Coburn Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Coburn Wildlife Management Area is 400 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Becker and Mahnomen counties, near Waubun, inside Deer Permit Area 297. The DNR's WMA data lists deer, ducks and geese and small game for it. Hunters registered 224 deer in DPA 297 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 wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areasCoburn WMACounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 400 acres |
|---|---|
| Counties | Becker County and Mahnomen County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 297 |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer, ducks and geese and small game |
| Nearest town (DNR) | Waubun |
| DNR area office | Detroit Lakes |
| Nearest towns | Waubun (5 mi), Ogema (6 mi) and White Earth (9 mi) |
What is Coburn WMA like?
This WMA is a mosaic of wet and mesic prairie surrounding 80-acre Apple Lake located on the Becker-Mahnomen county line, just south of the extensive Waubun prairie.
Management includes regular prescribed burning to maintain the prairie. Beetles were released in 1997 to control purple loosestrife and leafy spurge. Apple Lake is an important waterfowl-breeding site. Coburn's 322 acres were acquired in 1957 as an "excellent wildlife area for waterfowl and upland game". Gadwalls, blue-winged and green-winged teal, coots and red-tailed hawks have been sighted on this WMA. Watch for sandhill cranes, prairie chickens, trumpeter swans and yellow-headed blackbirds in the vicinity.
In the DNR's words, from its wildlife management area data.
What can you hunt on Coburn WMA?
The DNR's WMA data lists deer, ducks and geese and small game for Coburn WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on Coburn WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
How many deer are taken around Coburn WMA?
Coburn WMA lies in Deer Permit Area 297. The DNR registered 224 deer in DPA 297 in 2025, against 204 in 2024.
| DPA | Coburn WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPA 297 | 400 | 224 | 204 | 145 |
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 Coburn WMA?
From Waubun, go 5 m. W on CSAH 113, 2 m. S on CR 10.
There is a parking area at the end of County Road 10. The road is marginal under wet conditions.
Nearest towns: Waubun (5 miles), Ogema (6 miles), White Earth (9 miles) and Ulen (11 miles). Highways within 5 miles: MN 113 and US 59.
What other public land is near Coburn WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- Waubun WMA: 2,412 acres, 0.7 miles away
- Spring Creek WMA: 960 acres, 1.5 miles away
- Moccasin WMA: 294 acres, 1.8 miles away
- Ogema Springs WMA: 680 acres, 5.5 miles away
- Pednor WMA: 244 acres, 6.2 miles away
- Faith WMA: 661 acres, 6.9 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Coburn WMA
Counting Coburn WMA itself, 3,192 of the 24,968 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (12.8%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 2,566 |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 626 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Coburn WMA?
In Becker and Mahnomen counties, near Waubun. The DNR's directions: From Waubun, go 5 m. W on CSAH 113, 2 m. S on CR 10.
Which deer permit area is Coburn WMA in?
Deer Permit Area 297. Its bag limit and firearms dates apply.
How much public land is around Coburn WMA?
3,192 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Coburn WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. 6 other WMAs are within 10 miles, the closest Waubun WMA (0.7 miles).
Get a Minnesota hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for Minnesota are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Minnesota included.
Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: DNR, Coburn 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.