St. Louis County, Minnesota: public hunting land
St. Louis County has 1,429,644 acres of public land open to the public, 33.1% of the county, the largest share national forest (753,985 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). The DNR's map shows 17 wildlife management areas here covering 7,999 acres, the largest Canosia WMA (2,491 acres in the county). Deer here are counted by deer permit area: DPA 178 (1,521 deer in 2025), DPA 118 (408 deer in 2025), DPA 119 (279 deer in 2025) and DPA 176 (599 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 forestNational wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areasState parksNational park landCounty, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landSt. Louis CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 4,315,003 acres (6,742 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Public land | 33.1% (1,429,644 acres) |
| WMAs | 17 (7,999 acres) |
| Walk-In Access | None mapped this year |
| Deer permit areas | DPA 178, DPA 118, DPA 119, DPA 176, DPA 181, DPA 132, DPA 130, DPA 177, DPA 182, DPA 109, DPA 133, DPA 173, DPA 199, DPA 107, DPA 153 |
| Towns | Hibbing, Babbitt, Duluth, Mountain Iron, Keewatin and Cloquet |
How much public hunting land is in St. Louis County?
1,429,644 of the county's 4,315,003 acres are public land open to the public (33.1%). 1,288,763 acres of that are state wildlife, state forest or federal land, where hunting is the rule rather than the exception.
| Manager | Acres | Share of St. Louis County |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 753,985 | 17.5% |
| State forest and other DNR land | 520,469 | 12.1% |
| National park land | 118,692 | 2.8% |
| State wildlife management areas | 13,754 | 0.3% |
| County, city and regional land | 11,234 | 0.3% |
| State parks | 10,231 | 0.2% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 724 | under 0.1% |
| Other federal land | 555 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 1,429,644 | 33.1% |
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 St. Louis County by PAD-US, besides the WMAs: Superior National Forest (694,695 acres), Kabetogama State Forest (157,119 acres), Kabetogama Purchase Unit (68,102 acres), Sturgeon River State Forest (53,985 acres), Cloquet Valley State Forest (39,601 acres), Bear Island State Forest (16,979 acres), Savanna State Forest (5,227 acres), Wawina Peatland (3,430 acres), Lost Lake Peatland (2,510 acres) and Whiteface River State Forest (2,465 acres).
Which wildlife management areas are in St. Louis County?
17, largest first.
| WMA | Acres in the county | DNR lists for hunting |
|---|---|---|
| Canosia WMA | 2,491 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Sax WMA | 944 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Zim WMA | 910 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Darwin S. Myers WMA | 746 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Ricehaven WMA | 656 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Fermoy WMA | 503 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Little Whiteface River WMA | 441 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Great Scott WMA | 278 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Floodwood WMA | 217 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Anchor Lake WMA | 216 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Owens WMA | 164 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Gold Portage WMA | 137 | ducks and geese |
| Lieuna WMA | 99 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Old Koschak Farm WMA | 89 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Pike Bay WMA | 44 | ducks and geese |
| Pine Island WMA | 35 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Hearding Island WMA | 29 |
How many deer are taken in St. Louis County?
The DNR counts deer by permit area, not by county. St. Louis County lies in 15 permit areas; the largest share is in DPA 178 (16.8% 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 178 | 16.8% | 1,521 | 2025 |
| DPA 118 | 16.2% | 408 | 2025 |
| DPA 119 | 13.7% | 279 | 2025 |
| DPA 176 | 11.8% | 599 | 2025 |
| DPA 181 | 8.8% | 964 | 2025 |
| DPA 132 | 7.6% | 215 | 2025 |
| DPA 130 | 7.5% | 142 | 2025 |
| DPA 177 | 7.4% | 510 | 2025 |
| DPA 182 | 3.4% | 824 | 2025 |
| DPA 109 | 2.2% | 415 | 2025 |
| DPA 133 | 1.7% | 449 | 2025 |
| DPA 173 | 1.5% | 528 | 2025 |
| DPA 199 | 1.1% | 110 | 2025 |
| DPA 107 | 0.2% | 795 | 2025 |
| DPA 153 | 0% | 1,144 | 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 St. Louis County?
Highways: US 53 (about 222 miles in the county), MN 73 (about 99 miles in the county), MN 1 (about 74 miles in the county), US 169 (about 61 miles in the county) and MN 169 (about 58 miles in the county). Towns: Hibbing, Babbitt, Duluth, Mountain Iron, Hoyt Lakes, Hermantown, Rice Lake and Virginia.
Questions hunters ask
What is the largest public land in St. Louis County besides the WMAs?
By PAD-US 4.1: Superior National Forest (694,695 acres in the county), Kabetogama State Forest (157,119 acres in the county) and Kabetogama Purchase Unit (68,102 acres in the county). The largest kind of public land here is national forest, 753,985 acres.
What is the largest WMA in St. Louis County?
Canosia WMA, with 2,491 acres inside the county. The county has 17 WMAs in all.
Does St. Louis 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 St. Louis County in?
DPA 178 (16.8%), DPA 118 (16.2%), DPA 119 (13.7%), DPA 176 (11.8%), DPA 181 (8.8%), DPA 132 (7.6%), DPA 130 (7.5%), DPA 177 (7.4%), DPA 182 (3.4%), DPA 109 (2.2%), DPA 133 (1.7%), DPA 173 (1.5%), DPA 199 (1.1%), DPA 107 (0.2%) and DPA 153 (0%). 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 178 DPA 118 DPA 119 DPA 176 DPA 181 DPA 132 DPA 130 DPA 177 DPA 182 DPA 109 DPA 133 DPA 173 DPA 199 DPA 107 Lake County Aitkin County Itasca County Carlton County Koochiching County