Prairie Lake Deer Yard Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Prairie Lake Deer Yard Wildlife Management Area is 790 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Itasca County, near Grand Rapids, inside Deer Permit Area 679. The DNR's WMA data lists deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game for it. Hunters registered 2,146 deer in DPA 679 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 landCounty, city and regional landPrairie Lake Deer Yard WMACounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 790 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Itasca County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 679 |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Nearest town (DNR) | Grand Rapids |
| DNR area office | Grand Rapids |
| Nearest towns | Bovey (4 mi), Coleraine (5 mi) and Taconite (5 mi) |
What is Prairie Lake Deer Yard WMA like?
This WMA was acquired in the 1970s to provide winter browse and cover for deer. It is primarily swamp conifer lowland with cedars, tamaracks, and spruces and scattered small upland islands of mixed aspen and balsam fir.
Management goal is to maintain browse and cover for deer and grouse by timber harvest. Located within several thousand acres of public land adjacent to Prairie Lake. Expect gray jays, hermit thrushes, and signs of wolves.
In the DNR's words, from its wildlife management area data.
What can you hunt on Prairie Lake Deer Yard WMA?
The DNR's WMA data lists deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game for Prairie Lake Deer Yard WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on Prairie Lake Deer Yard WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
How many deer are taken around Prairie Lake Deer Yard WMA?
Prairie Lake Deer Yard WMA lies in Deer Permit Area 679. The DNR registered 2,146 deer in DPA 679 in 2025, against 1,929 in 2024.
| DPA | Prairie Lake Deer Yard WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPA 679 | 790 | 2,146 | 1,929 | 2,046 |
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 Prairie Lake Deer Yard WMA?
From Grand Rapids, go 2 miles north on State Highway 38, then 3.5 miles east on CSAH 61, then 4 miles north on Township Road 325.
Nearest towns: Bovey (4 miles), Coleraine (5 miles), Taconite (5 miles) and Grand Rapids (6 miles). Highways within 5 miles: US 169.
What other public land is near Prairie Lake Deer Yard WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- Balsam-Deer Islands WMA: 36 acres, 5.9 miles away
- Bass Brook WMA: 300 acres, 6.3 miles away
- Trout Lake Eagle WMA: 57 acres, 6.8 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Prairie Lake Deer Yard WMA
Counting Prairie Lake Deer Yard WMA itself, 3,718 of the 28,386 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (13.1%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State forest and other DNR land | 2,916 |
| State wildlife management areas | 802 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Prairie Lake Deer Yard WMA?
In Itasca County, near Grand Rapids. The DNR's directions: From Grand Rapids, go 2 miles north on State Highway 38, then 3.5 miles east on CSAH 61, then 4 miles north on Township Road 325.
Which deer permit area is Prairie Lake Deer Yard WMA in?
Deer Permit Area 679. Its bag limit and firearms dates apply.
How much public land is around Prairie Lake Deer Yard WMA?
3,718 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Prairie Lake Deer Yard WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. 3 other WMAs are within 10 miles, the closest Balsam-Deer Islands WMA (5.9 miles).
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Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: DNR, Prairie Lake Deer Yard 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.