Polk County, Minnesota: public hunting land
Polk County has 67,655 acres of public land open to the public, 5.3% of the county, the largest share national wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas (38,904 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). The DNR's map shows 44 wildlife management areas here covering 23,990 acres, the largest Polk WMA (2,762 acres in the county). Deer here are counted by deer permit area: DPA 661 (437 deer in 2025), DPA 210 (1,487 deer in 2025), DPA 256 (1,042 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 landNational wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areasState parksPolk CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 1,278,540 acres (1,998 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Public land | 5.3% (67,655 acres) |
| WMAs | 44 (23,990 acres) |
| Walk-In Access | None mapped this year |
| Deer permit areas | DPA 661, DPA 210, DPA 256, DPA 257, DPA 265, DPA 209, DPA 262 |
| Towns | East Grand Forks, Crookston, Fertile, Fosston, Oklee and Alvarado |
How much public hunting land is in Polk County?
67,655 of the county's 1,278,540 acres are public land open to the public (5.3%). 67,315 acres of that are state wildlife, state forest or federal land, where hunting is the rule rather than the exception.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Polk County |
|---|---|---|
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 38,904 | 3% |
| State wildlife management areas | 24,058 | 1.9% |
| State forest and other DNR land | 4,347 | 0.3% |
| State parks | 171 | under 0.1% |
| County, city and regional land | 169 | under 0.1% |
| Other federal land | 6 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 67,655 | 5.3% |
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 Polk County by PAD-US, besides the WMAs: Glacial Ridge National Wildlife Refuge (23,262 acres), Polk County Waterfowl Production Area (13,600 acres) and Rydell National Wildlife Refuge (2,042 acres).
Which wildlife management areas are in Polk County?
44, largest first.
| WMA | Acres in the county | DNR lists for hunting |
|---|---|---|
| Polk WMA | 2,762 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, sharp-tailed grouse, bear and small game |
| Chicog WMA | 2,432 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Pembina WMA | 2,346 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, sharp-tailed grouse and bear |
| Mentor Prairie WMA | 2,183 | deer, ducks and geese, sharp-tailed grouse, bear and small game |
| Maple Meadows WMA | 1,393 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Liberty WMA | 1,368 | deer and ducks and geese |
| Erskine WMA | 1,220 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, sharp-tailed grouse, bear and small game |
| Thorson Prairie WMA | 1,108 | deer, mourning doves and small game |
| Burnham WMA | 990 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Dugdale WMA | 960 | deer, ducks and geese, bear and small game |
| Tympanuchus WMA | 848 | deer and small game |
| Trail WMA | 609 | deer, ducks and geese and small game |
| Larix WMA | 589 | deer, ducks and geese, sharp-tailed grouse, bear and small game |
| Gully WMA | 446 | deer, sharp-tailed grouse, bear and small game |
| Tilden WMA | 426 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Dorr WMA | 378 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Kertsonville WMA | 371 | deer and small game |
| Enerson WMA | 282 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Onstad WMA | 280 | deer, ducks and geese and small game |
| Hovland WMA | 220 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Hasselton WMA | 216 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Kakaik WMA | 204 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, sharp-tailed grouse, bear and small game |
| Belgium WMA | 190 | deer, ducks and geese, sharp-tailed grouse and small game |
| Sagaiigan WMA | 178 | deer, ducks and geese, bear and small game |
| Shypoke WMA | 161 | deer, ducks and geese and small game |
| Stipa WMA | 161 | sharp-tailed grouse and small game |
| Timber Doodle WMA | 158 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, sharp-tailed grouse, bear and small game |
| Godfrey WMA | 145 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Brandsvold WMA | 144 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Hill River WMA | 139 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Crane WMA | 137 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, sharp-tailed grouse, bear and small game |
| Lengby WMA | 130 | deer, ducks and geese, bear and small game |
| Mule John WMA | 122 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Bee Lake WMA | 121 | deer, ducks and geese and bear |
| Alvarado WMA | 102 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Rindahl WMA | 82 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Woodside WMA | 79 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Castor WMA | 78 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Oak Ridge Marsh WMA | 56 | deer, ducks and geese and small game |
| La Voi WMA | 50 | deer and ducks and geese |
| Rosebud WMA | 46 | deer, ducks and geese, bear and small game |
| Dalea WMA | 37 | deer, sharp-tailed grouse and small game |
| Hangaard WMA | 22 | deer, ducks and geese, bear and small game |
| Kroening WMA | 21 | ducks and geese |
How many deer are taken in Polk County?
The DNR counts deer by permit area, not by county. Polk County lies in 7 permit areas; the largest share is in DPA 661 (38.5% 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 661 | 38.5% | 437 | 2025 |
| DPA 210 | 18.6% | 1,487 | 2025 |
| DPA 256 | 18.1% | 1,042 | 2025 |
| DPA 257 | 10.7% | 979 | 2025 |
| DPA 265 | 7.9% | 1,177 | 2025 |
| DPA 209 | 4.8% | 1,486 | 2025 |
| DPA 262 | 1.5% | 426 | 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 Polk County?
Highways: US 2 (about 71 miles in the county), MN 220 (about 51 miles in the county), US 75 (about 29 miles in the county), MN 102 (about 19 miles in the county) and MN 9 (about 18 miles in the county). Towns: East Grand Forks, Crookston, Fertile, Fosston, Beltrami, Mentor, McIntosh and Trail.
Questions hunters ask
What is the largest public land in Polk County besides the WMAs?
By PAD-US 4.1: Glacial Ridge National Wildlife Refuge (23,262 acres in the county), Polk County Waterfowl Production Area (13,600 acres in the county) and Rydell National Wildlife Refuge (2,042 acres in the county). The largest kind of public land here is national wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas, 38,904 acres.
What is the largest WMA in Polk County?
Polk WMA, with 2,762 acres inside the county. The county has 44 WMAs in all.
Does Polk 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 Polk County in?
DPA 661 (38.5%), DPA 210 (18.6%), DPA 256 (18.1%), DPA 257 (10.7%), DPA 265 (7.9%), DPA 209 (4.8%) and DPA 262 (1.5%). 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 661 DPA 210 DPA 256 DPA 257 DPA 265 DPA 209 DPA 262 Norman County Mahnomen County Marshall County Red Lake County Clearwater County Pennington County