Knapp Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Knapp Wildlife Management Area is 434 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Meeker and Wright counties, near Cokato, inside Deer Permit Area 219. The DNR's WMA data lists deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game for it. Hunters registered 1,989 deer in DPA 219 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 areasCounty, city and regional landWalk-In AccessKnapp WMACounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 434 acres in 3 pieces |
|---|---|
| Counties | Meeker County and Wright County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 219 |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Nearest town (DNR) | Cokato |
| DNR area office | Sauk Rapids |
| Nearest towns | Kingston (4 mi), Dassel (4 mi) and Cokato (5 mi) |
What is Knapp WMA like?
This 433 acre WMA is situated on the Wright/Meeker County border. The area is composed of larger open water and cattail dominated wetlands with surrounding brome grasslands. Western wetlands are controlled by water levels on Swan Lake.
This unit is popular among waterfowl and pheasant hunters. Outside the WMA, quite a bit of the original natural habitat still exists in that area. Spring and fall birding is good in this area. Trumpeter swans have nested on the WMA.
In the DNR's words, from its wildlife management area data.
What can you hunt on Knapp WMA?
The DNR's WMA data lists deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game for Knapp WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on Knapp WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
How many deer are taken around Knapp WMA?
Knapp WMA lies in Deer Permit Area 219. The DNR registered 1,989 deer in DPA 219 in 2025, against 1,973 in 2024.
| DPA | Knapp WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPA 219 | 434 | 1,989 | 1,973 | 1,709 |
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 Knapp WMA?
5 miles NW of Cokato within Sections 5 & 6, T119N, R28W.
Nearest towns: Kingston (4 miles), Dassel (4 miles), Cokato (5 miles) and Darwin (8 miles). Highways within 5 miles: MN 15 and US 12.
What other public land is near Knapp WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- Powers Lake WMA: 276 acres, 5.2 miles away
- Albion WMA: 546 acres, 7 miles away
- Kingston WMA: 624 acres, 8 miles away
- Grass Lake WMA: 478 acres, 8.3 miles away
- Swartout WMA: 110 acres, 9.6 miles away
- A Shau Valley WMA: 210 acres, 9.8 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Knapp WMA
Counting Knapp WMA itself, 589 of the 28,932 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (2%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 434 |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 155 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Knapp WMA?
In Meeker and Wright counties, near Cokato. The DNR's directions: 5 miles NW of Cokato within Sections 5 & 6, T119N, R28W.
Which deer permit area is Knapp WMA in?
Deer Permit Area 219. Its bag limit and firearms dates apply.
How much public land is around Knapp WMA?
589 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Knapp WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. 6 other WMAs are within 10 miles, the closest Powers Lake WMA (5.2 miles).
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Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: DNR, Knapp 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.