Elm Lake Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Elm Lake Wildlife Management Area is 15,736 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Marshall County, near Holt, inside Deer Permit Areas 203 and 208. The DNR's WMA data lists deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, sharp-tailed grouse, bear and small game for it. Hunters registered 85 deer in DPA 203 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 areasNational wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areasElm Lake WMACounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 15,736 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Marshall County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 203, DPA 208 |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, sharp-tailed grouse, bear and small game |
| Nearest town (DNR) | Holt |
| DNR area office | Thief River Falls |
| Nearest towns | Holt (6 mi), Goodridge (9 mi) and Thief River Falls (9 mi) |
What can you hunt on Elm Lake WMA?
The DNR's WMA data lists deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, sharp-tailed grouse, bear and small game for Elm Lake WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on Elm Lake WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
How many deer are taken around Elm Lake WMA?
Elm Lake WMA lies in 2 deer permit areas. The DNR registered 85 deer in DPA 203 in 2025, against 77 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 Elm Lake WMA?
From Holt, go 4 miles E on CSAH 7 then 3 1/4 miles S on CSAH 12 then 3 miles E and N on Co RD 120.
Nearest towns: Holt (6 miles), Goodridge (9 miles), Thief River Falls (9 miles) and Grygla (11 miles). Highways within 5 miles: MN 219.
What other public land is near Elm Lake WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- Agder WMA: 279 acres, next to it
- Snowshoe WMA: 241 acres, 0.5 miles away
- Eckvoll WMA: 6,491 acres, 1 mile away
- Sharp WMA: 159 acres, 1.8 miles away
- Moylan WMA: 1,715 acres, 2.5 miles away
- Espelie WMA: 3,644 acres, 6.1 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Elm Lake WMA
Counting Elm Lake WMA itself, 38,940 of the 85,419 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (45.6%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 20,179 |
| State wildlife management areas | 18,761 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Elm Lake WMA?
In Marshall County, near Holt. The DNR's directions: From Holt, go 4 miles E on CSAH 7 then 3 1/4 miles S on CSAH 12 then 3 miles E and N on Co RD 120.
Which deer permit area is Elm Lake WMA in?
DPA 203 (15,730 acres) and DPA 208 (5 acres). Each part follows its own permit area's bag limit.
How much public land is around Elm Lake WMA?
38,940 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Elm Lake WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. 6 other WMAs are within 10 miles, the closest Agder WMA (next to it).
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Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: DNR, Elm Lake 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.