Hunters Paradise Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Hunters Paradise Wildlife Management Area is 489 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Traverse County, near Wheaton, inside Deer Permit Area 671. The DNR's WMA data lists deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game for it. Hunters registered 446 deer in DPA 671 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 areasWalk-In AccessHunters Paradise WMACounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 489 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Traverse County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 671 |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Nearest town (DNR) | Wheaton |
| DNR area office | Fergus Falls |
| Nearest towns | Wheaton (9 mi), Tintah (11 mi) and Campbell (12 mi) |
What is Hunters Paradise WMA like?
The Hunters Paradise WMA is composed of restored grasslands, small wetlands and strips of shrub cover. This WMA is a good place to hunt pheasants. This WMA is within a mile of the South Dakota border.
This WMA has nearly two hundred acres of restored native grasslands and nearly as many acres in cattail wetlands. This WMA provides both nesting cover and abundant winter cover. There are patches of shrubs and small trees scattered across the WMA. The eastern and southern tracts of the Hunters Paradise WMA are being managed through rotational haying and prescribed burning.
In the DNR's words, from its wildlife management area data.
What can you hunt on Hunters Paradise WMA?
The DNR's WMA data lists deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game for Hunters Paradise WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on Hunters Paradise WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
How many deer are taken around Hunters Paradise WMA?
Hunters Paradise WMA lies in Deer Permit Area 671. The DNR registered 446 deer in DPA 671 in 2025.
| DPA | Hunters Paradise WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| DPA 671 | 489 | 446 |
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 Hunters Paradise WMA?
From Wheaton, go 8 miles N on SH75 then 1 1/2 miles W on Twp Rd.
Nearest towns: Wheaton (9 miles), Tintah (11 miles), Campbell (12 miles) and Nashua (12 miles). Highways within 5 miles: US 75. 1 Walk-In Access site within 3 miles.
What other public land is near Hunters Paradise WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- Bois De Sioux WMA: 107 acres, 1.8 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Hunters Paradise WMA
Counting Hunters Paradise WMA itself, 607 of the 26,484 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (2.3%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 607 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Hunters Paradise WMA?
In Traverse County, near Wheaton. The DNR's directions: From Wheaton, go 8 miles N on SH75 then 1 1/2 miles W on Twp Rd.
Which deer permit area is Hunters Paradise WMA in?
Deer Permit Area 671. Its bag limit and firearms dates apply.
How much public land is around Hunters Paradise WMA?
607 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Hunters Paradise WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. One other WMA is within 10 miles, the closest Bois De Sioux WMA (1.8 miles).
Get a Minnesota hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for Minnesota are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
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, Hunters Paradise 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.