Ramsey County, Minnesota: public hunting land
Ramsey County has 14,422 acres of public land open to the public, 13.3% of the county, the largest share county, city and regional land (14,107 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). The DNR's map shows no wildlife management area here. Deer here are counted by deer permit area: DPA 601 (2,588 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 forest and other DNR landNational wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areasState parksNational park landCounty, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landRamsey CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 108,806 acres (170 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Public land | 13.3% (14,422 acres) |
| WMAs | None mapped |
| Walk-In Access | None mapped this year |
| Deer permit areas | DPA 601 |
| Towns | St. Paul, Maplewood, Roseville, Shoreview, Lilydale and Mendota |
How much public hunting land is in Ramsey County?
14,422 of the county's 108,806 acres are public land open to the public (13.3%). 97 acres of that are state wildlife, state forest or federal land, where hunting is the rule rather than the exception.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Ramsey County |
|---|---|---|
| County, city and regional land | 14,107 | 13% |
| State parks | 212 | 0.2% |
| State forest and other DNR land | 64 | 0.1% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 33 | under 0.1% |
| National park land | 5 | under 0.1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 1 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 14,422 | 13.3% |
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 Ramsey County by PAD-US, besides the WMAs: Battle Creek Regional Park (1,407 acres), Vadnais Snail Lake Regional Park (907 acres), Bald Eagle-Otter Lakes - Bald Eagle Lake (552 acres), Phalen Regional Park (481 acres), Rice Creek North Regional Trail (465 acres), Vadnais-Snail Lakes Regional Park - Snail Lake (452 acres), Poplar Lake (439 acres), Crosby Farm Regional Park (411 acres), Long Lake Regional Park (408 acres) and Pig'S Eye Regional Park (372 acres).
How many deer are taken in Ramsey County?
The DNR counts deer by permit area, not by county. Ramsey County lies in 1 permit area; the largest share is in DPA 601 (100% 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 601 | 100% | 2,588 | 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 Ramsey County?
Highways: US 10 (about 45 miles in the county), US 61 (about 35 miles in the county), I-694 (about 25 miles in the county), I-94 (about 23 miles in the county) and US 12 (about 23 miles in the county). Towns: St. Paul, Maplewood, Roseville, Shoreview, Arden Hills, White Bear Lake, Vadnais Heights and North Oaks.
Questions hunters ask
What is the largest public land in Ramsey County besides the WMAs?
By PAD-US 4.1: Battle Creek Regional Park (1,407 acres in the county), Vadnais Snail Lake Regional Park (907 acres in the county) and Bald Eagle-Otter Lakes - Bald Eagle Lake (552 acres in the county). The largest kind of public land here is county, city and regional land, 14,107 acres.
Does Ramsey 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 Ramsey County in?
All of it that matters is DPA 601.
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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.
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