Lake County, Minnesota: public hunting land
Lake County has 941,387 acres of public land open to the public, 64.3% of the county, the largest share national forest (752,019 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). The DNR's map shows 2 wildlife management areas here covering 589 acres, the largest Caribou Falls WMA (315 acres in the county). Deer here are counted by deer permit area: DPA 131 (45 deer in 2025), DPA 117 (14 deer in 2025), DPA 118 (408 deer in 2025) and DPA 130 (142 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 forestOther federal landState parksCounty, city and regional landLake CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 1,464,214 acres (2,288 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Public land | 64.3% (941,387 acres) |
| WMAs | 2 (589 acres) |
| Walk-In Access | None mapped this year |
| Deer permit areas | DPA 131, DPA 117, DPA 118, DPA 130, DPA 133, DPA 126 |
| Towns | Silver Bay, Two Harbors, Beaver Bay, Finland, Winton and Ely |
How much public hunting land is in Lake County?
941,387 of the county's 1,464,214 acres are public land open to the public (64.3%). 923,249 acres of that are state wildlife, state forest or federal land, where hunting is the rule rather than the exception.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Lake County |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 752,019 | 51.4% |
| State forest and other DNR land | 161,883 | 11.1% |
| State parks | 18,111 | 1.2% |
| State wildlife management areas | 9,347 | 0.6% |
| County, city and regional land | 27 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 941,387 | 64.3% |
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 Lake County by PAD-US, besides the WMAs: Superior National Forest (756,533 acres), Finland State Forest (96,548 acres), Bear Island State Forest (7,301 acres) and Insula Lake State Forest (471 acres).
Which wildlife management areas are in Lake County?
2, largest first.
| WMA | Acres in the county | DNR lists for hunting |
|---|---|---|
| Caribou Falls WMA | 315 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Little Marais WMA | 274 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
How many deer are taken in Lake County?
The DNR counts deer by permit area, not by county. Lake County lies in 6 permit areas; the largest share is in DPA 131 (38.3% 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 131 | 38.3% | 45 | 2025 |
| DPA 117 | 22.6% | 14 | 2025 |
| DPA 118 | 15.3% | 408 | 2025 |
| DPA 130 | 11.6% | 142 | 2025 |
| DPA 133 | 10.3% | 449 | 2025 |
| DPA 126 | 1.8% | 117 | 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 Lake County?
Highways: MN 61 (about 59 miles in the county) and MN 1 (about 54 miles in the county). Towns: Silver Bay, Two Harbors, Beaver Bay, Finland and Knife River.
Questions hunters ask
What is the largest public land in Lake County besides the WMAs?
By PAD-US 4.1: Superior National Forest (756,533 acres in the county), Finland State Forest (96,548 acres in the county) and Bear Island State Forest (7,301 acres in the county). The largest kind of public land here is national forest, 752,019 acres.
What is the largest WMA in Lake County?
Caribou Falls WMA, with 315 acres inside the county. The county has 2 WMAs in all.
Does Lake 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 Lake County in?
DPA 131 (38.3%), DPA 117 (22.6%), DPA 118 (15.3%), DPA 130 (11.6%), DPA 133 (10.3%) and DPA 126 (1.8%). 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 131 DPA 117 DPA 118 DPA 130 DPA 133 DPA 126 Cook County St. Louis County