Gun-dog Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Gun-dog Wildlife Management Area is 1,357 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Beltrami County, near Fourtown, inside Deer Permit Areas 111 and 101. The DNR's WMA data lists deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game for it. Hunters registered 412 deer in DPA 111 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 landGun-dog WMACounty lineHighway
| Size | 1,357 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Beltrami County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 111, DPA 101 |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Nearest town (DNR) | Fourtown |
| DNR area office | Thief River Falls |
| Nearest towns | Grygla (10 mi), Goodridge (21 mi) and Ponemah (26 mi) |
What can you hunt on Gun-dog WMA?
The DNR's WMA data lists deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game for Gun-dog WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on Gun-dog WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
How many deer are taken around Gun-dog WMA?
Gun-dog WMA lies in 2 deer permit areas. The DNR registered 412 deer in DPA 111 in 2025, against 370 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 Gun-dog WMA?
From Fourtown, go 2 1/4 miles W on SH89.
Nearest towns: Grygla (10 miles), Goodridge (21 miles), Ponemah (26 miles) and Little Rock (29 miles). Highways within 5 miles: MN 89.
What other public land is near Gun-dog WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- Fireweed WMA: 2,266 acres, next to it
- Saw-whet WMA: 1,286 acres, next to it
- Wolf Trail WMA: 7,792 acres, 0.6 miles away
- Hamre WMA: 4,530 acres, 2 miles away
- Moose River WMA: 21,275 acres, 2.5 miles away
- Steenerson WMA: 159 acres, 3.6 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Gun-dog WMA
Counting Gun-dog WMA itself, 8,999 of the 34,909 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (25.8%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 8,483 |
| State forest and other DNR land | 516 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Gun-dog WMA?
In Beltrami County, near Fourtown. The DNR's directions: From Fourtown, go 2 1/4 miles W on SH89.
Which deer permit area is Gun-dog WMA in?
DPA 111 (1,354 acres) and DPA 101 (3 acres). Each part follows its own permit area's bag limit.
How much public land is around Gun-dog WMA?
8,999 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Gun-dog WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. 6 other WMAs are within 10 miles, the closest Fireweed WMA (next to it).
Get a Minnesota hunt plan when they open
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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, Gun-dog 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.