Onstad Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Onstad Wildlife Management Area is 280 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Polk County, near Fertile, inside Deer Permit Areas 265 and 256. The DNR's WMA data lists deer, ducks and geese and small game for it. Hunters registered 1,177 deer in DPA 265 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 areasOnstad WMACounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 280 acres in 2 pieces |
|---|---|
| County | Polk County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 265, DPA 256 |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer, ducks and geese and small game |
| Nearest town (DNR) | Fertile |
| DNR area office | Thief River Falls |
| Nearest towns | Fertile (5 mi), Beltrami (9 mi) and Mentor (10 mi) |
What is Onstad WMA like?
This WMA is 2 distinct parcels of grassland, timber, brush and marsh. Management is for low brushland, diverse age classes of timber, and open prairie. Brush mowing, small clearcuts and prescribed burning are the primary management tools.
There is no public access to the east tract of 80 acres.
In the DNR's words, from its wildlife management area data.
What can you hunt on Onstad WMA?
The DNR's WMA data lists deer, ducks and geese and small game for Onstad WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on Onstad WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
How many deer are taken around Onstad WMA?
Onstad WMA lies in 2 deer permit areas. The DNR registered 1,177 deer in DPA 265 in 2025, against 1,067 in 2024.
| DPA | Onstad WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPA 265 | 199 | 1,177 | 1,067 | 930 |
| DPA 256 | 80 | 1,042 | 1,033 | 867 |
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 Onstad WMA?
From the intersection of SH32 and SH102 in Fertile, go 4 1/2 miles NW on SH102, then S 1 mi on a township road. Parking area is located in SW corner of the unit.
Access is available from the south side and the highway and is in the northeast part of the unit.
Nearest towns: Fertile (5 miles), Beltrami (9 miles), Mentor (10 miles) and Erskine (15 miles). Highways within 5 miles: MN 32 and MN 102.
What other public land is near Onstad WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- Godfrey WMA: 145 acres, 1 mile away
- Burnham WMA: 990 acres, 1.1 miles away
- Trail WMA: 609 acres, 2 miles away
- Chicog WMA: 2,432 acres, 2 miles away
- Liberty WMA: 1,368 acres, 2.4 miles away
- Maple Meadows WMA: 1,393 acres, 2.7 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Onstad WMA
Counting Onstad WMA itself, 3,584 of the 26,218 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (13.7%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 3,229 |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 355 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Onstad WMA?
In Polk County, near Fertile. The DNR's directions: From the intersection of SH32 and SH102 in Fertile, go 4 1/2 miles NW on SH102, then S 1 mi on a township road. Parking area is located in SW corner of the unit.
Which deer permit area is Onstad WMA in?
DPA 265 (199 acres) and DPA 256 (80 acres). Each part follows its own permit area's bag limit.
How much public land is around Onstad WMA?
3,584 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Onstad WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. 6 other WMAs are within 10 miles, the closest Godfrey WMA (1 mile).
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Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: DNR, Onstad 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.