Crane Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Crane Wildlife Management Area is 1,297 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Red Lake and Polk counties, near Oklee, inside Deer Permit Area 209. 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 1,486 deer in DPA 209 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 landCrane WMACounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 1,297 acres in 2 pieces |
|---|---|
| Counties | Red Lake County and Polk County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 209 |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, sharp-tailed grouse, bear and small game |
| Nearest town (DNR) | Oklee |
| DNR area office | Thief River Falls |
| Nearest towns | Trail (6 mi), Oklee (6 mi) and Gully (8 mi) |
What is Crane WMA like?
Crane WMA provides an excellent mix of habitat including marsh and open water, grassland, timber, brush, and cropland. The unit was purchased to protect the marsh from drainage and to manage it and the adjoining uplands for wildlife.
The marsh on this unit is the largest in Red Lake County, and the WMA is also the largest in the county. It supports dabbling ducks, sandhill cranes, sharp-tailed grouse, shorebirds, herons, warblers, sparrows, furbearers, deer, and occasionally moose. Much of the unit can be wet. Wear knee boots.
In the DNR's words, from its wildlife management area data.
What can you hunt on Crane WMA?
The DNR's WMA data lists deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, sharp-tailed grouse, bear and small game for Crane WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on Crane WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
How many deer are taken around Crane WMA?
Crane WMA lies in Deer Permit Area 209. The DNR registered 1,486 deer in DPA 209 in 2025, against 1,380 in 2024.
| DPA | Crane WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPA 209 | 1,297 | 1,486 | 1,380 | 1,234 |
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 Crane WMA?
From Oklee, go 2 1/2 miles N on CSAH 5 then 6 1/2 miles E on TWP RD.
Nearest towns: Trail (6 miles), Oklee (6 miles), Gully (8 miles) and Gonvick (13 miles).
What other public land is near Crane WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- Gully WMA: 446 acres, 2.6 miles away
- Larix WMA: 589 acres, 5.2 miles away
- Le Blanc WMA: 159 acres, 6 miles away
- Hangaard WMA: 22 acres, 7.2 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Crane WMA
Counting Crane WMA itself, 1,370 of the 33,094 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (4.1%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 1,370 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Crane WMA?
In Red Lake and Polk counties, near Oklee. The DNR's directions: From Oklee, go 2 1/2 miles N on CSAH 5 then 6 1/2 miles E on TWP RD.
Which deer permit area is Crane WMA in?
Deer Permit Area 209. Its bag limit and firearms dates apply.
How much public land is around Crane WMA?
1,370 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Crane WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. 4 other WMAs are within 10 miles, the closest Gully WMA (2.6 miles).
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Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: DNR, Crane 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.