Pope County, Minnesota: public hunting land
Pope County has 21,150 acres of public land open to the public, 4.6% of the county, the largest share national wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas (14,790 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). The DNR's map shows 24 wildlife management areas here covering 4,281 acres, the largest Sedan WMA (580 acres in the county). The DNR's Walk-In Access program adds 4 sites of private land open to hunters, 291 acres in all. Deer here are counted by deer permit area: DPA 277 (4,575 deer in 2025), DPA 273 (1,013 deer in 2025), DPA 275 (997 deer in 2025) and DPA 218 (3,769 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 parksWalk-In AccessPope CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 458,910 acres (717 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Public land | 4.6% (21,150 acres) |
| WMAs | 24 (4,281 acres) |
| Walk-In Access | 4 sites, 291 acres |
| Deer permit areas | DPA 277, DPA 273, DPA 275, DPA 218, DPA 213 |
| Towns | Glenwood, Starbuck, Long Beach, Villard, Brooten and Kensington |
How much public hunting land is in Pope County?
21,150 of the county's 458,910 acres are public land open to the public (4.6%). 19,225 acres of that are state wildlife, state forest or federal land, where hunting is the rule rather than the exception.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Pope County |
|---|---|---|
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 14,790 | 3.2% |
| State wildlife management areas | 4,336 | 0.9% |
| State parks | 1,925 | 0.4% |
| State forest and other DNR land | 87 | under 0.1% |
| Other federal land | 12 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 21,150 | 4.6% |
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 Pope County by PAD-US, besides the WMAs: Pope County Waterfowl Production Area (14,241 acres) and Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge (547 acres).
Which wildlife management areas are in Pope County?
24, largest first.
| WMA | Acres in the county | DNR lists for hunting |
|---|---|---|
| Sedan WMA | 580 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Simon Lake WMA | 412 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Westport WMA | 399 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants and small game |
| Noordmans WMA | 318 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Little Jo WMA | 301 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Volkman WMA | 276 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Nora WMA | 270 | deer, pheasants and ducks and geese |
| Lowry WMA | 252 | pheasants and ducks and geese |
| Chippewa Falls WMA | 218 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| White Bear WMA | 196 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Farwell WMA | 173 | pheasants and ducks and geese |
| Chippewa River WMA | 124 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Sedan Pond WMA | 113 | ducks and geese and small game |
| Wade WMA | 84 | pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Hoff WMA | 81 | deer, pheasants and ducks and geese |
| Lake Emily WMA | 81 | pheasants |
| Bangor WMA | 80 | deer, pheasants and ducks and geese |
| New Prairie WMA | 59 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Skarpness WMA | 57 | pheasants and ducks and geese |
| Reno WMA | 56 | pheasants and ducks and geese |
| Van Luik WMA | 48 | ducks and geese |
| Star Lake WMA | 44 | deer, pheasants and ducks and geese |
| Heinks WMA | 39 | ducks and geese |
| Walden WMA | 20 | deer, pheasants and ducks and geese |
Where is the Walk-In Access in Pope County?
The DNR's 2026 Walk-In Access layer shows 4 sites in Pope County, 291 acres of private land open to hunters with a Walk-In Access validation from September 1 to May 31. The largest is Pope WIA #1058 (149 acres). DNR Walk-In Access.
| Site | Acres | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Pope WIA #1058 | 149 | 45.4234, -95.3523 |
| Pope WIA #180 | 68 | 45.4808, -95.5593 |
| Pope WIA #1042 | 43 | 45.6089, -95.5698 |
| Pope WIA #894 | 31 | 45.4254, -95.3602 |
Locations are the middle of each site, from the DNR's 2026 layer. Landowners may leave the program during the year; the DNR's Walk-In Access page and its site status page have the current list.
How many deer are taken in Pope County?
The DNR counts deer by permit area, not by county. Pope County lies in 5 permit areas; the largest share is in DPA 277 (36.8% 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 277 | 36.8% | 4,575 | 2025 |
| DPA 273 | 23.9% | 1,013 | 2025 |
| DPA 275 | 18.5% | 997 | 2025 |
| DPA 218 | 12.2% | 3,769 | 2025 |
| DPA 213 | 8.5% | 6,423 | 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 Pope County?
Highways: MN 28 (about 35 miles in the county), MN 55 (about 33 miles in the county), MN 29 (about 27 miles in the county), MN 114 (about 4 miles in the county) and MN 9 (about 3 miles in the county). Towns: Glenwood, Starbuck, Long Beach, Villard, Sedan, Lowry, Cyrus and Westport.
Questions hunters ask
What is the largest public land in Pope County besides the WMAs?
By PAD-US 4.1: Pope County Waterfowl Production Area (14,241 acres in the county) and Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge (547 acres in the county). The largest kind of public land here is national wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas, 14,790 acres.
What is the largest WMA in Pope County?
Sedan WMA, with 580 acres inside the county. The county has 24 WMAs in all.
Does Pope County have Walk-In Access land?
Yes. The DNR's 2026 layer shows 4 sites and 291 acres in Pope County.
Which deer permit area is Pope County in?
DPA 277 (36.8%), DPA 273 (23.9%), DPA 275 (18.5%), DPA 218 (12.2%) and DPA 213 (8.5%). Bag limits and firearms dates follow the permit area.
Get a Minnesota hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for Minnesota are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Minnesota included.
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 277 DPA 273 DPA 275 DPA 218 DPA 213 Grant County Swift County Douglas County Stearns County Stevens County Kandiyohi County Walk-In Access