Norman County, Minnesota: public hunting land
Norman County has 13,964 acres of public land open to the public, 2.5% of the county, the largest share state wildlife management areas (10,143 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). The DNR's map shows 15 wildlife management areas here covering 10,124 acres, the largest Neal WMA (1,851 acres in the county). Deer here are counted by deer permit area: DPA 262 (426 deer in 2025), DPA 265 (1,177 deer in 2025) and DPA 666 (686 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 areasNorman CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 561,114 acres (877 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Public land | 2.5% (13,964 acres) |
| WMAs | 15 (10,124 acres) |
| Walk-In Access | None mapped this year |
| Deer permit areas | DPA 262, DPA 265, DPA 666 |
| Towns | Ada, Twin Valley, Gary, Halstad, Nielsville and Fertile |
How much public hunting land is in Norman County?
13,964 of the county's 561,114 acres are public land open to the public (2.5%). 13,964 acres of that are state wildlife, state forest or federal land, where hunting is the rule rather than the exception.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Norman County |
|---|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 10,143 | 1.8% |
| State forest and other DNR land | 2,096 | 0.4% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 1,725 | 0.3% |
| All public land open to the public | 13,964 | 2.5% |
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 Norman County by PAD-US, besides the WMAs: Norman County Waterfowl Production Area (1,579 acres).
Which wildlife management areas are in Norman County?
15, largest first.
| WMA | Acres in the county | DNR lists for hunting |
|---|---|---|
| Neal WMA | 1,851 | deer, ducks and geese and small game |
| Agassiz-Olson WMA | 1,774 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Twin Valley WMA | 1,627 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Cupido WMA | 1,196 | deer and small game |
| Prairie Dunes WMA | 1,081 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, mourning doves and bear |
| Faith WMA | 661 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Syre WMA | 510 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Vangsness WMA | 325 | deer, ducks and geese and small game |
| Moccasin WMA | 294 | deer, ducks and geese and small game |
| Rockwell WMA | 209 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Ranum WMA | 183 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Agassiz-Nelson WMA | 120 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Dalby WMA | 116 | deer and small game |
| Home WMA | 95 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Ida WMA | 82 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
How many deer are taken in Norman County?
The DNR counts deer by permit area, not by county. Norman County lies in 3 permit areas; the largest share is in DPA 262 (42.3% 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 262 | 42.3% | 426 | 2025 |
| DPA 265 | 38.4% | 1,177 | 2025 |
| DPA 666 | 19.2% | 686 | 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 Norman County?
Highways: MN 200 (about 42 miles in the county), MN 9 (about 25 miles in the county), US 75 (about 24 miles in the county), MN 32 (about 24 miles in the county) and MN 113 (about 9 miles in the county). Towns: Ada, Twin Valley, Gary, Halstad, Borup, Hendrum, Perley and Shelly.
Questions hunters ask
What is the largest public land in Norman County besides the WMAs?
By PAD-US 4.1: Norman County Waterfowl Production Area (1,579 acres in the county). The largest kind of public land here is state wildlife management areas, 10,143 acres.
What is the largest WMA in Norman County?
Neal WMA, with 1,851 acres inside the county. The county has 15 WMAs in all.
Does Norman 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 Norman County in?
DPA 262 (42.3%), DPA 265 (38.4%) and DPA 666 (19.2%). 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 262 DPA 265 Clay County Polk County Becker County Mahnomen County