Bass Brook Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Bass Brook Wildlife Management Area is 300 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Itasca County, near Grand Rapids, inside Deer Permit Area 679. The DNR's WMA data lists deer for it. Hunters registered 2,146 deer in DPA 679 in 2025.
Data updated October 2026. Area facts: the DNR's wildlife management area data, read 2026-10. Harvest: DNR Deer Harvest Reports, 2021 to 2025.
State wildlife management areasState forest and other DNR landNational forestCounty, city and regional landBass Brook WMACounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 300 acres in 3 pieces |
|---|---|
| County | Itasca County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 679 |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer |
| Nearest town (DNR) | Grand Rapids |
| DNR area office | Grand Rapids |
| Nearest towns | Grand Rapids (2 mi), Cohasset (3 mi) and La Prairie (4 mi) |
What is Bass Brook WMA like?
This WMA has 4460 ft of Mississippi river frontage and is across the river from the US Army Corps of Engineers Pokegama Recreation Area and can be accessed from that side of the river by walking across the Corps dam.
Management is focused on retaining a more mature forest of mixed hardwoods and conifers. Retaining a variety of forest types may require some disturbance which would be in the form of timber sales. There is an extensive trail system on the area. Its diverse forest and wetland habitats provide superb birding opportunities. This popular 313 acre WMA within the city limits of Cohasset was acquired in 1993 with the Trust for Public Land acting as intermediary between National Steel Corporation and the DNR Nongame Wld Pgm, "to be managed as a wild place surrounded by people.". The area is mostly aspen, birch, red and jack pine and northern hardwoods with small lowland areas intermixed. Bass Brook has a 15 foot high striated Pokegama quartzite cliff on the river shore, a rare bedrock outcrop this far west in Minnesota.
In the DNR's words, from its wildlife management area data.
What can you hunt on Bass Brook WMA?
The DNR's WMA data lists deer for Bass Brook WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on Bass Brook WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
How many deer are taken around Bass Brook WMA?
Bass Brook WMA lies in Deer Permit Area 679. The DNR registered 2,146 deer in DPA 679 in 2025, against 1,929 in 2024.
| DPA | Bass Brook WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPA 679 | 300 | 2,146 | 1,929 | 2,046 |
Harvest for the whole deer permit area, not the WMA alone: Minnesota DNR Deer Harvest Reports (2021 to 2025, 2025 report).
How do you get to Bass Brook WMA?
From Grand Rapids, go 2 miles west on US Highway 2, then 1 mile south and west on CSAH 63.
Nearest towns: Grand Rapids (2 miles), Cohasset (3 miles), La Prairie (4 miles) and Coleraine (6 miles). Highways within 5 miles: US 2, US 169, MN 2 and MN 6.
What other public land is near Bass Brook WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- Prairie Lake Deer Yard WMA: 790 acres, 6.3 miles away
- Balsam-Deer Islands WMA: 36 acres, 8.1 miles away
- Trout Lake Eagle WMA: 57 acres, 9.1 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Bass Brook WMA
Counting Bass Brook WMA itself, 2,028 of the 24,805 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (8.2%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State forest and other DNR land | 1,430 |
| State wildlife management areas | 306 |
| County, city and regional land | 292 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Bass Brook WMA?
In Itasca County, near Grand Rapids. The DNR's directions: From Grand Rapids, go 2 miles west on US Highway 2, then 1 mile south and west on CSAH 63.
Which deer permit area is Bass Brook WMA in?
Deer Permit Area 679. Its bag limit and firearms dates apply.
How much public land is around Bass Brook WMA?
2,028 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Bass Brook WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. 3 other WMAs are within 10 miles, the closest Prairie Lake Deer Yard WMA (6.3 miles).
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Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: DNR, Bass Brook WMA; Minnesota DNR Wildlife Management Area boundaries, publicly accessible.
- Boundary and acres: the DNR's map layer above. Surrounding public land: USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
- Deer harvest: Minnesota DNR Deer Harvest Reports (2021 to 2025, 2025 report).
FilledTag is not part of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Check the DNR's rules and posted signs before you go.