Marcoux Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Marcoux Wildlife Management Area is 380 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Red Lake County, near Red Lake Falls, inside Deer Permit Area 257. The DNR's WMA data lists deer, ducks and geese, sharp-tailed grouse and small game for it. Hunters registered 979 deer in DPA 257 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 areasMarcoux WMACounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 380 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Red Lake County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 257 |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer, ducks and geese, sharp-tailed grouse and small game |
| Nearest town (DNR) | Red Lake Falls |
| DNR area office | Thief River Falls |
| Nearest towns | Red Lake Falls (6 mi), Mentor (8 mi) and Brooks (10 mi) |
What is Marcoux WMA like?
Marcoux WMA is primarily marsh, grassland, and brush, with taller timber on the east boundary. Management is for prairie wildlife including waterfowl, prairie grouse, and marsh furbearers. Techniques include prescribed fire and brush mowing.
Much of the units is marsh and wet prairie, so knee or hip boots are needed to explore it during wet periods. There is a good mixture of shallow water and deeper dugouts in the marsh. Summer prairie wildflowers are beautiful on the ridgetops. Blazing stars are abundant and monarch butterflies can sometimes be seen nectaring on them.
In the DNR's words, from its wildlife management area data.
What can you hunt on Marcoux WMA?
The DNR's WMA data lists deer, ducks and geese, sharp-tailed grouse and small game for Marcoux WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on Marcoux WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
How many deer are taken around Marcoux WMA?
Marcoux WMA lies in Deer Permit Area 257. The DNR registered 979 deer in DPA 257 in 2025, against 928 in 2024.
| DPA | Marcoux WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPA 257 | 380 | 979 | 928 | 872 |
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 Marcoux WMA?
From Red Lake Falls, 5 miles S on SH 32 then 1 1/2 miles E on CSAH 14. A parking area is located on the west side of the gravel township road that bisects the unit.
Nearest towns: Red Lake Falls (6 miles), Mentor (8 miles), Brooks (10 miles) and Plummer (11 miles). Highways within 5 miles: US 2, MN 32 and MN 92.
What other public land is near Marcoux WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- Mentor Prairie WMA: 2,183 acres, 3.6 miles away
- Dalea WMA: 37 acres, 4.2 miles away
- Gervais WMA: 83 acres, 6.2 miles away
- Tilden WMA: 426 acres, 6.4 miles away
- Stipa WMA: 161 acres, 6.6 miles away
- Dugdale WMA: 960 acres, 7.2 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Marcoux WMA
Counting Marcoux WMA itself, 427 of the 24,686 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (1.7%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 380 |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 47 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Marcoux WMA?
In Red Lake County, near Red Lake Falls. The DNR's directions: From Red Lake Falls, 5 miles S on SH 32 then 1 1/2 miles E on CSAH 14. A parking area is located on the west side of the gravel township road that bisects the unit.
Which deer permit area is Marcoux WMA in?
Deer Permit Area 257. Its bag limit and firearms dates apply.
How much public land is around Marcoux WMA?
427 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Marcoux WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. 6 other WMAs are within 10 miles, the closest Mentor Prairie WMA (3.6 miles).
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Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: DNR, Marcoux 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.