Mahnomen County, Minnesota: public hunting land
Mahnomen County has 40,580 acres of public land open to the public, 10.9% of the county, the largest share state forest and other DNR land (21,616 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). The DNR's map shows 16 wildlife management areas here covering 11,903 acres, the largest Vanose WMA (2,497 acres in the county). Deer here are counted by deer permit area: DPA 297 (224 deer in 2025) and DPA 298 (779 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 areasMahnomen CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 373,053 acres (583 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Public land | 10.9% (40,580 acres) |
| WMAs | 16 (11,903 acres) |
| Walk-In Access | None mapped this year |
| Deer permit areas | DPA 297, DPA 298 |
| Towns | Mahnomen, Waubun, Bejou, Beaulieu, Lengby and Winger |
How much public hunting land is in Mahnomen County?
40,580 of the county's 373,053 acres are public land open to the public (10.9%). 40,580 acres of that are state wildlife, state forest or federal land, where hunting is the rule rather than the exception.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Mahnomen County |
|---|---|---|
| State forest and other DNR land | 21,616 | 5.8% |
| State wildlife management areas | 12,123 | 3.2% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 6,841 | 1.8% |
| All public land open to the public | 40,580 | 10.9% |
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 Mahnomen County by PAD-US, besides the WMAs: White Earth State Forest (17,105 acres) and Mahnomen County Waterfowl Production Area (6,854 acres).
Which wildlife management areas are in Mahnomen County?
16, largest first.
| WMA | Acres in the county | DNR lists for hunting |
|---|---|---|
| Vanose WMA | 2,497 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Waubun WMA | 2,411 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Bejou WMA | 1,936 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Wambach WMA | 1,287 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Rush WMA | 813 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Gregory WMA | 617 | deer, pheasants and small game |
| Dittmer WMA | 562 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Santwire WMA | 538 | deer, ducks and geese and small game |
| Budde Meadows WMA | 282 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Beaulieu WMA | 280 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, mourning doves and bear |
| Loncrace WMA | 253 | deer, ducks and geese and small game |
| Mahgre WMA | 121 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, mourning doves and bear |
| Coburn WMA | 80 | deer, ducks and geese and small game |
| Killian WMA | 80 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, mourning doves and small game |
| Foot WMA | 78 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Warren WMA | 68 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
How many deer are taken in Mahnomen County?
The DNR counts deer by permit area, not by county. Mahnomen County lies in 2 permit areas; the largest share is in DPA 297 (55.4% of the county). Each figure below is for the whole permit area.
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 Mahnomen County?
Highways: US 59 (about 25 miles in the county), MN 113 (about 24 miles in the county) and MN 200 (about 24 miles in the county). Towns: Mahnomen, Waubun, Bejou, Beaulieu, Naytahwaush, Twin Lakes, Midway and West Roy Lake.
Questions hunters ask
What is the largest public land in Mahnomen County besides the WMAs?
By PAD-US 4.1: White Earth State Forest (17,105 acres in the county) and Mahnomen County Waterfowl Production Area (6,854 acres in the county). The largest kind of public land here is state forest and other DNR land, 21,616 acres.
What is the largest WMA in Mahnomen County?
Vanose WMA, with 2,497 acres inside the county. The county has 16 WMAs in all.
Does Mahnomen 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 Mahnomen County in?
DPA 297 (55.4%) and DPA 298 (44.5%). 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 297 DPA 298 Polk County Becker County Norman County Clearwater County