Kittson County, Minnesota: public hunting land
Kittson County has 74,682 acres of public land open to the public, 10.6% of the county, the largest share state wildlife management areas (71,509 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). The DNR's map shows 11 wildlife management areas here covering 71,483 acres, the largest Beaches Lake WMA (30,564 acres in the county). Deer here are counted by deer permit area: DPA 263 (1,024 deer in 2025), DPA 260 (421 deer in 2025) and DPA 264 (1,995 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 parksKittson CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 706,301 acres (1,104 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Public land | 10.6% (74,682 acres) |
| WMAs | 11 (71,483 acres) |
| Walk-In Access | None mapped this year |
| Deer permit areas | DPA 263, DPA 260, DPA 264 |
| Towns | Lancaster, Hallock, Karlstad, St. Vincent, Strandquist and Stephen |
How much public hunting land is in Kittson County?
74,682 of the county's 706,301 acres are public land open to the public (10.6%). 72,126 acres of that are state wildlife, state forest or federal land, where hunting is the rule rather than the exception.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Kittson County |
|---|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 71,509 | 10.1% |
| State parks | 2,556 | 0.4% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 427 | 0.1% |
| State forest and other DNR land | 190 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 74,682 | 10.6% |
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 Kittson County by PAD-US, besides the WMAs: Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge (431 acres).
Which wildlife management areas are in Kittson County?
11, largest first.
| WMA | Acres in the county | DNR lists for hunting |
|---|---|---|
| Beaches Lake WMA | 30,564 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, sharp-tailed grouse, bear and small game |
| Caribou WMA | 14,094 | deer, ducks and geese, sharp-tailed grouse, bear and small game |
| Twin Lakes WMA | 8,867 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, mourning doves, bear and small game |
| Skull Lake WMA | 7,444 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, sharp-tailed grouse and mourning doves |
| Pelan WMA | 3,637 | deer, wild turkey, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, sharp-tailed grouse, mourning doves and bear |
| Halma Swamp WMA | 3,029 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, sharp-tailed grouse, bear and small game |
| Percy WMA | 1,874 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, sharp-tailed grouse, bear and small game |
| Devils Playground WMA | 1,459 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, sharp-tailed grouse and small game |
| Deerwood WMA | 278 | deer, sharp-tailed grouse, bear and small game |
| Joe River WMA | 159 | deer, ducks and geese, sharp-tailed grouse and small game |
| Cannon WMA | 78 | deer, sharp-tailed grouse, bear and small game |
How many deer are taken in Kittson County?
The DNR counts deer by permit area, not by county. Kittson County lies in 3 permit areas; the largest share is in DPA 263 (52.7% 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 263 | 52.7% | 1,024 | 2025 |
| DPA 260 | 43.8% | 421 | 2025 |
| DPA 264 | 3.5% | 1,995 | 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 Kittson County?
Highways: MN 11 (about 38 miles in the county), US 75 (about 37 miles in the county), US 59 (about 36 miles in the county) and MN 175 (about 21 miles in the county). Towns: Lancaster, Hallock, Karlstad, St. Vincent, Halma, Lake Bronson, Kennedy and Donaldson.
Questions hunters ask
What is the largest public land in Kittson County besides the WMAs?
By PAD-US 4.1: Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge (431 acres in the county). The largest kind of public land here is state wildlife management areas, 71,509 acres.
What is the largest WMA in Kittson County?
Beaches Lake WMA, with 30,564 acres inside the county. The county has 11 WMAs in all.
Does Kittson 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 Kittson County in?
DPA 263 (52.7%), DPA 260 (43.8%) and DPA 264 (3.5%). 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 263 DPA 260 DPA 264 Roseau County Marshall County