Itasca County, Minnesota: public hunting land
Itasca County has 608,147 acres of public land open to the public, 32.5% of the county, the largest share national forest (310,617 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). The DNR's map shows 12 wildlife management areas here covering 10,057 acres, the largest Morph Meadows WMA (4,878 acres in the county). Deer here are counted by deer permit area: DPA 679 (2,146 deer in 2025), DPA 169 (927 deer in 2025), DPA 197 (1,098 deer in 2025) and DPA 176 (599 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 forestState parksCounty, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landItasca CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 1,873,773 acres (2,928 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Public land | 32.5% (608,147 acres) |
| WMAs | 12 (10,057 acres) |
| Walk-In Access | None mapped this year |
| Deer permit areas | DPA 679, DPA 169, DPA 197, DPA 176, DPA 109, DPA 178, DPA 110, DPA 177, DPA 173, DPA 181, DPA 172 |
| Towns | Taconite, Cohasset, Grand Rapids, Coleraine, Funkley and Northome |
How much public hunting land is in Itasca County?
608,147 of the county's 1,873,773 acres are public land open to the public (32.5%). 605,384 acres of that are state wildlife, state forest or federal land, where hunting is the rule rather than the exception.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Itasca County |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 310,617 | 16.6% |
| State forest and other DNR land | 283,364 | 15.1% |
| State wildlife management areas | 11,210 | 0.6% |
| State parks | 2,366 | 0.1% |
| County, city and regional land | 397 | under 0.1% |
| Other federal land | 193 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 608,147 | 32.5% |
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 Itasca County by PAD-US, besides the WMAs: Chippewa National Forest (312,837 acres), George Washington State Forest (95,425 acres), Bowstring State Forest (57,551 acres), Big Fork State Forest (45,144 acres), Golden Anniversary State Forest (1,833 acres) and American Legion Memorial Park (207 acres).
Which wildlife management areas are in Itasca County?
12, largest first.
| WMA | Acres in the county | DNR lists for hunting |
|---|---|---|
| Morph Meadows WMA | 4,878 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Dishpan WMA | 1,558 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Swan River Deer Yard WMA | 909 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Prairie Lake Deer Yard WMA | 790 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Bowstring Deer Yard WMA | 771 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Sugar Lake WMA | 383 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Peloquin WMA | 323 | deer, ducks and geese, bear and small game |
| Bass Brook WMA | 300 | deer |
| Trout Lake Eagle WMA | 57 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Nature's Lake WMA | 40 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Balsam-Deer Islands WMA | 36 | ducks and geese and ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds |
| Nisbett Island WMA | 12 | ducks and geese |
How many deer are taken in Itasca County?
The DNR counts deer by permit area, not by county. Itasca County lies in 11 permit areas; the largest share is in DPA 679 (35.5% 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 679 | 35.5% | 2,146 | 2025 |
| DPA 169 | 30.7% | 927 | 2025 |
| DPA 197 | 15.8% | 1,098 | 2025 |
| DPA 176 | 5.4% | 599 | 2025 |
| DPA 109 | 4.8% | 415 | 2025 |
| DPA 178 | 3.7% | 1,521 | 2025 |
| DPA 110 | 2.3% | 1,210 | 2025 |
| DPA 177 | 0.8% | 510 | 2025 |
| DPA 173 | 0.6% | 528 | 2025 |
| DPA 181 | 0.3% | 964 | 2025 |
| DPA 172 | 0% | 1,687 | 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 Itasca County?
Highways: MN 65 (about 71 miles in the county), US 169 (about 57 miles in the county), US 2 (about 55 miles in the county), MN 6 (about 49 miles in the county) and MN 46 (about 44 miles in the county). Towns: Taconite, Cohasset, Grand Rapids, Coleraine, Nashwauk, Marble, Effie and Warba.
Questions hunters ask
What is the largest public land in Itasca County besides the WMAs?
By PAD-US 4.1: Chippewa National Forest (312,837 acres in the county), George Washington State Forest (95,425 acres in the county) and Bowstring State Forest (57,551 acres in the county). The largest kind of public land here is national forest, 310,617 acres.
What is the largest WMA in Itasca County?
Morph Meadows WMA, with 4,878 acres inside the county. The county has 12 WMAs in all.
Does Itasca 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 Itasca County in?
DPA 679 (35.5%), DPA 169 (30.7%), DPA 197 (15.8%), DPA 176 (5.4%), DPA 109 (4.8%), DPA 178 (3.7%), DPA 110 (2.3%), DPA 177 (0.8%), DPA 173 (0.6%), DPA 181 (0.3%) and DPA 172 (0%). 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 679 DPA 169 DPA 197 DPA 176 DPA 109 DPA 178 DPA 110 DPA 177 DPA 173 DPA 181 DPA 172 Cass County Aitkin County Beltrami County St. Louis County Koochiching County