Isanti County, Minnesota: public hunting land
Isanti County has 7,323 acres of public land open to the public, 2.5% of the county, the largest share state wildlife management areas (6,585 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). The DNR's map shows 14 wildlife management areas here covering 6,425 acres, the largest Dalbo WMA (3,244 acres in the county). Deer here are counted by deer permit area: DPA 227 (4,198 deer in 2025) and DPA 225 (5,598 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 landCounty, city and regional landIsanti CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 289,066 acres (452 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Public land | 2.5% (7,323 acres) |
| WMAs | 14 (6,425 acres) |
| Walk-In Access | None mapped this year |
| Deer permit areas | DPA 227, DPA 225 |
| Towns | Cambridge, Isanti, Braham, Stanchfield, Bethel and St. Francis |
How much public hunting land is in Isanti County?
7,323 of the county's 289,066 acres are public land open to the public (2.5%). 6,828 acres of that are state wildlife, state forest or federal land, where hunting is the rule rather than the exception.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Isanti County |
|---|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 6,585 | 2.3% |
| County, city and regional land | 495 | 0.2% |
| State forest and other DNR land | 243 | 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 7,323 | 2.5% |
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 Isanti County by PAD-US, besides the WMAs: Spirit River Nature Area (128 acres) and Joe'S Lake Preserve (115 acres).
Which wildlife management areas are in Isanti County?
14, largest first.
| WMA | Acres in the county | DNR lists for hunting |
|---|---|---|
| Dalbo WMA | 3,244 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and bear |
| Marget Lake WMA | 508 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Spectacle WMA | 505 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and bear |
| Crooked Road WMA | 390 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Cranberry WMA | 317 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and bear |
| Spencer Brook WMA | 310 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and mourning doves |
| Marvin W. Schubring Memorial WMA | 282 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and bear |
| Becklin Homestead WMA | 277 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and bear |
| Athens WMA | 192 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and bear |
| Hoffman Lake WMA | 115 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Dobe WMA | 99 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and bear |
| Bethel WMA | 79 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and bear |
| Rice Creek WMA | 69 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and bear |
| Stanchfield WMA | 38 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and bear |
How many deer are taken in Isanti County?
The DNR counts deer by permit area, not by county. Isanti County lies in 2 permit areas; the largest share is in DPA 227 (56.9% 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 227 | 56.9% | 4,198 | 2025 |
| DPA 225 | 43.1% | 5,598 | 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 Isanti County?
Highways: MN 65 (about 38 miles in the county), MN 95 (about 25 miles in the county), MN 47 (about 24 miles in the county) and MN 107 (about 2 miles in the county). Towns: Cambridge, Isanti, Braham and Stanchfield.
Questions hunters ask
What is the largest public land in Isanti County besides the WMAs?
By PAD-US 4.1: Spirit River Nature Area (128 acres in the county) and Joe'S Lake Preserve (115 acres in the county). The largest kind of public land here is state wildlife management areas, 6,585 acres.
What is the largest WMA in Isanti County?
Dalbo WMA, with 3,244 acres inside the county. The county has 14 WMAs in all.
Does Isanti 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 Isanti County in?
DPA 227 (56.9%) and DPA 225 (43.1%). 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.
Minnesota hunting DPA 227 DPA 225 Pine County Anoka County Chisago County Kanabec County Sherburne County Mille Lacs County