Salo Marsh Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Salo Marsh Wildlife Management Area is 2,036 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Aitkin County, near Tamarack, inside Deer Permit Area 156. The DNR's WMA data lists deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game for it. Hunters registered 1,900 deer in DPA 156 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 landSalo Marsh WMACounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 2,036 acres in 2 pieces |
|---|---|
| County | Aitkin County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 156 |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Nearest town (DNR) | Tamarack |
| DNR area office | Aitkin |
| Special restrictions | Yes, see the rules below |
| Nearest towns | Tamarack (3 mi), Wright (4 mi) and McGregor (9 mi) |
What is Salo Marsh WMA like?
This WMA is a wetland/forest complex where marsh and low ground are dominated by grasses and lowland brush. There is a 200-acre wetland impoundment on the unit. The upland timber types on the unit are aspen and balsam fir. This subunit is a wetland/forest complex with a grass field in the southwest of the unit. Lowland brush areas and a beaver pond are located along the Sandy River which flows through the subunit. The east portion of the unit is an aspen forest type.
This is a cooperative WMA with Aitkin County. Management emphasis on this unit is for waterfowl/wetlands wildlife, and for deer, bear, woodcock, and ruffed grouse in the upland timber. This subunit is managed for deer, ruffed grouse, and woodcock. Additional County tax forfeit and state forestlands are on the west, south, and southeast of the WMA. Watch for breeding waterfowl, bald eagles, and grebes in the spring. Furbearer trapping opportunities exist on the unit. Watch for deer, ruffed grouse, woodcock, great horned owls, eastern kingbirds, tree swallows and black-capped chickadees on this WMA.
In the DNR's words, from its wildlife management area data.
What can you hunt on Salo Marsh WMA?
The DNR's WMA data lists deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game for Salo Marsh WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on Salo Marsh WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
Special restriction the DNR lists for Salo Marsh WMA: No wild rice harvesting is allowed on this unit. Respect private property on adjacent lands to the north. Permits are required for beaver and otter trapping.
Special restriction the DNR lists for Salo Marsh WMA: This subunit is surrounded by private land.
How many deer are taken around Salo Marsh WMA?
Salo Marsh WMA lies in Deer Permit Area 156. The DNR registered 1,900 deer in DPA 156 in 2025, against 1,594 in 2024.
| DPA | Salo Marsh WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPA 156 | 2,036 | 1,900 | 1,594 | 1,299 |
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 Salo Marsh WMA?
From Tamarack go 1.5 miles S. on Co. Rd. 16, 1 mile E. on 422nd S. Street, 3 miles S. and E. on 120th Place. From Tamarack go 1.5 miles S. on Co. Rd. 16, 1 mile E. on 422nd Street, 1.5 miles S. on township road.
This WMA has a carry-in canoe access to the impoundment. Wheelchair access is limited to graveled access road into unit. Wheelchair access limited to gravel road.
Nearest towns: Tamarack (3 miles), Wright (4 miles), McGregor (9 miles) and Cromwell (10 miles). Highways within 5 miles: MN 210.
What other public land is near Salo Marsh WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- Lawler WMA: 235 acres, 2.9 miles away
- Grayling Marsh WMA: 9,960 acres, 4.4 miles away
- Firebird WMA: 728 acres, 6.8 miles away
- Mcgregor WMA: 651 acres, 8.1 miles away
- Kimberly Marsh WMA: 10,564 acres, 8.6 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Salo Marsh WMA
Counting Salo Marsh WMA itself, 6,161 of the 36,923 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (16.7%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State forest and other DNR land | 4,093 |
| State wildlife management areas | 2,068 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Salo Marsh WMA?
In Aitkin County, near Tamarack. The DNR's directions: From Tamarack go 1.5 miles S. on Co. Rd. 16, 1 mile E. on 422nd S. Street, 3 miles S. and E. on 120th Place. From Tamarack go 1.5 miles S. on Co. Rd. 16, 1 mile E. on 422nd Street, 1.5 miles S. on township road.
Which deer permit area is Salo Marsh WMA in?
Deer Permit Area 156. Its bag limit and firearms dates apply.
How much public land is around Salo Marsh WMA?
6,161 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Salo Marsh WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. 5 other WMAs are within 10 miles, the closest Lawler WMA (2.9 miles).
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Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: DNR, Salo Marsh 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).
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