Morrison County, Minnesota: public hunting land
Morrison County has 15,463 acres of public land open to the public, 2.1% of the county, the largest share state wildlife management areas (7,174 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). The DNR's map shows 17 wildlife management areas here covering 6,401 acres, the largest Little Elk WMA (1,476 acres in the county). Deer here are counted by deer permit area: DPA 221 (4,908 deer in 2025), DPA 248 (1,109 deer in 2025), DPA 215 (5,267 deer in 2025) and DPA 249 (3,126 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 areasOther federal landState parksCounty, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landMorrison CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 738,255 acres (1,154 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Public land | 2.1% (15,463 acres) |
| WMAs | 17 (6,401 acres) |
| Walk-In Access | None mapped this year |
| Deer permit areas | DPA 221, DPA 248, DPA 215, DPA 249, DPA 214, DPA 222 |
| Towns | Little Falls, Flensburg, Sobieski, Elmdale, Fort Ripley and Pillager |
How much public hunting land is in Morrison County?
15,463 of the county's 738,255 acres are public land open to the public (2.1%). 14,388 acres of that are state wildlife, state forest or federal land, where hunting is the rule rather than the exception.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Morrison County |
|---|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 7,174 | 1% |
| State forest and other DNR land | 5,001 | 0.7% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 2,196 | 0.3% |
| State parks | 811 | 0.1% |
| County, city and regional land | 259 | under 0.1% |
| Other federal land | 17 | under 0.1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 5 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 15,463 | 2.1% |
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 Morrison County by PAD-US, besides the WMAs: Crane Meadows National Wildlife Refuge (2,198 acres) and Rum River State Forest (631 acres).
Which wildlife management areas are in Morrison County?
17, largest first.
| WMA | Acres in the county | DNR lists for hunting |
|---|---|---|
| Little Elk WMA | 1,476 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and bear |
| Ereaux WMA | 731 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and bear |
| Mud Lake WMA | 714 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Clare Johnson - Carl W. Schmidt WMA | 702 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Rice-Skunk WMA | 665 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Rice Area Sportsmens Club WMA | 580 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and mourning doves |
| McDougall WMA | 472 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and mourning doves |
| Richardson WMA | 325 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Sponsa WMA | 218 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and mourning doves |
| Crane Meadows WMA | 189 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Stanchfield Lake WMA | 83 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Adams WMA | 81 | deer, wild turkey, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Coon Lake Marsh WMA | 54 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Wittiker WMA | 39 | deer, ducks and geese and small game |
| Otter Point WMA | 34 | ducks and geese and small game |
| Culdrum WMA | 31 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Oak Ridge WMA | 7 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
How many deer are taken in Morrison County?
The DNR counts deer by permit area, not by county. Morrison County lies in 6 permit areas; the largest share is in DPA 221 (35.2% 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 221 | 35.2% | 4,908 | 2025 |
| DPA 248 | 18.7% | 1,109 | 2025 |
| DPA 215 | 16.9% | 5,267 | 2025 |
| DPA 249 | 13% | 3,126 | 2025 |
| DPA 214 | 9.4% | 4,781 | 2025 |
| DPA 222 | 6.7% | 3,420 | 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 Morrison County?
Highways: US 10 (about 88 miles in the county), MN 27 (about 47 miles in the county), MN 25 (about 24 miles in the county), MN 371 (about 23 miles in the county) and MN 238 (about 22 miles in the county). Towns: Little Falls, Flensburg, Sobieski, Elmdale, Upsala, Harding, Royalton and Randall.
Questions hunters ask
What is the largest public land in Morrison County besides the WMAs?
By PAD-US 4.1: Crane Meadows National Wildlife Refuge (2,198 acres in the county) and Rum River State Forest (631 acres in the county). The largest kind of public land here is state wildlife management areas, 7,174 acres.
What is the largest WMA in Morrison County?
Little Elk WMA, with 1,476 acres inside the county. The county has 17 WMAs in all.
Does Morrison 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 Morrison County in?
DPA 221 (35.2%), DPA 248 (18.7%), DPA 215 (16.9%), DPA 249 (13%), DPA 214 (9.4%) and DPA 222 (6.7%). 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 221 DPA 248 DPA 215 DPA 249 DPA 214 DPA 222 Cass County Todd County Benton County Stearns County Crow Wing County Mille Lacs County