Hubbard County, Minnesota: public hunting land
Hubbard County has 91,855 acres of public land open to the public, 14.4% of the county, the largest share state forest and other DNR land (80,854 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). The DNR's map shows 6 wildlife management areas here covering 4,043 acres, the largest Crow Wing Chain WMA (3,327 acres in the county). Deer here are counted by deer permit area: DPA 259 (1,643 deer in 2025), DPA 684 (3,267 deer in 2025), DPA 241 (7,163 deer in 2025) and DPA 258 (1,329 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 landHubbard CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 639,697 acres (1,000 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Public land | 14.4% (91,855 acres) |
| WMAs | 6 (4,043 acres) |
| Walk-In Access | None mapped this year |
| Deer permit areas | DPA 259, DPA 684, DPA 241, DPA 258, DPA 246, DPA 197, DPA 287 |
| Towns | Park Rapids, Akeley, Nevis, Laporte, Cass Lake and Menahga |
How much public hunting land is in Hubbard County?
91,855 of the county's 639,697 acres are public land open to the public (14.4%). 85,993 acres of that are state wildlife, state forest or federal land, where hunting is the rule rather than the exception.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Hubbard County |
|---|---|---|
| State forest and other DNR land | 80,854 | 12.6% |
| State parks | 5,808 | 0.9% |
| State wildlife management areas | 4,922 | 0.8% |
| Other federal land | 215 | under 0.1% |
| County, city and regional land | 54 | under 0.1% |
| National forest | 2 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 91,855 | 14.4% |
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 Hubbard County by PAD-US, besides the WMAs: Paul Bunyan State Forest (60,838 acres), Badoura State Forest (4,565 acres), Mississippi Headwaters State Forest (1,044 acres), La Salle Lake (985 acres) and Huntersville State Forest (651 acres).
Which wildlife management areas are in Hubbard County?
6, largest first.
| WMA | Acres in the county | DNR lists for hunting |
|---|---|---|
| Crow Wing Chain WMA | 3,327 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Kabekona WMA | 381 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Lowe WMA | 152 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Rockwood WMA | 81 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Birch Creek WMA | 52 | deer, ducks and geese, bear and small game |
| Wolf Lake WMA | 50 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
How many deer are taken in Hubbard County?
The DNR counts deer by permit area, not by county. Hubbard County lies in 7 permit areas; the largest share is in DPA 259 (40.6% 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 259 | 40.6% | 1,643 | 2025 |
| DPA 684 | 33% | 3,267 | 2025 |
| DPA 241 | 18% | 7,163 | 2025 |
| DPA 258 | 3.1% | 1,329 | 2025 |
| DPA 246 | 3% | 3,143 | 2025 |
| DPA 197 | 1.6% | 1,098 | 2025 |
| DPA 287 | 0.8% | 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 Hubbard County?
Highways: US 71 (about 55 miles in the county), MN 64 (about 31 miles in the county), MN 200 (about 31 miles in the county), MN 87 (about 30 miles in the county) and US 2 (about 14 miles in the county). Towns: Park Rapids, Akeley, Nevis, Laporte, Lake George and Hubbard.
Questions hunters ask
What is the largest public land in Hubbard County besides the WMAs?
By PAD-US 4.1: Paul Bunyan State Forest (60,838 acres in the county), Badoura State Forest (4,565 acres in the county) and Mississippi Headwaters State Forest (1,044 acres in the county). The largest kind of public land here is state forest and other DNR land, 80,854 acres.
What is the largest WMA in Hubbard County?
Crow Wing Chain WMA, with 3,327 acres inside the county. The county has 6 WMAs in all.
Does Hubbard 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 Hubbard County in?
DPA 259 (40.6%), DPA 684 (33%), DPA 241 (18%), DPA 258 (3.1%), DPA 246 (3%), DPA 197 (1.6%) and DPA 287 (0.8%). Bag limits and firearms dates follow the permit area.
Get a Minnesota hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for Minnesota are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Minnesota included.
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 259 DPA 684 DPA 241 DPA 258 DPA 246 DPA 197 DPA 287 Cass County Becker County Wadena County Beltrami County Clearwater County