Mosquito Creek Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Mosquito Creek Wildlife Management Area is 747 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Clearwater County, near Bagley, inside Deer Permit Areas 684 and 298. The DNR's WMA data lists deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game for it. Hunters registered 3,267 deer in DPA 684 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 landMosquito Creek WMACounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 747 acres in 3 pieces |
|---|---|
| County | Clearwater County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 684, DPA 298 |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Nearest town (DNR) | Bagley |
| DNR area office | Park Rapids |
| Nearest towns | Rice Lake (5 mi), Bagley (5 mi) and Ebro (6 mi) |
What is Mosquito Creek WMA like?
This WMA is a grassland\forest\wetland complex in an agricultural and forested landscape. This unit is intermixed with private lands and is accessible from four gravel township roads. There are 24 small emergent wetlands scattered throughout this WMA.
This WMA is managed for forest and wetland wildlife. There are small wetlands and grassland areas for duck and nongame bird breeding and nesting. And small, scattered forest areas in central and south units. The north unit is heavily forested with aspen. Deer, bear, ruffed grouse, duck, and goose hunting opportunities exist along with wildlife observation and trapping opportunities.
In the DNR's words, from its wildlife management area data.
What can you hunt on Mosquito Creek WMA?
The DNR's WMA data lists deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game for Mosquito Creek WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on Mosquito Creek WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
How many deer are taken around Mosquito Creek WMA?
Mosquito Creek WMA lies in 2 deer permit areas. The DNR registered 3,267 deer in DPA 684 in 2025, against 3,035 in 2024.
| DPA | Mosquito Creek WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPA 684 | 665 | 3,267 | 3,035 | 2,686 |
| DPA 298 | 82 | 779 | 671 | 491 |
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 Mosquito Creek WMA?
From Bagley, go 6 miles South on SH 92 to County Road 31 W two miles to County Road 102 then S approximately 1/4 mile to parking area.
There are three established parking lots on this unit.
Nearest towns: Rice Lake (5 miles), Bagley (5 miles), Ebro (6 miles) and South End (7 miles). Highways within 5 miles: MN 92 and US 2.
What other public land is near Mosquito Creek WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- Upper Rice WMA: 390 acres, 4.3 miles away
- Perch Lake WMA: 252 acres, 5.2 miles away
- Mud Lake WMA: 718 acres, 5.3 miles away
- Island Lake Fmha WMA: 212 acres, 5.6 miles away
- Lower Rice WMA: 441 acres, 5.7 miles away
- Daniel Lake WMA: 24 acres, 7.4 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Mosquito Creek WMA
Counting Mosquito Creek WMA itself, 3,876 of the 32,651 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (11.9%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State forest and other DNR land | 3,129 |
| State wildlife management areas | 747 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Mosquito Creek WMA?
In Clearwater County, near Bagley. The DNR's directions: From Bagley, go 6 miles South on SH 92 to County Road 31 W two miles to County Road 102 then S approximately 1/4 mile to parking area.
Which deer permit area is Mosquito Creek WMA in?
DPA 684 (665 acres) and DPA 298 (82 acres). Each part follows its own permit area's bag limit.
How much public land is around Mosquito Creek WMA?
3,876 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Mosquito Creek WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. 6 other WMAs are within 10 miles, the closest Upper Rice WMA (4.3 miles).
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Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: DNR, Mosquito Creek 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.