Carp Swamp Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Carp Swamp Wildlife Management Area is 15,272 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Lake of the Woods County, near Baudette, inside Deer Permit Areas 105 and 111. The DNR's WMA data lists deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, sharp-tailed grouse, bear and small game for it. Hunters registered 2,485 deer in DPA 105 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 landCarp Swamp WMACounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 15,272 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Lake of the Woods County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 105, DPA 111 |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, sharp-tailed grouse, bear and small game |
| Nearest town (DNR) | Baudette |
| DNR area office | Baudette |
| Nearest towns | Baudette (2 mi), Williams (17 mi) and Roosevelt (25 mi) |
What is Carp Swamp WMA like?
This large (~14,000 acre) WMA contains a variety of habitat types composed primarily of sphagnum moss wetlands with lowland conifer islands. A number of unusual plant species have been found including Arctic Raspberry and Dragon's Mouth Orchid.
Flower, Striped Coralroot, and Fringed Polygala. Management on this unit calls for regular prescribed burning to maintain early successional brushlands and timber harvesting designed to maintain diverse composition and a variety of age classes. Special restrictions for Carp Swamp; normal WMA rules apply. Most of the boundary was signed in 2000. Interested visitors can look for Sharp-tailed grouse on leks in the spring, as well as Sandhill Cranes and Short-eared Owls in the breeding season. Species that may be viewed and photographed here in fall and winter include Great Grey, Hawk and Snowy Owls, Northern Shrike, Black-billed Magpie and Rough-legged Hawk. Snipe and rails are found here as are woodcock, Sharp-tailed and Ruffed grouse.
In the DNR's words, from its wildlife management area data.
What can you hunt on Carp Swamp WMA?
The DNR's WMA data lists deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, sharp-tailed grouse, bear and small game for Carp Swamp WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on Carp Swamp WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
How many deer are taken around Carp Swamp WMA?
Carp Swamp WMA lies in 2 deer permit areas. The DNR registered 2,485 deer in DPA 105 in 2025, against 2,165 in 2024.
| DPA | Carp Swamp WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPA 105 | 15,266 | 2,485 | 2,165 | 2,545 |
| DPA 111 | 6 | 412 | 370 | 318 |
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 Carp Swamp WMA?
From Baudette, go 1.5 miles S on 8th Ave SE/Hwy 11.
Wildlife viewing from the road is especially good for winter owls during irruption years. Disabled access to interior of WMA is limited due to wet conditions, ditches, and lack of roads or trails. A snowmobile trail provides winter access.
Nearest towns: Baudette (2 miles), Williams (17 miles) and Roosevelt (25 miles). Highways within 5 miles: MN 11.
What other public land is near Carp Swamp WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- Spooner WMA: 359 acres, 1.5 miles away
- Silver Creek WMA: 460 acres, 2.3 miles away
- Rako WMA: 400 acres, 6.2 miles away
- Graceton WMA: 10,713 acres, 6.7 miles away
- Red Lake WMA: 322,335 acres, 7.8 miles away
- North Rapid River WMA: 78 acres, 9 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Carp Swamp WMA
Counting Carp Swamp WMA itself, 32,204 of the 86,234 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (37.3%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 16,170 |
| State forest and other DNR land | 16,034 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Carp Swamp WMA?
In Lake of the Woods County, near Baudette. The DNR's directions: From Baudette, go 1.5 miles S on 8th Ave SE/Hwy 11.
Which deer permit area is Carp Swamp WMA in?
DPA 105 (15,266 acres) and DPA 111 (6 acres). Each part follows its own permit area's bag limit.
How much public land is around Carp Swamp WMA?
32,204 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Carp Swamp WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. 6 other WMAs are within 10 miles, the closest Spooner WMA (1.5 miles).
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Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: DNR, Carp Swamp 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.