Sherburne County, Minnesota: public hunting land
Sherburne County has 39,778 acres of public land open to the public, 13.8% of the county, the largest share national wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas (30,667 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). The DNR's map shows 5 wildlife management areas here covering 1,167 acres, the largest Sand Prairie WMA (650 acres in the county). Deer here are counted by deer permit area: DPA 223 (2,839 deer in 2025), DPA 227 (4,198 deer in 2025), DPA 224 (294 deer in 2025) and 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 wildlife management areasState forest and other DNR landNational wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areasState parksCounty, city and regional landSherburne CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 288,670 acres (451 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Public land | 13.8% (39,778 acres) |
| WMAs | 5 (1,167 acres) |
| Walk-In Access | None mapped this year |
| Deer permit areas | DPA 223, DPA 227, DPA 224, DPA 601, DPA 229, DPA 219 |
| Towns | Elk River, Becker, Big Lake, Zimmerman, Clearwater and Princeton |
How much public hunting land is in Sherburne County?
39,778 of the county's 288,670 acres are public land open to the public (13.8%). 38,224 acres of that are state wildlife, state forest or federal land, where hunting is the rule rather than the exception.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Sherburne County |
|---|---|---|
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 30,667 | 10.6% |
| State forest and other DNR land | 6,336 | 2.2% |
| County, city and regional land | 1,552 | 0.5% |
| State wildlife management areas | 1,219 | 0.4% |
| Other federal land | 2 | under 0.1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 2 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 39,778 | 13.8% |
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.
The largest public areas in Sherburne County by PAD-US, besides the WMAs: Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge (30,671 acres), Sand Dunes State Forest (5,814 acres), Woodland Trails Park (395 acres) and Grams Regional Park (108 acres).
Which wildlife management areas are in Sherburne County?
5, largest first.
| WMA | Acres in the county | DNR lists for hunting |
|---|---|---|
| Sand Prairie WMA | 650 | bear |
| Freemont WMA | 181 | deer, wild turkey, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Kunkel WMA | 176 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and bear |
| Santiago WMA | 81 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Vietnam Veterans WMA | 79 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
How many deer are taken in Sherburne County?
The DNR counts deer by permit area, not by county. Sherburne County lies in 6 permit areas; the largest share is in DPA 223 (75.1% 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 223 | 75.1% | 2,839 | 2025 |
| DPA 227 | 12% | 4,198 | 2025 |
| DPA 224 | 10.6% | 294 | 2025 |
| DPA 601 | 1.4% | 2,588 | 2025 |
| DPA 229 | 0.5% | 1,039 | 2025 |
| DPA 219 | 0.3% | 1,989 | 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 Sherburne County?
Highways: US 10 (about 78 miles in the county), US 169 (about 38 miles in the county), MN 25 (about 32 miles in the county) and MN 24 (about 3 miles in the county). Towns: Elk River, Becker, Big Lake, Zimmerman and Clear Lake.
Questions hunters ask
What is the largest public land in Sherburne County besides the WMAs?
By PAD-US 4.1: Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge (30,671 acres in the county), Sand Dunes State Forest (5,814 acres in the county) and Woodland Trails Park (395 acres in the county). The largest kind of public land here is national wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas, 30,667 acres.
What is the largest WMA in Sherburne County?
Sand Prairie WMA, with 650 acres inside the county. The county has 5 WMAs in all.
Does Sherburne 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 Sherburne County in?
DPA 223 (75.1%), DPA 227 (12%), DPA 224 (10.6%), DPA 601 (1.4%), DPA 229 (0.5%) and DPA 219 (0.3%). 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 223 DPA 227 DPA 224 DPA 229 DPA 219 Anoka County Benton County Isanti County Wright County Stearns County Hennepin County Mille Lacs County