Polk Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Polk Wildlife Management Area is 2,762 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Polk County, near Erskine, inside Deer Permit Area 210. The DNR's WMA data lists deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, sharp-tailed grouse, bear and small game for it. Hunters registered 1,487 deer in DPA 210 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 areasPolk WMACounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 2,762 acres in 2 pieces |
|---|---|
| County | Polk County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 210 |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, sharp-tailed grouse, bear and small game |
| Nearest town (DNR) | Erskine |
| DNR area office | Thief River Falls |
| Nearest towns | Erskine (next to it), McIntosh (5 mi) and Brooks (6 mi) |
What is Polk WMA like?
This WMA is open terrain with wet prairie, sedge meadow, brush thickets, and scattered groves of aspen. The management of the unit is to preserve the aspen parkland habitat and the diversity of the plant and animal species.
This is a very good hunting and viewing area for wildlife. The Polk, Timberdoodle, Kakaik, and Erskine WMA's are all inter-connected. There are numerous parking areas and walking trails within this unit. Spring calling frogs like spring peepers and wood frogs, plus the distinctive sounds of snipe. Winter cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling. Bird watching and wildlife observation.
In the DNR's words, from its wildlife management area data.
What can you hunt on Polk WMA?
The DNR's WMA data lists deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, sharp-tailed grouse, bear and small game for Polk WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on Polk WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
How many deer are taken around Polk WMA?
Polk WMA lies in Deer Permit Area 210. The DNR registered 1,487 deer in DPA 210 in 2025, against 1,331 in 2024.
| DPA | Polk WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPA 210 | 2,762 | 1,487 | 1,331 | 1,383 |
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 Polk WMA?
From Erskine, go 1 1/2 miles N on CO RD 208.
Access is good with several miles of township roads adjacent to or running through the unit.
Nearest towns: Erskine (next to it), McIntosh (5 miles), Brooks (6 miles) and Mentor (7 miles). Highways within 5 miles: US 59 and US 2.
What other public land is near Polk WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- Kakaik WMA: 204 acres, next to it
- Erskine WMA: 1,220 acres, next to it
- Timber Doodle WMA: 158 acres, 1 mile away
- Bee Lake WMA: 121 acres, 2.7 miles away
- Dorr WMA: 378 acres, 4 miles away
- Enerson WMA: 282 acres, 4.8 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Polk WMA
Counting Polk WMA itself, 6,361 of the 44,808 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (14.2%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 4,425 |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 1,936 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Polk WMA?
In Polk County, near Erskine. The DNR's directions: From Erskine, go 1 1/2 miles N on CO RD 208.
Which deer permit area is Polk WMA in?
Deer Permit Area 210. Its bag limit and firearms dates apply.
How much public land is around Polk WMA?
6,361 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Polk WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. 6 other WMAs are within 10 miles, the closest Kakaik WMA (next to it).
Get a Minnesota hunt plan when they open
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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, Polk 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.