Kanabec County, Minnesota: public hunting land
Kanabec County has 27,707 acres of public land open to the public, 8.1% of the county, the largest share state forest and other DNR land (13,976 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). The DNR's map shows 13 wildlife management areas here covering 13,438 acres, the largest Mille Lacs WMA (6,378 acres in the county). Deer here are counted by deer permit area: DPA 157 (4,606 deer in 2025), DPA 225 (5,598 deer in 2025) and DPA 152 (153 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 landKanabec CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 341,484 acres (534 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Public land | 8.1% (27,707 acres) |
| WMAs | 13 (13,438 acres) |
| Walk-In Access | None mapped this year |
| Deer permit areas | DPA 157, DPA 225, DPA 152 |
| Towns | Mora, Grasston, Ogilvie, Quamba, Braham and Henriette |
How much public hunting land is in Kanabec County?
27,707 of the county's 341,484 acres are public land open to the public (8.1%). 27,688 acres of that are state wildlife, state forest or federal land, where hunting is the rule rather than the exception.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Kanabec County |
|---|---|---|
| State forest and other DNR land | 13,976 | 4.1% |
| State wildlife management areas | 13,712 | 4% |
| County, city and regional land | 19 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 27,707 | 8.1% |
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 Kanabec County by PAD-US, besides the WMAs: Snake River State Forest (7,876 acres) and Rum River State Forest (3,523 acres).
Which wildlife management areas are in Kanabec County?
13, largest first.
| WMA | Acres in the county | DNR lists for hunting |
|---|---|---|
| Mille Lacs WMA | 6,378 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Ann Lake WMA | 1,876 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and bear |
| Kroschel WMA | 1,538 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and bear |
| Pomroy Pastures WMA | 991 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and bear |
| Rice Creek WMA | 857 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and bear |
| Erickson-Lidstrom Family WMA | 384 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and mourning doves |
| Tosher Creek WMA | 323 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and bear |
| Lake Five WMA | 276 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Bean Dam WMA | 247 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Hay Snake WMA | 237 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Whited WMA | 170 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and bear |
| Dalbo WMA | 122 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and bear |
| Wire Tree WMA | 39 | deer, pheasants and small game |
How many deer are taken in Kanabec County?
The DNR counts deer by permit area, not by county. Kanabec County lies in 3 permit areas; the largest share is in DPA 157 (79.3% 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 157 | 79.3% | 4,606 | 2025 |
| DPA 225 | 18.8% | 5,598 | 2025 |
| DPA 152 | 1.9% | 153 | 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 Kanabec County?
Highways: MN 65 (about 32 miles in the county), MN 47 (about 22 miles in the county), MN 23 (about 22 miles in the county), MN 70 (about 10 miles in the county) and MN 27 (about 10 miles in the county). Towns: Mora, Grasston, Ogilvie and Quamba.
Questions hunters ask
What is the largest public land in Kanabec County besides the WMAs?
By PAD-US 4.1: Snake River State Forest (7,876 acres in the county) and Rum River State Forest (3,523 acres in the county). The largest kind of public land here is state forest and other DNR land, 13,976 acres.
What is the largest WMA in Kanabec County?
Mille Lacs WMA, with 6,378 acres inside the county. The county has 13 WMAs in all.
Does Kanabec 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 Kanabec County in?
DPA 157 (79.3%), DPA 225 (18.8%) and DPA 152 (1.9%). 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 157 DPA 225 DPA 152 Pine County Aitkin County Isanti County Chisago County Mille Lacs County