Pennington County, Minnesota: public hunting land
Pennington County has 7,202 acres of public land open to the public, 1.8% of the county, the largest share state wildlife management areas (5,896 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). The DNR's map shows 5 wildlife management areas here covering 5,895 acres, the largest Pembina WMA (4,275 acres in the county). Deer here are counted by deer permit area: DPA 209 (1,486 deer in 2025), DPA 256 (1,042 deer in 2025), DPA 208 (465 deer in 2025) and DPA 257 (979 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 landPennington CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 395,577 acres (618 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Public land | 1.8% (7,202 acres) |
| WMAs | 5 (5,895 acres) |
| Walk-In Access | None mapped this year |
| Deer permit areas | DPA 209, DPA 256, DPA 208, DPA 257, DPA 264 |
| Towns | Thief River Falls, St. Hilaire, Goodridge, Viking and Plummer |
How much public hunting land is in Pennington County?
7,202 of the county's 395,577 acres are public land open to the public (1.8%). 7,126 acres of that are state wildlife, state forest or federal land, where hunting is the rule rather than the exception.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Pennington County |
|---|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 5,896 | 1.5% |
| State forest and other DNR land | 1,230 | 0.3% |
| County, city and regional land | 76 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 7,202 | 1.8% |
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.
Which wildlife management areas are in Pennington County?
5, largest first.
| WMA | Acres in the county | DNR lists for hunting |
|---|---|---|
| Pembina WMA | 4,275 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, sharp-tailed grouse and bear |
| Higinbotham WMA | 984 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, sharp-tailed grouse and bear |
| Oriniak WMA | 312 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, sharp-tailed grouse, bear and small game |
| Jacksnipe WMA | 203 | deer, sharp-tailed grouse and small game |
| Reiner WMA | 121 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
How many deer are taken in Pennington County?
The DNR counts deer by permit area, not by county. Pennington County lies in 5 permit areas; the largest share is in DPA 209 (42.5% 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 209 | 42.5% | 1,486 | 2025 |
| DPA 256 | 26% | 1,042 | 2025 |
| DPA 208 | 15.5% | 465 | 2025 |
| DPA 257 | 9.9% | 979 | 2025 |
| DPA 264 | 6.1% | 1,995 | 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 Pennington County?
Highways: MN 1 (about 43 miles in the county), US 59 (about 19 miles in the county), MN 32 (about 15 miles in the county) and MN 219 (about 3 miles in the county). Towns: Thief River Falls, St. Hilaire and Goodridge.
Questions hunters ask
How much public hunting land is in Pennington County, Minnesota?
7,202 acres, 1.8% of the county, are public land open to the public by PAD-US 4.1.
What is the largest WMA in Pennington County?
Pembina WMA, with 4,275 acres inside the county. The county has 5 WMAs in all.
Does Pennington 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 Pennington County in?
DPA 209 (42.5%), DPA 256 (26%), DPA 208 (15.5%), DPA 257 (9.9%) and DPA 264 (6.1%). 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 209 DPA 256 DPA 208 DPA 257 DPA 264 Polk County Beltrami County Marshall County Red Lake County Clearwater County