 2025 |
| DPA 229 | 0.1% | 1,039 | 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 Hennepin County?
Highways: US 52 (about 62 miles in the county), I-94 (about 62 miles in the county), MN 55 (about 60 miles in the county), US 169 (about 55 miles in the county) and I-494 (about 55 miles in the county). Towns: Minneapolis, Corcoran, Bloomington, Plymouth, Maple Grove, Eden Prairie, Independence and Minnetonka.
Questions hunters ask
What is the largest public land in Hennepin County besides the WMAs?
By PAD-US 4.1: Elm Creek Park Reserve (5,212 acres in the county), Morris T Baker Park Reserve (2,729 acres in the county) and Crow-Hassan (2,586 acres in the county). The largest kind of public land here is county, city and regional land, 33,768 acres.
What is the largest WMA in Hennepin County?
Robina Lake WMA, with 197 acres inside the county.
Does Hennepin 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 Hennepin County in?
DPA 601 (98.7%), DPA 338 (1.2%) and DPA 229 (0.1%). 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.
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