Dugdale Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Dugdale Wildlife Management Area is 960 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Polk County, near Fertile, inside Deer Permit Areas 256 and 257. The DNR's WMA data lists deer, ducks and geese, bear and small game for it. Hunters registered 1,042 deer in DPA 256 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 areasDugdale WMACounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 960 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Polk County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 256, DPA 257 |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer, ducks and geese, bear and small game |
| Nearest town (DNR) | Fertile |
| DNR area office | Thief River Falls |
| Nearest towns | Mentor (6 mi), Fertile (9 mi) and Erskine (12 mi) |
What is Dugdale WMA like?
This WMA is a large remnant of tall grass prairie with minor amounts of brush and trees and several managed wetlands. Emphasis is to manage and improve a diverse habitat complex of mixed prairie types, marsh, and scattered brush/aspen thickets.
Much of the grassland has been restored and is maintained by prescribed burns. The area is open to public hunting, trapping and other compatible recreational uses. The water control structures are operated to obtain the maximum wildlife use. In spring and summer the area is excellent for sighting prairie birds, mammals and wildflowers. Much of the unit now borders a large grassland complex that is being converted back to native prairie by The Nature Conservancy and the USFWS.
In the DNR's words, from its wildlife management area data.
What can you hunt on Dugdale WMA?
The DNR's WMA data lists deer, ducks and geese, bear and small game for Dugdale WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on Dugdale WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
How many deer are taken around Dugdale WMA?
Dugdale WMA lies in 2 deer permit areas. The DNR registered 1,042 deer in DPA 256 in 2025, against 1,033 in 2024.
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 Dugdale WMA?
From Fertile, 8.5 mi north on State Hwy 32, then 0.1 mi west on WMA access road to the south parking lot.
Access is good off of State Highway #32. A parking lot is in the southeast corner close to where the Wood Routed sign identifies the area.
Nearest towns: Mentor (6 miles), Fertile (9 miles), Erskine (12 miles) and Red Lake Falls (13 miles). Highways within 5 miles: US 2 and MN 32.
What other public land is near Dugdale WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- Shypoke WMA: 161 acres, 0.7 miles away
- Oak Ridge Marsh WMA: 56 acres, 1.5 miles away
- Tilden WMA: 426 acres, 1.5 miles away
- Maple Meadows WMA: 1,393 acres, 1.6 miles away
- Burnham WMA: 990 acres, 2 miles away
- Trail WMA: 609 acres, 2.1 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Dugdale WMA
Counting Dugdale WMA itself, 19,370 of the 29,345 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (66%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 14,413 |
| State wildlife management areas | 3,270 |
| State forest and other DNR land | 1,687 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Dugdale WMA?
In Polk County, near Fertile. The DNR's directions: From Fertile, 8.5 mi north on State Hwy 32, then 0.1 mi west on WMA access road to the south parking lot.
Which deer permit area is Dugdale WMA in?
DPA 256 (885 acres) and DPA 257 (74 acres). Each part follows its own permit area's bag limit.
How much public land is around Dugdale WMA?
19,370 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Dugdale WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. 6 other WMAs are within 10 miles, the closest Shypoke WMA (0.7 miles).
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Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: DNR, Dugdale 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.