Wadena County, Minnesota: public hunting land
Wadena County has 30,730 acres of public land open to the public, 8.8% of the county, the largest share state forest and other DNR land (23,553 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). The DNR's map shows 16 wildlife management areas here covering 6,984 acres, the largest Burgen Lake Prairie WMA (2,322 acres in the county). Deer here are counted by deer permit area: DPA 241 (7,163 deer in 2025), DPA 246 (3,143 deer in 2025), DPA 214 (4,781 deer in 2025) and DPA 240 (5,068 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 landOther federal landCounty, city and regional landWadena CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 347,719 acres (543 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Public land | 8.8% (30,730 acres) |
| WMAs | 16 (6,984 acres) |
| Walk-In Access | None mapped this year |
| Deer permit areas | DPA 241, DPA 246, DPA 214, DPA 240 |
| Towns | Wadena, Staples, Menahga, Sebeka, Hewitt and Bluffton |
How much public hunting land is in Wadena County?
30,730 of the county's 347,719 acres are public land open to the public (8.8%). 30,630 acres of that are state wildlife, state forest or federal land, where hunting is the rule rather than the exception.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Wadena County |
|---|---|---|
| State forest and other DNR land | 23,553 | 6.8% |
| State wildlife management areas | 7,064 | 2% |
| County, city and regional land | 100 | under 0.1% |
| Other federal land | 13 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 30,730 | 8.8% |
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 Wadena County by PAD-US, besides the WMAs: Huntersville State Forest (14,384 acres) and Lyons State Forest (6,510 acres).
Which wildlife management areas are in Wadena County?
16, largest first.
| WMA | Acres in the county | DNR lists for hunting |
|---|---|---|
| Burgen Lake Prairie WMA | 2,322 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Yaeger Lake WMA | 1,148 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Crow Wing River Corridor WMA | 750 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Huntersville WMA | 521 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Dry Sand WMA | 369 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Menahga WMA | 353 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Strike WMA | 300 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| North Germany WMA | 278 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Wood Eye WMA | 253 | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Kitten Creek WMA | 156 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Sebeka WMA | 150 | deer, wild turkey, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Red Eye WMA | 144 | deer and small game |
| Rockwood WMA | 112 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Farnham Lake WMA | 65 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Wadena WMA | 56 | deer, pheasants and small game |
| Crow Wing Chain WMA | 7 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
How many deer are taken in Wadena County?
The DNR counts deer by permit area, not by county. Wadena County lies in 4 permit areas; the largest share is in DPA 241 (52.9% 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 241 | 52.9% | 7,163 | 2025 |
| DPA 246 | 41.6% | 3,143 | 2025 |
| DPA 214 | 4.2% | 4,781 | 2025 |
| DPA 240 | 1.4% | 5,068 | 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 Wadena County?
Highways: US 71 (about 32 miles in the county), US 10 (about 23 miles in the county) and MN 87 (about 7 miles in the county). Towns: Wadena, Staples, Menahga, Sebeka, Verndale, Nimrod and Aldrich.
Questions hunters ask
What is the largest public land in Wadena County besides the WMAs?
By PAD-US 4.1: Huntersville State Forest (14,384 acres in the county) and Lyons State Forest (6,510 acres in the county). The largest kind of public land here is state forest and other DNR land, 23,553 acres.
What is the largest WMA in Wadena County?
Burgen Lake Prairie WMA, with 2,322 acres inside the county. The county has 16 WMAs in all.
Does Wadena 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 Wadena County in?
DPA 241 (52.9%), DPA 246 (41.6%), DPA 214 (4.2%) and DPA 240 (1.4%). 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 241 DPA 246 DPA 214 DPA 240 Cass County Todd County Becker County Hubbard County Otter Tail County