Crooked Road Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Crooked Road Wildlife Management Area is 390 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Isanti County, near Spencer Brook, inside Deer Permit Area 227. The DNR's WMA data lists deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game for it. Hunters registered 4,198 deer in DPA 227 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 landCounty, city and regional landCrooked Road WMACounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 390 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Isanti County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 227 |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Nearest town (DNR) | Spencer Brook |
| DNR area office | Cambridge |
| Nearest towns | St. Francis (7 mi), Zimmerman (7 mi) and Princeton (8 mi) |
What is Crooked Road WMA like?
This WMA is a type 5 wetland (Mud Lake) with several smaller wetlands, prairie grasslands, and oak woodlots.
Management on this unit is focused on prairie improvement, woody cover establishment and oak savanna restoration. Many wading birds and raptors present, and unique species include Trumpeter swan, terns, and Blanding´s turtles.
In the DNR's words, from its wildlife management area data.
What can you hunt on Crooked Road WMA?
The DNR's WMA data lists deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game for Crooked Road WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on Crooked Road WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
How many deer are taken around Crooked Road WMA?
Crooked Road WMA lies in Deer Permit Area 227. The DNR registered 4,198 deer in DPA 227 in 2025, against 3,893 in 2024.
| DPA | Crooked Road WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPA 227 | 390 | 4,198 | 3,893 | 3,470 |
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 Crooked Road WMA?
From Spencer Brook, go 3 1/2 miles S on CSAH 7.
Water access is available on the south side and several parking facilities exist around the perimeter of the unit.
Nearest towns: St. Francis (7 miles), Zimmerman (7 miles), Princeton (8 miles) and Nowthen (9 miles). Highways within 5 miles: MN 47.
What other public land is near Crooked Road WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- Spencer Brook WMA: 310 acres, 0.9 miles away
- Spectacle WMA: 505 acres, 4.7 miles away
- Carl E. Bonnell WMA: 78 acres, 4.9 miles away
- Vietnam Veterans WMA: 79 acres, 5.3 miles away
- Marget Lake WMA: 508 acres, 6.1 miles away
- Freemont WMA: 181 acres, 7.3 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Crooked Road WMA
Counting Crooked Road WMA itself, 778 of the 25,369 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (3.1%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 702 |
| State forest and other DNR land | 76 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Crooked Road WMA?
In Isanti County, near Spencer Brook. The DNR's directions: From Spencer Brook, go 3 1/2 miles S on CSAH 7.
Which deer permit area is Crooked Road WMA in?
Deer Permit Area 227. Its bag limit and firearms dates apply.
How much public land is around Crooked Road WMA?
778 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Crooked Road WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. 6 other WMAs are within 10 miles, the closest Spencer Brook WMA (0.9 miles).
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Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: DNR, Crooked Road 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.