Peloquin Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Peloquin Wildlife Management Area is 323 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Itasca County, near Togo, inside Deer Permit Area 176. The DNR's WMA data lists deer, ducks and geese, bear and small game for it. Hunters registered 599 deer in DPA 176 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 landPeloquin WMACounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 323 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Itasca County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 176 |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer, ducks and geese, bear and small game |
| Nearest town (DNR) | Togo |
| DNR area office | Grand Rapids |
| Nearest towns | Chisholm (19 mi), Keewatin (21 mi) and Buhl (22 mi) |
What is Peloquin WMA like?
The Izaac Walton League initiated this 320 acre project as a memorial to Conservation Officer Louis Peloquin in the early 1950s; the project was finally completed and designated as a WMA in 1984.
Management includes manipulating water levels to enhance habitat for waterfowl and timber harvest of the upland forest for deer and grouse. The Ruffed Grouse Society helped to establish 3 miles of hunter walking trails and a series of wildlife openings. Regional and Area staff are proposing to drop this WMA. there will not be an Management Guidance Document completed. Itasca County and the DNR constructed 2 water control structures in 1973 and 1976 on Stony Brook to create waterfowl habitat. The northern dike became part of the Taconite Trail in 1981. Deer, grouse, black bear, fisher, wolves and birds such as ruffed grouse and warblers use the forest, while the impoundments provide habitat for muskrats, beavers, ring-necked ducks, mallards and great blue herons.
In the DNR's words, from its wildlife management area data.
What can you hunt on Peloquin WMA?
The DNR's WMA data lists deer, ducks and geese, bear and small game for Peloquin WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on Peloquin WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
How many deer are taken around Peloquin WMA?
Peloquin WMA lies in Deer Permit Area 176. The DNR registered 599 deer in DPA 176 in 2025, against 546 in 2024.
| DPA | Peloquin WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPA 176 | 323 | 599 | 546 | 576 |
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 Peloquin WMA?
From Togo, go 10 miles south on State Highway 65, then 2.5 miles east on Link Lake State Forest Road.
Nearest towns: Chisholm (19 miles), Keewatin (21 miles), Buhl (22 miles) and Nashwauk (22 miles). Highways within 5 miles: MN 65.
What other public land is near Peloquin WMA?
Public land within 3 miles of Peloquin WMA
Counting Peloquin WMA itself, 5,314 of the 23,947 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (22.2%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State forest and other DNR land | 4,956 |
| State wildlife management areas | 358 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Peloquin WMA?
In Itasca County, near Togo. The DNR's directions: From Togo, go 10 miles south on State Highway 65, then 2.5 miles east on Link Lake State Forest Road.
Which deer permit area is Peloquin WMA in?
Deer Permit Area 176. Its bag limit and firearms dates apply.
How much public land is around Peloquin WMA?
5,314 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Peloquin WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1.
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, Peloquin 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.