Pine County, Minnesota: public hunting land
Pine County has 133,189 acres of public land open to the public, 14.5% of the county, the largest share state forest and other DNR land (118,111 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). The DNR's map shows 17 wildlife management areas here covering 7,312 acres, the largest Sandstone WMA (2,046 acres in the county). Deer here are counted by deer permit area: DPA 159 (1,863 deer in 2025), DPA 154 (502 deer in 2025), DPA 157 (4,606 deer in 2025) and DPA 156 (1,900 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 landState parksNational park landCounty, city and regional landPine CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 918,024 acres (1,434 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Public land | 14.5% (133,189 acres) |
| WMAs | 17 (7,312 acres) |
| Walk-In Access | None mapped this year |
| Deer permit areas | DPA 159, DPA 154, DPA 157, DPA 156, DPA 153, DPA 225 |
| Towns | Rock Creek, Sandstone, Pine City, Hinckley, Grasston and Braham |
How much public hunting land is in Pine County?
133,189 of the county's 918,024 acres are public land open to the public (14.5%). 126,144 acres of that are state wildlife, state forest or federal land, where hunting is the rule rather than the exception.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Pine County |
|---|---|---|
| State forest and other DNR land | 118,111 | 12.9% |
| State wildlife management areas | 8,033 | 0.9% |
| State parks | 5,250 | 0.6% |
| National park land | 1,763 | 0.2% |
| County, city and regional land | 32 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 133,189 | 14.5% |
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 Pine County by PAD-US, besides the WMAs: Nemadji State Forest (78,692 acres), Chengwatana State Forest (16,792 acres), General C.C. Andrews State Forest (5,728 acres), Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway (2,176 acres) and D.A.R. State Forest (364 acres).
Which wildlife management areas are in Pine County?
17, largest first.
| WMA | Acres in the county | DNR lists for hunting |
|---|---|---|
| Sandstone WMA | 2,046 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, mourning doves and bear |
| Rock Marsh WMA | 1,159 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| William M. Rath WMA | 845 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, mourning doves and bear |
| Rutledge WMA | 795 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Conservation Officer Eugene H. Wynn Jr. Memorial WMA | 694 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Bremen WMA | 447 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Pine County V&S 3 WMA | 296 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Pine County V&S 4 WMA | 285 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Sturgeon Lake WMA | 160 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| McGowan WMA | 125 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Kraft WMA | 94 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Mark Lake WMA | 82 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Pine County V&S 2 WMA | 81 | deer, wild turkey, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Hjalmar & Frances Storlie WMA | 79 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Pine City WMA | 56 | ducks and geese |
| Moose Lake WMA | 47 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Kettle River WMA | 21 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
How many deer are taken in Pine County?
The DNR counts deer by permit area, not by county. Pine County lies in 6 permit areas; the largest share is in DPA 159 (40.4% 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 159 | 40.4% | 1,863 | 2025 |
| DPA 154 | 17.1% | 502 | 2025 |
| DPA 157 | 16.5% | 4,606 | 2025 |
| DPA 156 | 12.1% | 1,900 | 2025 |
| DPA 153 | 11% | 1,144 | 2025 |
| DPA 225 | 2.9% | 5,598 | 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 Pine County?
Highways: I-35 (about 100 miles in the county), MN 23 (about 61 miles in the county), MN 48 (about 24 miles in the county), MN 70 (about 18 miles in the county) and MN 18 (about 12 miles in the county). Towns: Rock Creek, Sandstone, Pine City, Hinckley, Sturgeon Lake, Rutledge, Finlayson and Willow River.
Questions hunters ask
What is the largest public land in Pine County besides the WMAs?
By PAD-US 4.1: Nemadji State Forest (78,692 acres in the county), Chengwatana State Forest (16,792 acres in the county) and General C.C. Andrews State Forest (5,728 acres in the county). The largest kind of public land here is state forest and other DNR land, 118,111 acres.
What is the largest WMA in Pine County?
Sandstone WMA, with 2,046 acres inside the county. The county has 17 WMAs in all.
Does Pine 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 Pine County in?
DPA 159 (40.4%), DPA 154 (17.1%), DPA 157 (16.5%), DPA 156 (12.1%), DPA 153 (11%) and DPA 225 (2.9%). 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 159 DPA 157 DPA 156 DPA 225 Aitkin County Isanti County Carlton County Chisago County Kanabec County