Marshall County, Minnesota: public hunting land
Marshall County has 177,578 acres of public land open to the public, 15.3% of the county, the largest share state wildlife management areas (114,953 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). The DNR's map shows 28 wildlife management areas here covering 114,412 acres, the largest Thief Lake WMA (54,608 acres in the county). Deer here are counted by deer permit area: DPA 260 (421 deer in 2025), DPA 264 (1,995 deer in 2025), DPA 208 (465 deer in 2025) and DPA 101 (759 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 parksMarshall CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 1,160,287 acres (1,813 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Public land | 15.3% (177,578 acres) |
| WMAs | 28 (114,412 acres) |
| Walk-In Access | None mapped this year |
| Deer permit areas | DPA 260, DPA 264, DPA 208, DPA 101, DPA 203, DPA 268, DPA 661, DPA 256, DPA 111 |
| Towns | Argyle, Warren, Newfolden, Holt, Strathcona and Goodridge |
How much public hunting land is in Marshall County?
177,578 of the county's 1,160,287 acres are public land open to the public (15.3%). 177,292 acres of that are state wildlife, state forest or federal land, where hunting is the rule rather than the exception.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Marshall County |
|---|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 114,953 | 9.9% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 62,293 | 5.4% |
| State parks | 286 | under 0.1% |
| State forest and other DNR land | 46 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 177,578 | 15.3% |
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 Marshall County by PAD-US, besides the WMAs: Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge (61,826 acres).
Which wildlife management areas are in Marshall County?
28, largest first.
| WMA | Acres in the county | DNR lists for hunting |
|---|---|---|
| Thief Lake WMA | 54,608 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, sharp-tailed grouse, bear and small game |
| Elm Lake WMA | 15,736 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, sharp-tailed grouse, bear and small game |
| East Park WMA | 10,416 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, sharp-tailed grouse and mourning doves |
| Huntly WMA | 6,503 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Eckvoll WMA | 6,491 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Espelie WMA | 3,644 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, sharp-tailed grouse, bear and small game |
| Grygla WMA | 3,444 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, sharp-tailed grouse, bear and small game |
| Sem WMA | 2,838 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, sharp-tailed grouse, bear and small game |
| New Maine WMA | 2,665 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Moylan WMA | 1,715 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, sharp-tailed grouse, bear and small game |
| Florian WMA | 1,528 | deer, sharp-tailed grouse, bear and small game |
| Palmville WMA | 1,383 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, sharp-tailed grouse, bear and small game |
| Valley WMA | 656 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, sharp-tailed grouse, bear and small game |
| Red River of the North WMA | 533 | deer and small game |
| Wright WMA | 393 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Agder WMA | 279 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| West Valley WMA | 247 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Snowshoe WMA | 241 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, sharp-tailed grouse, bear and small game |
| Mudlac WMA | 240 | deer, ducks and geese and small game |
| New Folden WMA | 200 | deer, sharp-tailed grouse and small game |
| Cedar II WMA | 163 | deer and small game |
| Sharp WMA | 159 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, sharp-tailed grouse and small game |
| Spruce Valley WMA | 81 | deer and small game |
| Whiteford WMA | 76 | deer, ducks and geese, sharp-tailed grouse, mourning doves and small game |
| Alces WMA | 75 | deer and small game |
| Adolf Elseth Memorial WMA | 44 | deer, sharp-tailed grouse and small game |
| Deerwood WMA | 44 | deer, sharp-tailed grouse, bear and small game |
| Willow-Run WMA | 10 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, sharp-tailed grouse, bear and small game |
How many deer are taken in Marshall County?
The DNR counts deer by permit area, not by county. Marshall County lies in 9 permit areas; the largest share is in DPA 260 (31.6% 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 260 | 31.6% | 421 | 2025 |
| DPA 264 | 28.1% | 1,995 | 2025 |
| DPA 208 | 15.6% | 465 | 2025 |
| DPA 101 | 8.3% | 759 | 2025 |
| DPA 203 | 7.3% | 85 | 2025 |
| DPA 268 | 6.3% | 801 | 2025 |
| DPA 661 | 1.4% | 437 | 2025 |
| DPA 256 | 1% | 1,042 | 2025 |
| DPA 111 | 0.4% | 412 | 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 Marshall County?
Highways: MN 1 (about 31 miles in the county), MN 220 (about 30 miles in the county), US 59 (about 29 miles in the county), US 75 (about 26 miles in the county) and MN 32 (about 26 miles in the county). Towns: Argyle, Warren, Newfolden, Holt, Stephen, Grygla, Viking and Middle River.
Questions hunters ask
What is the largest public land in Marshall County besides the WMAs?
By PAD-US 4.1: Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge (61,826 acres in the county). The largest kind of public land here is state wildlife management areas, 114,953 acres.
What is the largest WMA in Marshall County?
Thief Lake WMA, with 54,608 acres inside the county. The county has 28 WMAs in all.
Does Marshall 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 Marshall County in?
DPA 260 (31.6%), DPA 264 (28.1%), DPA 208 (15.6%), DPA 101 (8.3%), DPA 203 (7.3%), DPA 268 (6.3%), DPA 661 (1.4%), DPA 256 (1%) and DPA 111 (0.4%). 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 260 DPA 264 DPA 208 DPA 101 DPA 203 DPA 268 DPA 661 DPA 256 DPA 111 Polk County Roseau County Kittson County Beltrami County Pennington County