North Fork Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
North Fork Wildlife Management Area is 255 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Stearns County, near Brooten, inside Deer Permit Area 218. The DNR's WMA data lists deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game for it. Hunters registered 3,769 deer in DPA 218 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 landNational wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areasNorth Fork WMACounty lineHighway
| Size | 255 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Stearns County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 218 |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Nearest town (DNR) | Brooten |
| DNR area office | Sauk Rapids |
| Nearest towns | Brooten (4 mi), Elrosa (4 mi) and Belgrade (5 mi) |
What is North Fork WMA like?
This WMA is composed of restored and remnant prairie that borders the North Fork Crow River. This unit is part of a larger deer, pheasant, and turkey wintering area.
In the DNR's words, from its wildlife management area data.
What can you hunt on North Fork WMA?
The DNR's WMA data lists deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game for North Fork WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on North Fork WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
How many deer are taken around North Fork WMA?
North Fork WMA lies in Deer Permit Area 218. The DNR registered 3,769 deer in DPA 218 in 2025, against 3,553 in 2024.
| DPA | North Fork WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPA 218 | 255 | 3,769 | 3,553 | 3,092 |
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 North Fork WMA?
From Brooten, go 1 mile N on County Hwy 18, then 2 miles E on Twnshp Road 765 (270th St.), then 1/2 mile N on CR 201, then 2.5 miles E and N on Twnshp Road 766 (Isabella Rd).
Nearest towns: Brooten (4 miles), Elrosa (4 miles), Belgrade (5 miles) and Spring Hill (9 miles). Highways within 5 miles: US 71 and MN 55.
What other public land is near North Fork WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- Milton Kjeldahl WMA: 196 acres, next to it
- Oxcart Crossing WMA: 210 acres, 0.8 miles away
- Mel Roehrl WMA: 307 acres, 3.4 miles away
- Prairie Smoke WMA: 174 acres, 3.8 miles away
- Edward Raymond Mohs WMA: 336 acres, 3.9 miles away
- Tamarac WMA: 615 acres, 4.2 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of North Fork WMA
Counting North Fork WMA itself, 868 of the 24,490 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (3.5%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 666 |
| State forest and other DNR land | 202 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is North Fork WMA?
In Stearns County, near Brooten. The DNR's directions: From Brooten, go 1 mile N on County Hwy 18, then 2 miles E on Twnshp Road 765 (270th St.), then 1/2 mile N on CR 201, then 2.5 miles E and N on Twnshp Road 766 (Isabella Rd).
Which deer permit area is North Fork WMA in?
Deer Permit Area 218. Its bag limit and firearms dates apply.
How much public land is around North Fork WMA?
868 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, North Fork WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. 6 other WMAs are within 10 miles, the closest Milton Kjeldahl WMA (next to it).
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, North Fork 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.