Koochiching County, Minnesota: public hunting land
Koochiching County has 1,112,485 acres of public land open to the public, 55.1% of the county, the largest share state forest and other DNR land (1,088,927 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). The DNR's map shows 5 wildlife management areas here covering 1,910 acres, the largest Gold Portage WMA (766 acres in the county). Deer here are counted by deer permit area: DPA 104 (450 deer in 2025), DPA 109 (415 deer in 2025), DPA 107 (795 deer in 2025) and DPA 105 (2,485 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 forestNational wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areasOther federal landState parksNational park landCounty, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landKoochiching CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 2,019,246 acres (3,155 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Public land | 55.1% (1,112,485 acres) |
| WMAs | 5 (1,910 acres) |
| Walk-In Access | None mapped this year |
| Deer permit areas | DPA 104, DPA 109, DPA 107, DPA 105, DPA 110, DPA 169, DPA 177, DPA 119 |
| Towns | International Falls, Big Falls, Mizpah, Northome, Kelliher and Effie |
How much public hunting land is in Koochiching County?
1,112,485 of the county's 2,019,246 acres are public land open to the public (55.1%). 1,099,872 acres of that are state wildlife, state forest or federal land, where hunting is the rule rather than the exception.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Koochiching County |
|---|---|---|
| State forest and other DNR land | 1,088,927 | 53.9% |
| National park land | 10,928 | 0.5% |
| Other federal land | 8,636 | 0.4% |
| State wildlife management areas | 1,918 | 0.1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 1,333 | 0.1% |
| National forest | 391 | under 0.1% |
| County, city and regional land | 263 | under 0.1% |
| State parks | 89 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 1,112,485 | 55.1% |
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 Koochiching County by PAD-US, besides the WMAs: Pine Island State Forest (632,060 acres), Koochiching State Forest (318,336 acres), Smokey Bear State Forest (11,664 acres), North Black River Peatland (9,058 acres), Kabetogama State Forest (689 acres) and Superior National Forest (226 acres).
Which wildlife management areas are in Koochiching County?
5, largest first.
| WMA | Acres in the county | DNR lists for hunting |
|---|---|---|
| Gold Portage WMA | 766 | ducks and geese |
| Littlefork River WMA | 639 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and bear |
| Lessard Anderson WMA | 294 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, sharp-tailed grouse, bear and small game |
| Waldbillig WMA | 198 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Red Lake WMA | 13 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, sharp-tailed grouse, bear and small game |
How many deer are taken in Koochiching County?
The DNR counts deer by permit area, not by county. Koochiching County lies in 8 permit areas; the largest share is in DPA 104 (38.9% 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 104 | 38.9% | 450 | 2025 |
| DPA 109 | 29.1% | 415 | 2025 |
| DPA 107 | 15.5% | 795 | 2025 |
| DPA 105 | 10.7% | 2,485 | 2025 |
| DPA 110 | 2.7% | 1,210 | 2025 |
| DPA 169 | 1.5% | 927 | 2025 |
| DPA 177 | 0.9% | 510 | 2025 |
| DPA 119 | 0.7% | 279 | 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 Koochiching County?
Highways: US 71 (about 74 miles in the county), MN 11 (about 73 miles in the county), MN 65 (about 53 miles in the county), MN 1 (about 33 miles in the county) and MN 6 (about 26 miles in the county). Towns: International Falls, Big Falls, Mizpah, Northome, Littlefork and Ranier.
Questions hunters ask
What is the largest public land in Koochiching County besides the WMAs?
By PAD-US 4.1: Pine Island State Forest (632,060 acres in the county), Koochiching State Forest (318,336 acres in the county) and Smokey Bear State Forest (11,664 acres in the county). The largest kind of public land here is state forest and other DNR land, 1,088,927 acres.
What is the largest WMA in Koochiching County?
Gold Portage WMA, with 766 acres inside the county. The county has 5 WMAs in all.
Does Koochiching 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 Koochiching County in?
DPA 104 (38.9%), DPA 109 (29.1%), DPA 107 (15.5%), DPA 105 (10.7%), DPA 110 (2.7%), DPA 169 (1.5%), DPA 177 (0.9%) and DPA 119 (0.7%). 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 104 DPA 109 DPA 107 DPA 105 DPA 110 DPA 169 DPA 177 DPA 119 Itasca County Beltrami County St. Louis County Lake of the Woods County